Grants Office: Helping Departments Win Funding for Students, Community, and Faculty

1. Helping departments throughout the college apply for & “win” federal, state, & foundation funding to the benefit of students, community, & faculty. Administrative Services Training Workshop Grant Set-up, Development and Administration March 1, 2013 AGB Conference Room Edward de la O Cathy Arreguin Betty McClelland

2. Introduction • Purpose of Meeting • Opportunity to fine tune the Saddleback College grants process • Group effort • Survey • Survey responses identified training needs and areas of the grants process that need clarification and improvement • Disclaimer • The Grants Office understands that every grant is unique • Ultimately we want to work with you to develop Grants Best Practices

3. Grants Office Website http://www.saddleback.edu/grants/

4. Pre-Award & Research Process •  Basic breakdown of the grant process • Red Section- everything that happens BEFORE any grant application process begins! •  Project Development • Determine needs of department- or • Identify or develop conceptual idea of project to be funded • Meet with Grants Office to review goals, projects for funding, etc. • REALISTIC assessment of funding opportunities

5. Grant Application Development •  Independent Decision Matrix Form • Assists with determining if funding opportunity identified is appropriate • Starts the process of completing the Grants Office Request Form •  Grants Office Request Form • Relevant information regarding grant intending to pursue • Funding amount, due date, duration, allowable costs, target groups, approvals, etc. • Internal resources needed in order to complete • Commitment required of college and/or department if funded

6. Grant Application Development Application & Narrative •  Characteristics of a “successful” application effort • Cooperative working relationship between Grants Office and academic department/division • Core group • Grants Office/Analyst • Faculty • Dean • Add value partners • Cooperation/support from District Finance and College/District Research departments • Clear vision of what you want to achieve • What gap is being filled • How will your program meet the funders needs

7. Grant Application Development Application & Narrative •  Availability of data to support the proposed concept need • Current & historical data • Outcomes to be achieved • National, local, and college/district data • Demographic data • Saddleback/District Research Departments • Clearly- a grant application is a collaborative process • Grants Office – • Assist and refine narrative • Develop budget, required forms, submission of application

8. Grant Application Development Review & Approval •  Green Section • Application must be reviewed by Grants Office prior to submission • Budget, narrative submitted 10 business days prior to funder due date • Grants Office will obtain all internal approvals • Matching funds must be approved by VP Administration and President prior to submission to District • Final budget submitted to District Finance for approval • Submission of final or near ready draft narrative, approved budget and required forms to District approver for signature • Grant Applications- VC of Technology and Learning Services • “Contracts”- VC of Business Services

9. Grant Application Development MASTER FILE •  In the beginning- START A MASTER GRANT FILE • RFP • Correspondence with funder • Executed copies/approvals of everything • Information you may need to go back and look at if you get funded- or use the next time if you don’t get funded • Preliminary budget, research, etc.

10. Grant Application Development Forms are your friends! •  Worksheets that can make application development and grant tracking and reporting easier  • Matching Worksheet • Classified Employee Worksheet • Short term Employee Worksheet • Academic Employee Worksheet

11. Grant Application Development It’s time to submit •  Blue section- Submittal • Grants Office oversees • Application is finalized and approved internally • Application submitted via required method • Hard copy mail/courier • Email • Online data submission • Now we wait- a few weeks to a year in some cases!

12. Grant Award We got funded! Now what? •  Purple Section- Post Award • Grants Office coordinates internal approval processes for grant acceptance • Grants Office works with Project Director/Dean prior to submitting grant award for Board of Trustees/District approval • HOWEVER- all grant funded hiring or staff approvals or re-assignments are handled by the grant project director and corresponding division manager/dean

13. Grant Management Project Implementation

14. Grant ManagementProject Oversight

15. Grant Management • All good things must come to an end…

16. Grant Management • Staying on track •  Tracking Mechanisms • Tools which can assist you in keeping your grant on course and maintaining the Districts fiduciary responsibility over the funds awarded • Variance report • Compare amount planned to spend against actuals • Assess progress of activities and funds monthly • Required at least quarterly for funder reporting • Escape reports • Fiscal 02- summary of expenditures by object code • Fiscal 03- detailed expenditures

17. Grant Management • Sample Reports •  Basic Report • Go to Escape  Megatron Start  User Name  Password •  Finance  Fiscal  Accounts •  Go to Project  Enter Project # • View Sample Report- • A. Year, Project, Object Codes, Description • B. Account balance + spent= revised amount • C. Revised amount should match your budgeted amount • As you review the report look for: • Salary allocation and expenditure rates • Benefits allocation and expenditures • Are expenses matching up according to original budget • Is there budget remaining to cover upcoming expenses • Is a budget revision needed

18. Grant Management • Escape Reports • Betty McClelland to review samples of Escape reports • Fiscal 03 • Fiscal 02

19. Grant Management • Variance Report Checklist •  Quarterly Grant Expenditure Data Entry Page • Approved funding source grant budget • Total expenditures for each object code • Current variance or balance which may include overage • Grant annual budget variance- % of budget spent • Month to month variance • Report will allow a 10% (over/under) will show green • Over expenditures will be coded red • Under expenditures will be coded yellow

20. Grant Management • Variance Response Report • Variance Report and Response • Form which helps you demonstrate the reasons for a grant budget not being in line with expenditure projections or commitment to funder • Provides opportunity for strategy to be developed or steps taken to get the grant back on track

21. Grant Management • Invoicing- Review • Expenses identified for reimbursement must match expenses shown in Escape! • Accounting/auditing purposes- expenses exist once viewed in Escape • Only actual expenditures can be invoiced • Activities occurred ≠ Expenditures • Expenses paid = Expenditures ready for reimbursement • Budget expenditure plan and all approvals should be developed at grant initiation • On rare occasions- invoices may be submitted prior to expenses visible in Escape • Must be able to demonstrate the expense has occurred • Must demonstrate that grantor will accept expense issued without back up of payment having occurred

22. Grant Management • Discussion Point •  Expending funds outside approved budget • Mitigate, reduce, eliminate the practice of expending funds outside of the approved budget without prior funder approval • Each grant is different- different rules apply...? •  Budget allocation consistency • Funds should only be expended according to approved grantor budget • Tentative budget gap period- no excuse to spend outside approved grantor budget