BLOOMINGTON, Ill., May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — After three weeks and more than 1.2 million votes, State Farm is proud to announce the top 40 vote-receiving Causes that will each receive a $25,000 grant to improve their communities. More than 38,000 people took to Facebook and voted for their favorite Causes during the Cause An Effect voting period.

The affiliated nonprofits of the top 40 Causes will each receive a $25,000 grant to create and execute a plan to address the Cause. The top three vote-receiving causes were:

• Skate for Change (67,252 votes) Lincoln, NE
  • Affiliated nonprofit: Victory Ride Skate Park
• Biomedical High School (45,615 votes) Mount Carmel, IL
  • Affiliated nonprofit: Mount Carmel High School
• Sherman Playground (45,421 votes) Nampa, ID
  • Affiliated nonprofit: Sherman Elementary School

The top 40 Causes, representing 22 states across the country range from building a geodesic solar-powered greenhouse so a Houston, TX, neighborhood can grow organic food to donate to a local homeless shelter to building a baseball field specifically designed for special needs children in Smithfield, NC. More than half of the top 40 Causes fall into the category of community development; education and safety Causes make up the remaining top 40 that will receive State Farm funding.

“The considerable amount of votes shows the level of commitment and engagement within our neighborhoods to solve local issues,” said Kellie Clapper, Assistant Vice President of Community Relations for State Farm. “We look forward to watching the 40 communities across the country come together to make their neighborhoods safer, stronger, and better educated with the help of Cause An Effect.”

From Feb. 29 through March 20, State Farm received 3,000 Cause submissions through Cause An Effect, a youth-led, crowd-sourced philanthropic initiative that relies on local, non-profit organizations to create solutions to community issues identified by people who use Facebook.

The State Farm Youth Advisory Board, a diverse group of 30 students who are passionate about social responsibility, reviewed the Cause submissions and helped State Farm select the top 100 finalists. State Farm then identified and paired nonprofits with each Cause.

From April 27 through May 17, the Facebook community was encouraged to visit the Cause An Effect app and vote for their favorite Cause. The 40 Causes that received the most votes will each receive a $25,000 grant to help build safer, stronger, better educated communities.

For a complete list of the top 40 Causes or for more information about Cause An Effect, visit the State Farm Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/statefarm).

About State Farm:
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 43 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.

About the Youth Advisory Board
The Youth Advisory Board is comprised of 30 students, ages 17-20, from across the United States and Canada 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 Cause An Effect program with a portion of its $5 million funding in 2012. For more information on the Youth Advisory Board, visit www.statefarmYouth Advisory Board.com.

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SOURCE State Farm