The Minnesota State Fair Foundation is proud to provide the Minnesota State Fair Beginning Exhibitor Livestock Learning Experience (BELLE) Grant.
Donor Name: Minnesota State Fair Foundation
State: Minnesota
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/01/2022
Size of the Grant: $500
Details:
This grant program will gift $500 each to large-animal exhibitors (beef cattle, dairy cattle, goats, horse, llama, sheep, or swine) and $250 each to small-animal exhibitors (poultry and rabbits) who commit to participating in the Minnesota State Fair for the first time in 2022. Fifteen exhibitors will be chosen.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the BELLE Grant, applicants must:
- Be a Minnesota resident between the ages of 10 and 18 as of Aug. 25, 2022, who has not previously exhibited at the Minnesota State Fair.
- Submit one letter of recommendation from a trusted source who can speak to your livestock show and animal care experience.
- Submit only one grant application (large or small animal). If multiple children from the same family apply, the Minnesota State Fair reserves the right to award one grant to the entire family.
- Participate in the 4-H, FFA, or open class show of their preferred species during the 2022 Minnesota State Fair. If you do not show up at the State Fair, you will forfeit your grant. If 4-H exhibitors do not win a trip through their county fair, they would then be required to show in the open show or FFA show (if the exhibitor is an FFA participant and of the required age) for their species. In the event that this happens, they will work with the exhibitor to make sure they are registered for the appropriate show.
- Sign the BELLE Grant Code of Conduct upon being selected for the program.
- Submit the following for media and promotional purposes.
- Four monthly project reports leading up to the Minnesota State Fair. Reports will include a photo of you and your livestock and a brief statement.
- One overall recap of your experience exhibiting at the Minnesota State Fair, including 2-3 photos of you and your livestock at the State Fair and a brief statement about what you learned from the experience.
- Attend the BELLE Grant reception during the State Fair to meet with members of the State Fair competition department, State Fair board of managers, Minnesota State Fair Foundation board of managers, and peer-to-peer mentors.
To be eligible to serve as a BELLE Grant peer-to-peer mentor, applicants must:
- Be 15-21 years old at the time of the 2022 Minnesota State Fair (Aug. 25-Sept. 5).
- Meet with their mentee once in person or via video conference (FaceTime, Zoom, etc.) and be available throughout the summer to answer any questions that may arise.
- Submit one recap of their time as a mentor, including a brief statement about what they learned as a mentor and a photo if available.
- Attend the BELLE Grant reception during the State Fair to meet with members of the State Fair competition department, State Fair board of managers, Minnesota State Fair Foundation board of directors, and grant recipients.
For more information, visit Beginning Exhibitor Livestock Learning Experience Grant.
