BLOOMINGTON, Ill., May 14, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Communities across the United States answered the call from State Farm® to submit causes that would make a positive impact in their neighborhoods. Now the top 200 causes need your help by voting for them to bring money to their communities. From May 14 through June 3, anyone who has the free State Farm Neighborhood Assist® Facebook application can vote for their favorite causes to help bring $25,000 to the top 40 vote-getters.

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Almost 4,000 submissions were received through State Farm Neighborhood Assist, a youth-led philanthropic program that empowers communities to identify issues in their neighborhoods.  At least one cause was received from every state. The State Farm Youth Advisory Board, a group of 30 students who are passionate about social responsibility, reviewed the submissions and selected the top 200 finalists based on criteria they created.

“During my time on the State Farm Youth Advisory Board, I’ve garnered a deep appreciation for the Neighborhood Assist grant program,” said Youth Advisory Board member Wesley Dixon a senior at Yale University – New Haven. “I absolutely love that this grant program removes many of the barriers individuals often face when applying for grants, through its use of a simple and accessible application.”

Once the Youth Advisory Board selected the top 200, the program connected each cause with a local nonprofit that can help solve the problem. 42 states have causes in the top 200.  The states with the most submissions in the top 200 were Arkansas (14), Maryland (12), California (10), Illinois (10) and Ohio (10).  

“The State Farm Youth Advisory Board aims to review and fund grants of a diverse nature,” Dixon continued. “What’s more, the Neighborhood Assist program empowers communities and individuals to support the grant of their choice by facilitating an open voting system via Facebook.”

The 200 causes have until June 3 to rally votes and anyone voting is allowed up to 10 votes per day. On June 16, the top 40 vote-receiving causes will be announced on the Facebook app and a $25,000 grant will be awarded to the affiliated nonprofits.

“Over the past three years, it’s been great to see State Farm Neighborhood Assist grants support causes that positively impact communities across the country,” said Kellie Clapper, State Farm Assistant Vice President.  “The communities themselves can play an important role in inspiring people to rally and vote for these important causes.”

For a complete list of the top 200 causes or to vote for a cause, get the free Facebook app at www.statefarm.com/neighborhoodassist. 

About State Farm®: 
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 18,000 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve over 82 million policies and accounts – nearly 80 million auto, home, life, health and commercial policies, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 41 on the 2014 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com.

About the Youth Advisory Board
The Youth Advisory Board is comprised of 30 students, ages 17-20, from across the United States who serve a two-year term. Their directive is to implement a $5 million-a-year signature service-learning initiative to address issues important to youth and communities. The Board is completely autonomous and youth-driven, and funds projects focused on issues selected by the board that impact youth. It consists of a diverse group of full-time students at high schools and universities. Each member commits about 15 hours a month to the Board and participates in three face-to-face meetings per calendar year. The Board will fund the 40 grants awarded through the State Farm Neighborhood Assist program with a portion of its $5 million funding in 2015. For more information on the Youth Advisory Board, visit www.statefarmyab.com.