Funded by the Pine Tree State 4-H Foundation
to support creative youth community service projects in Maine
GUIDELINES
The Definition of Community Service
Community Service: Actions completed with the intent to improve the quality of life for community residents or to solve particular problems related to their needs.
Community service projects can be completed in many areas, including, but not limited to: health care, child care, literacy training, education (including tutorial services), welfare, social services, transportation, housing and neighborhood improvement, public safety, recreation, and rural development. They can be conducted with or without the collaboration of one or more area non-profits.
CCC Grant Application Guidelines
Clubs may apply for one CCC grant per
project. Clubs may apply for a grant up to three times per year for
different community service projects. Prior grantees must have all
project requirements completed before a new application will be considered.
Projects must be able to show tangible
results.
Documentation of the project's progression
and completion must be sent to the Pine Tree State 4-H Foundation
within 6- days of the project's scheduled end date.
Preference will be given to those projects
that affect their communities on a grand scale and show a long-term impact.
Preference will be given to those projects
that are most cost-effective.
Proposals must clearly show a need for the
recommended project.
Proposals must show a concise plan of
action.
Club members must detail specific,
original skills that will be gained as a result of the project.
In the event that a project may disrupt
members of the community, the club must prove to the Foundation that the
proper permits and permissions have been granted.
Grants will not be awarded to projects
that directly benefit Maine 4-H, 4-H Leaders' Associations, or University of
Maine Cooperative Extension. Projects that directly benefit individual
4-H members, leaders, volunteers, or clubs will also not be considered.
Groups must fill out the press release questionnaire (Word PDF) and send it to the Foundation no later than 30 days after the scheduled end date of the project. Failure to meet this deadline will result in a penalty.
Question & Answer
What do you mean by 'different' community service projects?
Different does not mean that the projects must be of a diverse nature. A club must complete all guidelines and hand in all the necessary material to the 4-H Foundation before the committee will consider funding another project. In other words, it must be clear that the first project is finished.
What results are considered tangible?
Tangible means something that is concrete or substantial. A tangible goal would be providing five full shopping bags of food to a local homeless shelter or sewing thirty warm blankets to place in kennels at a Human Society.
What type of documentation is acceptable?
The 4-H Foundation is proud of the hard work 4-H clubs and leaders put into helping their communities. We want to keep track of your progress so we can share it with others. Photos, videos, journals, artwork, displays, and/or poems are all acceptable ways to document your project.
What do you mean by grand scale and long-term impact?
An example of a grand scale, long impacting project would be preparing and serving meals at a homeless shelter once a month for four months instead of proposing to do it just once. It could also be the difference between planting a garden of annuals at one location, and offering to plant perennials and bulbs at three locations.
How do I know if my project is cost effective?
This brings us back to the grand scale/long-term impact component. A club that asks for $200 to host one dinner at a battered women's shelter did not do as much research and planning as the club that asks for $200 to host four meals at the shelter.
How do I clearly show the need for my project?
If you think there aren't enough books for young adults at your local library, get a statement from a librarian. If you want to clean a littered park, send photos of trash-cluttered playgrounds with your proposal. Maybe the executive director of a non-profit tells you they want help with a toy drive. All of these examples would clearly demonstrate need.
How do I create a plan of action?
A plan of action shows that after you have looked at the need in your community and found a solution, you outline how to make that solution happen. If you want to plant a vegetable garden and donate the leafy greens to a soup kitchen, tell us from start to finish what will be done, when it will be done, and who will do it.
What is a specific, original skill?
You will be working with your 4-H club on this project. You work with them on a lot of things - learning to work as a team is not a specific, original skill to your community service project. Learning how to paint the interior of a house after working with Habitat for Humanity is a special skill. Becoming a good listener and conversationalist after visiting a Veteran's Home are two very important skills that would be specific to your experience.
When do I need to get permits or permission for my project?
If you even have an inkling of an idea that your project might cause some disruption, check with the proper officials. Sometimes even something as small as planting a community garden could anger some residents if an invasive species of plant is introduced. Other examples include getting the proper permits to have an information booth, float or exhibit at a local festival or calling to find the best time to visit residents of a nursing home. This type of preparation would be part of a complete plan of action.
Why can't my project directly benefit 4-H or Extension?
The Creative Communities Coalition provides grants for community service. The committee feels providing for our own needs using community service funds does not fit the ideas of 4-H.
What is the questionnaire for? How will my group be penalized for not filling it out?
The press release questionnaire gives the Foundation and UMCE the proper information to create a press release about your club's project. Failure to meet the questionnaire deadlines will prevent your club from applying for another CCC grant for 2 months.
(Effective 2006)