ABF Grant Application Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who can and should be a grant mentor?

A grant mentor may be a teacher, coach, family friend, youth group leader, etc. - A self-identified trusting adult who can be a supportive advocate for the applicant during the application process and throughout her grant activity. For further clarification, read about mentorship here.

Q: What are the grant application deadline dates?

Our spring grant cycle application deadline is April 1 each year and our fall grant cycle application deadline is October 1 each year. The online application will open on our website 1-2 months ahead of the deadline dates. You can join our email list to receive notification when applications are open.

Q: How and when will i be notified of a grant award?

From the time of the grant application deadlines (April 1 or October 1), the Granting Review Committee reads each and every application and then meets in person to select the group of recipients. Our notification dates are always on or before May 20 (spring deadline) or November 20 (fall deadline) and notifications are sent via email to both the applicant and the mentor.

Q: How do i complete a grant application?

The grant application is all online in a portal that allows the user to save and exit at any time. This means that you do not need to complete the application in one sitting, but can instead complete each part of the application as your time allows. All grant guidelines, eligibility, and further instructions on how to navigate the online application may be found on our How To Apply page.

Q: When are grant checks sent to activity providers?

We work directly with the Activity Providers to determine the payment requirements and line up payment with the activity provider’s regular fee deadline. Applicants also provide these details in their application and Grant Acceptance Form. In addition, we are requesting that the activity providers invoice us for payment. Checks are then sent directly to the activity provider's mailing address.

Q: Who is awarded an abf grant?

Each grant cycle is different and unique based on the applicant pool, so we do not have a concrete formula on who is awarded a grant in each cycle. Every individual grant application is read by at least three members of our Granting and Evaluation Committee. These reviewers read each application very carefully as to best try and understand, from both the applicant and mentor, why it is important for the girl to receive this specific grant at this time. The review committee looks for clear and concise answers that explain how this grant activity (specific to the applicant) will help the girl pursue her dream, build confidence and self-esteem, and will support her in learning about herself. As much information and depth that can be put into each question response within the application, will give the reviewers the best picture possible.

Q: How many grants are awarded each cycle?

Similar to the previous question, there is no specific answer as it depends purely on the funding amount that ABF is able to raise on a yearly basis. Since ABF was founded in 1997, we have awarded over $2.3 million to more than 5,300 Minnesota girls. We are excited and eager to see that continue to grow in the hopes of striving to support as many Minnesota girls as possible. In 2019-2020, we awarded grants to 413 girls totaling $216,665 in grant awards given.