FAQ
Are Projects Required To Be 100% Completed?
No, for two main reasons.
First, “completed” is hard to define and evaluate. We plan on only selecting projects that we believe the applicant would have a very good chance of making sizable progress on, and do not plan to have any further evaluation process.
Second, having a requirement to be completed adds a bit of unnecessary stress to the applicant. We want to encourage students to work on passion projects, and are providing money as an extrinsic incentive. However, we don’t want to provide such a strong external pressure (in the form of a hard deadline with consequences) to scare potential applicants off. In otherwords, we want to reduce the activation energy required to pursue the project (in the form of a light push and some money), whereas a strict evaluation deadline would likely raise it and students would be more hesitant to apply.
Who Is Funding This?
The grant is funded out-of-pocket by some members of the reviewing panel.
Are Ongoing Projects Allowed?
Yes. Your project can be part of a larger ongoing project, provided that what you plan to work on still fits within our criteria.
Is the Grant Restricted to Students in the United States?
Currently yes, due to logistical issues. We hope to lift this restriction in subsequent iterations.
Do Purchases Made With the Grant Money Need To Be Approved/Sent to the Reviewers/etc.?
No. The money is no-strings-attached, and you are allowed (and expected) to use it as you see fit. This means you can use it for anything directly or indirectly related to the project, or not at all. For example, using it to buy raw materials or a computer is fine, but so is using it to buy you or your friends lunch.
You should not report any purchases used with the money to us.
You Say Small Groups Are Allowed. Can You Elaborate?
Applicants are not required to work in isolation. While we are mostly focused on individual grants, applications will allow up to three co-applicants to be named, with one applicant designated as the primary applicant.
All applicants should be high school students and the primary applicant should be eligible for the specific grant. For example, a group of a junior and a senior can apply for the junior grant, provided that the primary applicant is the junior, and the senior grant otherwise. Freshmen and sophomores are allowed to be part of the group, but not the primary applicant.
Note that the monetary award does not scale with group size, and the grant money will be sent to the primary applicant.
Are Grant Winners Required To Have Their Name on The Neat Grant Website?
Yes, but it can be partially anonymized, if requested. We do this for two reasons. First, it is beneficial to us to have a list of prior winners, as it demonstrates that we have successfully funded projects and encourages others to apply. Second, we believe it is beneficial to the recipients, who (hopefully) will include this grant on their resumes, and having their name listed on the site provides an extra level of verification in this regard.
Are High School Freshmen and Sophomores Eligible To Apply for the Junior Grant?
Not yet. We would like to fund students who are very close to the start of their college application season, so the grant is geared towards juniors. Of course, freshmen and sophomores will also eventually start their college applications, so this grant may be helpful to them.
For the first iteration of this grant, we will restrict it to only juniors and seniors. Future iterations may allow freshmen and sophomores to apply for the junior grant or they may have their own specific grants.
Is There a Requirement of College Matriculation?
No. Our grant for high school seniors is really for “graduating high schoolers” — high schoolers that will finish their high school education this year. There are no additional requirements related to this.
Why Is the Logo a Potato?
We believe “just thinking something is neat” is one of the very best reasons to pursue it, and were heavily inspired by the following.
