Lowe’s continues a fourth year of generosity with another round of SkillsUSA grants in 2013. The focus for this year’s Lowe’s grant program is to identify schools, classrooms or students who have a very basic need to improve the quality of the students’ educational experience. Grants will be awarded ranging from $2,500 to $25,000.

Grant applications will detail the need for classroom improvements, upgrading or providing tangible tools for learning technical skills, leadership development opportunities, or providing competition clothing that will enable students to compete at SkillsUSA events. In addition, those applicants who can outline their plan to “pay it forward” by planning and implementing a project or event that will allow them to use the tools or skills obtained due to receiving the grant dollars, will stand a greater chance of receiving funding. The best projects will detail how the outcome will provide a life-changing experience for the beneficiaries of the grant dollars. Grant applications are available at: www.skillsusa.org/educators/lowes.shtml.

SkillsUSA is pleased to announce a continuing partnership with Lowe’s for 2012. As part of their overall grant to SkillsUSA, Lowe’s will be awarding grants to local chapters of up to $25,000 each for Community Improvement and Community Rebuilding Grants implemented in 2012.

The Community Improvement: Champions Serving Others grant category is for those schools that are proposing a project that will focus on benefiting their local community or school. In choosing grant winners for the upcoming year, projects that focus on a local need vs. want will stand a greater chance of receiving funding. For this category, a maximum of $10,000 per grant winner will be awarded.

The Community Rebuilding: Reaching Out and Partnering grant category brings grant project opportunities to a new level in both funding and building leadership skills! Proposed projects in this category will combine the efforts of two SkillsUSA Chapters partnering and reaching out to a community or school that has been drastically affected by a natural disaster. One of the partnering chapters may be the beneficiary of the project. The maximum grant in this category will be $25,000. Community Rebuilding grant winners will be highlighted on stage at the 2012 NLSC closing ceremony with a video/photo presentation of their project.

Lowe’s will be reviewing the top applications, as submitted by a SkillsUSA staff committee, and selecting the chapters to receive the funding. Grant applications must be submitted by November 1, 2011. Notification of successful applicants will be in January of 2012. Projects may be implemented during the spring or fall semesters in 2012 and must be completed by November 30, 2012.

In addition, CareerSafe Online training vouchers to promote safety among technical students will again be available in 2012.

If you have questions on the grant program, please contact Lowe’s grants manager, Carol Lowery, at 641-512-0504 or 641-456-4515 or clowery@skillsusa.org.

For more information and to reach the application, go to the following: www.skillsusa.org/educators/lowes.shtml.

The 2011 SkillsUSA and Lowe’s community service and campus improvement grants were recently announced. Congratulations to all successful applicants.

Campus Improvement: Arkansas – Arkansas Career Training Institute; California – Warren High School; Colorado – Sheridan High School; Florida – Belleview High School; Illinois – Elgin Community College; Illinois – Jo Daviess Carroll Area Vocational Center; Iowa – Central Campus; Kansas – Labette Community College; Maine – Bath Regional Career & Technical Center; Maine- Tri-County Technical Center; Missouri – Southwest Area Career Center; New Jersey – Salem County Career & Technical High School; New York – E.J. Milliken Technical Center; Oklahoma – Eastern Oklahoma County Technical Center; Oregon – Centennial High School; South Carolina – Sumter County Career Center; Washington – Elma High School; and, Wisconsin – Fox Valley Technical College.

Community Service: California – John F. Kennedy High School; Georgia – Lumpkin County High School; Illinois – Fox Valley Career Center; Kansas – Hutchinson Community College; Massachusetts – Greater Lawrence Technical School; Michigan – Eaton ISD Career Preparation Center; New Jersey – Bergen County Academies; New Jersey – Camden County Technical Schools; North Dakota – North Valley Career and Technical Center; Oklahoma – Canadian Valley Technology Center; Pennsylvania – Lycoming Career & Technology Center; Tennessee – Haywood High School, County Career & Technical Division; Tennessee – Tennessee Technology Center at Crossville; Tennessee – Tennessee Technology Center at Elizabethton; Tennessee – Tennessee Technology Center at Hartsville; and, Wisconsin – Lincoln High School.