Michigan 4-H Youth Development


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4-H Youth Development Michigan State University 160 Agriculture Hall East Lansing, MI 48824-1039 USA Phone: 517-432-7575 Fax: 517-355-6748 Email: msue4h@msu.edu Disclaimer & Indicia

Michigan 4-H Youth Participation Fee

2007–08 Request for Proposals
4-H Participation Fee Fund Competitive Grant Program

Proposals are now being accepted for the 4-H Participation Fee Fund Grant Program. About $240,000 in competitive grants of up to $5,000 each will be awarded to MSU Extension programs to fund innovative or updated 4-H programming at the county, regional and state levels.

The 12-month grants will support curriculum development, training for youth and adult volunteers, local workshops and other 4-H programming designed to address educational needs that are not being met by existing 4-H programs or formats. All completed proposals that meet the funding criteria -- whether for $50 or $4,999 -- will be carefully considered

Eligibility and Criteria for Funding

All proposals must meet the following guidelines. Proposals that fail to do so will not be considered.
The lead person for each proposal must be an MSU Extension employee.
All proposals must demonstrate the promise of program self-sufficiency and sustainability.
The intent of these funds is not to support MSU Extension salaries. An exception may be granted in a few specific circumstances, such as hiring a temporary worker who will only work on an allowable program for no longer than 2 years doing specific tasks.
Significant curriculum updates and development of online curricula are acceptable.
Proposals for planning a large curriculum development project that would seek outside funds are acceptable. (Include details in your proposal about the external funding source, such as the RFP and deadlines.)
Proposals will be funded for 12 months and projects must be completed within one year. Projects funded in Round 1 will begin in January 2008, and those funded in Round 2 in July 2008.

How to Apply

To apply for a 4-H Participant Fee Fund Grant, fill out the electronic application form (Microsoft Word format). Follow the proposal formatting directions that appear in the “Proposal Formatting and Language” section and complete ALL sections of the form. Proposals that do not follow the formatting guidelines or that are missing information will not be considered.
Ask your county Extension director (for county-based projects), regional director (for region-based projects), or the appropriate 4-H program leader (for statewide projects) to review the proposal.
E-mail a completed electronic application form (in either Word or pdf format) to Cheri Booth at boothc@msu.edu by December 15, 2007, for Round 1. (The deadline for submitting proposals for Round 2 is June 15, 2008.)

Proposal Contents

Your proposal must include the following information:

A proposal narrative including:
- The project’s goals, approach, milestone activities, timeline and evaluation plan.
- Your plan for the project’s self-sufficiency and sustainability and for seeking future external funding.
- A project budget and budget justification.
No more than two letters of support, one of which must be from the county MSU Extension director (for county-based projects), regional director (for region-based projects) or the appropriate 4-H program leader (for statewide projects). The letter writers should e-mail their letters of support to Cheri Booth at boothc@msu.edu by the application deadline.

The logic model found online at http://www.uwex.edu/ces/pdande/evaluation/pdf/LMfront.pdf may help you plan your project and write your proposal. (If the direct link doesn’t work, go to http://www.uwex.edu/ces/pdande/evaluation/evallogicmodel.html then scroll down to “Logic Model Placemat” and click on “Side A Front.”)

We strongly recommend that you have someone else (such as your county MSU Extension director, regional director or another colleague) review and critique your proposal before submitting it for consideration.

Formatting and Language

Please read and follow these formatting guidelines carefully to avoid having your proposal rejected without review. Proposals must:

Be formatted to print on 8.5-inch by 11-inch paper with at least 1-inch margins (left, right, top, bottom) for all pages.
Use 12-point type.
Be no more than 3 pages of single-sided, double-spaced text. (The budget section is not included in this limit.)
Limit the project title to 44 characters, including spaces and punctuation.

Budget

Proposals will be funded for 12 months and projects must be completed within one year. Projects funded in Round 1 will begin in January 2008, and those funded in Round 2 in July 2008. All completed proposals that meet the funding criteria -- whether for $50 or $4,999 -- will be carefully considered.

There are limits on what can and cannot be funded by these grants.

Examples of how the money might be used include:

Purchasing or developing materials for brand new program areas, such as e‑communications or bio products.
Updating existing program materials to reflect the latest research, such as new animal science practices, new nutrition information (such as including information from the recently updated My Food Pyramid) or new plant growth techniques.
Improving or expanding programs that build life skills in communications, citizenship, leadership and decision-making.

Examples of things that the fee cannot be used for include:

The intent of these funds is not to support MSU Extension salaries. An exception may be granted in a few specific circumstances, such as hiring a temporary worker who will only work on an allowable program for no longer than 2 years doing specific tasks.
Producing, printing or mailing newsletters, unless this is the first time that your county has used newsletters as a source of providing information or the newsletter is being significantly expanded, revamped or offered in a different format (such as on the web for the first time or in print for the first time).
Paying an insurance fee for 4-H participants.
Covering the cost of youth show expenses.
Giving individual clubs the $5 a member county share of the 4-H participation fee.

Review Process

Proposals will be reviewed by a team composed of two county-based MSU Extension staff members, two state 4-H staff members, one regional director and one associate director. Ideally, staff members will not serve on the review term during a funding cycle in which they have submitted proposals or been named as participants in projects seeking funding. However, if that does happen, review team members will not be permitted to review proposals with which they are involved.

Reporting Requirements for Funded Projects

Successful proposals will be required to submit two reports. The first, on the outputs of the project, will be due within 60 days of the project’s completion. The second, on the impacts and outcomes of the new program, will be due 1 year after the project has ended.

For More Information

For more information about the 4-H Participation Fee Fund Grant Program, contact:

Cheri Booth, State Leader
4-H Youth Development
Michigan State University Extension
160 Agriculture Hall
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Phone: 517-432-2116
Fax: 517-355-6748
E-mail: boothc@msu.edu