DATE ISSUED: 6/14/ of 5 LDU CBB2(REGULATION)-X

Transcription

1 GRANT APPLICATION 501(C)(3) STATUS COMPETITIVE FUNDING E-RATE MATTERS GRANT DEVELOPMENT PREPARATION 1. For the purpose of this regulation, the following definitions will apply: a. 501(c)(3) refers to the section of the Internal Revenue Code that provides recognition of exemption from federal income tax to a qualified organization if it is organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational, scientific, or literary purposes. The HISD Foundation is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that can accept 501(c)(3) designated donations or gifts for Districtwide and school-specific programs. See Reference (h). b. Competitive funding refers to funding by organizations that requires interested parties to compete for financial resources for a specific project or program. 2. In the case of E-Rate matters, governance provided at CAA supersedes these requirements. 3. Grant Development assists schools, departments, and the District to obtain competitive funding from governmental agencies, private companies, organizations, and foundations for various educational programs. The grants are used to achieve the District s objectives and goals. Competitive grants require schools and departments to submit applications or proposals to obtain funding. Funds are awarded based on the merits of the proposal and compliance of the proposal with the grant criteria. The organization or agency often releases a request for proposal (RFP) or request for application (RFA) for a competitive grant. Any grant written within the District, whether it requires a 501(c)(3) designation or not, must be processed through Grant Development. If the application requires the applicant to have a 501(c)(3) designation, Grant Development will request from the HISD Foundation a letter to submit the application from the Foundation. See References (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e). The entire grant process includes five phases: preparation, development, approval and funding, execution, and monitoring. See References (e), (f), and (g). Additional information regarding available grants, grant opportunities, and grant writing may be accessed through HISDConnect at (Departments, Grant Development). 4. Grants are awarded monthly, quarterly, and annually as determined by the grantor. Some grants are awarded to the District on an on-going basis; other grants have specific deadlines and require periodic applications for approval. The primary source of grant funding for schools is federal funding DATE ISSUED: 6/14/ of 5 -X

2 through Title I programs. The preparation phase for a grant may begin through Grant Development or through individual schools and departments. The guidelines and procedures are as follows. IDENTIFY GRANT OPPORTUNITY MEMORANDUM NOTIFICATION TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WORKSHOP INTENT TO APPLY GRANT PROPOSAL MEETING a. Grant Development identifies grant opportunities for the entire District. Individual schools and departments may research grant leads through library resources, online databases, and other sources. When suitable grants are located, schools and departments communicate the grant opportunities to Grant Development and submit an Intent to Apply form. See Reference (i). b. Grant Development notifies schools and departments of grant opportunities through a memorandum from the chief academic officer, Academic Services, via the District online memorandum process. The memorandum includes: Information regarding the grant such as focus, eligibility, due dates, and funding level; The date, time, and place for the grant information meeting and technical assistance workshops that have been scheduled to address grant(s) with multiple interests (e.g., 21st Century, Comprehensive School Reform, Even Start, Smaller Learning Communities); and Other relevant information regarding the grant. c. Grant Development holds a technical assistance workshop for large grant initiatives involving multiple District applicants, as applicable, to provide school and department staff members with the tools and information to prepare the description and intent of the program, begin the writing process, create a budget, and the like. d. If a school or department decides to apply for an available grant, the principal must identify a two to five person grant writing team to begin the writing process. The principal or department head must complete and sign Reference (i), including a summary of the proposed project, for submission to Grant Development. The form is available at (Grant Development, Forms). e. After Grant Development receives the Intent to Apply form, the applicant applying for a large grant initiative with multiple District applicants attends a technical assis- DATE ISSUED: 6/14/ of 5 -X

3 tance workshop and keeps in close contact with Grant Development. The manager, Grant Development, assigns a grant coordinator to the school or department. When a single applicant is applying for a grant, the manager, Grant Development, schedules a meeting with the writing team to discuss the grant proposal and assigns a grant coordinator to the school or department. GRANT COORDINATOR DEVELOPMENT WRITING PROCESS PROPOSED BUDGET SUBMISSION SUBMISSION OF DRAFTS f. Grant Development provides a paper copy and an electronic copy of the grant application (RFA or RFP) to the grant writing team for completion. Grant Development establishes a timeline for completion of the grant proposal and identifies tasks required for the writing team to develop and write the grant proposal. The coordinator is responsible for on-going communication with the grant writing team and provides feedback as necessary until the grant proposal is completed. 5. The development phase begins after the meeting with the grant coordinator and is ongoing until the final draft of the grant proposal is completed and approved for submission to the funding agency. a. The grant writing team with technical assistance from the assigned grant coordinator: Writes a needs statement; Establishes program goals and objectives; and Designs the program. If needed, technical assistance is provided by Curriculum, Research and Accountability, and Budgeting. b. The school or department completes Reference (j) outlining the proposed budget. The form is available at (Grant Development, Employee Login, Forms). The form may be attached to the RFP or RFA or the grant writing team may create a worksheet. 6. The procedure for submitting the grant application or proposal to an outside funding source is as follows. a. The draft application and proposed budget must be submitted in paper and electronic copy to Grant Development. The documents will be reviewed by the Grant Review Committee at least ten working days before the application is due to the funding source. See Reference (g). The electronic copy may be presented on a disc or DATE ISSUED: 6/14/ of 5 -X

4 via along with the necessary attachments (e.g., letters of support, resumés, and the like). The grant application must include the grant ownership (i.e., principal or department head name). REVIEW SUBMISSION OF FINAL GRANT APPLICATION APPROVAL BY SUPERINTENDENT SUBMISSION TO FUNDING AGENCY PRELIMINARY NOTICE OF GRANT AWARD APPROVAL AND FUNDING CONSULTATION MAINTENANCE RESPONSIBILITY b. The Grant Review Committee reviews applications for clarity and ensures that the District s policy, grant guidelines, and state and federal regulations are followed. Budget draft proposals are sent to Budgeting and Financial Planning for review and accuracy. Reviewed applications and corrected budgets are returned to the school or department within two days of receipt by Grant Development. c. The school or department must submit the revised application and budget to Grant Development five working days before the application is due to the funding agency. The assistant superintendent, School Support Services, reviews the documents and forwards them to the Superintendent for approval and signature. d. After the Superintendent signs the grant application form, the documents are returned to Grant Development for processing. e. Grant Development forwards the signed application with attachments to the funding agency in hard copy or electronic format depending on the size of the grant application or as stipulated by the grantor. Grant Development retains a copy of the pending grant application and attachments. 7. If the grantor approves the grant application pending negotiation of certain aspects of the application, the grantor sends a preliminary Notice of Grant Award (NOGA) to the Superintendent. The manager, Grant Development, facilitates the negotiation phase between the applicant and the funding agency to resolve the terms of the grant. 8. For specific information regarding receipt of formal NOGA, Board approval, and funding of grants, see Reference (e). 9. This regulation does not require consultation. 10. The manager, Grant Development, is responsible for maintenance of this regulation. DATE ISSUED: 6/14/ of 5 -X

5 REFERENCES: (a) Board Policy CBB(LEGAL) (b) Board Policy CDC(LEGAL) (c) Board Policy CDC(LOCAL) (d) Board Policy EHBD(LEGAL) (e) CDC1 (f) CBB3 (g) CBB4 (h) Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (i) Form Intent to Apply (j) Form Proposed Budget Form DATE ISSUED: 6/14/2010 REVIEWED: 5 of 5 -X