I applied for the Lowes Toolbox grant last school year and won. We received $5,000.00 to put towards our new playground equipment, specifically a new swing designed for a student in a wheelchair. I found the grant very easy to write,and I actually enjoyed doing the whole process. I just completed another grant for field trips, we will get our answer in January. We are all anxiously waiting.

Let me try and answer a few questions here:

Types of projects? Here's a good link from the Toolbox web site:

www.toolboxforeducation.com/sample.html

Yes, a 501(c)(3) determination letter is a formal notice from the IRS that your group has official non-profit status with the federal government. You can call into the IRS helpline to help determine if your group has that status. For the Lowe's program, you are not completely out of luck if you don't have it. You can: 1) get it; or 2) apply under the school's name (check will be cut to your school, not your parent group).

RE: application process. We've made continued tweaks and improvements to the application process. Much better this year. It's not 3 questions -- as there is a lot of information needed to effectively sort through so many worthy projects -- but this year's questions and process are more streamlined and straighforward than last year's.

This is defeinitely not a thousands apply, eleven win kind of program. Last year, nearly 900 schoools and parent groups received significant ($2,000- $5,000) grants.

Tim

I was not the one who did the grant for our playground project, however, I heard it was complicated and confusing. What we did was break down the needs we had into 2 playground sections to make it fit the grant outline.
We recently got a reply that they will not support our project, but we think it is because there is not a Lowes less than an hour away. There is a grant writing advise website (just stay way from those that charge)

Our school was looking into this for this coming period. I was a bit confused by the website, though. What kind of projects meet their criteria? We have three big things going on but didn't know if anyof them would be what they are looking for

What exactly is the 501c3? I know its a non-profit status but is it an official letter from the IRS that you would fax into Lowes? I am new to the PTO for our school and we are trying to apply for grants. Most all of them ask for a 501c3 letter.

Help.

Lisa

Hi -

It's www.toolboxforeducation.com

Next application period will open up in mid- August with a fall deadline.

Nearly $5 million doanted by Lowe's to about 900 parent groups and schools last school year. Kind of cool.

Tim