Writing a Winning Title III Part F STEM Grant Presented by Teri Erickson

Transcription

1 Writing a Winning Title III Part F STEM Grant Presented by Teri Erickson Erickson Consulting Services Grant writing, management and evaluation

2 Facilitator Teri Erickson Co-owner, Erickson Consulting Services LLC Over 10 years experience grant writing Over $50 million in funded projects Successfully researched and wrote Title V and Title III Part F grants funded at over $30 million Serve/served as External Evaluator on eight HSI grants

3 Title III Part F: An Overview What is Title III Part F? A capacity-building program for Hispanic-serving institutions Provides an opportunity to expand educational opportunities for, and improve the academic attainment of, Hispanic students Supports STEM opportunities Offers opportunities to apply as an individual institution or as part of a cooperative arrangement (two or more HSIs)

4 What STEM grants are not. Direct Student Support Services Grants Funds are directed to specific students groups who must meet specific criteria to be eligible to receive services. Research Grants Funds are awarded based on an individual's expercse. OEen when the expert leaves your insctucon the funding follows that individual. HSI InsCtuConal Grants Funds are award by insctucon type for capacity building and insctuconal change that affect larger insctuconal outcomes (i.e., retencon, graduacon, culturally responsive teaching, pre- college outreach).

5 What STEM grants are not. Direct Student Support Services Grants Generally reports to a Director, Dean, or VP in Student Affairs. Research Grants Generally a direct reporcng relaconship between the sponsor and the expert. HSI InsCtuConal Grants The expectacon is open communicacon or reporcng to the President or a member of the President s cabinet.

6 An Overview, cont. Next funding expected in Spring 2016 Grants will be for five years beginning Oct. 1, 2016 To be eligible for Title III Part F funding, an institution must apply for and receive designation through the Department of Education Eligibility is annual and does not carry forward from one year to the next

7 An Overview, cont. In 2011, award ceilings were $775,000 per year for individual grants and $1.1 million per year for cooperative arrangements Cost sharing is not required unless you include an endowment piece in your proposal Endowment funds may not be requested for more than 20% of each calendar year request

8 The Application Process (historically) Should be due in late spring or early summer ApplicaCons accepted electronically Page limit: 50 (individual) or 70 (cooperacve) Double space all informacon except tables, charts, Ctles, graphs

9 Allowable Activities Assist an insctucon in planning, developing and carrying out programs that allow the insctucon to expand its capacity to serve Hispanic and low- income students Purchase of sciencfic or laboratory equipment ConstrucCon, renovacon and improvement of classrooms, libraries, labs, etc. Faculty development Curriculum development However, new courses developed with Title V funds must not already be included in your common course numbering.

10 Allowable Activities, cont. Purchase of library books, periodicals, other educaconal materials Tutoring, counseling, advising Establishing or improving a development office Establishing or improving an endowment fund Developing facilices and purchasing equipment for distance learning Community outreach programs into K- 12 schools (must be about general higher educacon programs and can not be recruitment)

11 Allowable Activities, cont. Expanding courses and insctuconal resources to serve more Hispanic and under- represented students Improvement of student services Development of arcculacon agreements Other accvices Must meet Title V regulacons May require special approval

12 Unallowable Activities AcCviCes that are not included in your approved applicacon AcCviCes that relate to religious worship AcCviCes provided by a school or department of divinity (to specifically provide educacon for students to become ministers or religion) Developing or improving non- degree or non- credit courses, other than basic skills Developing or improving community- based programs

13 Unallowable Activities, cont. Purchase of standard office equipment (furniture, file cabinets, bookcases, etc.) Payment of any porcon of a salary for a president, VP or other college- wide administrator Costs of organized fund raisers Recruitment (including college fairs, literature, brochures) Services to high school students, except outreach InstrucCon in the insctucon s standard courses as listed in the course catalog

14 Unallowable Activities, etc. Costs for health/fitness programs, transportacon, child care Student scholarships Student accvices such as entertainment, cultural or social enrichment programs, social clubs or associacons AcCviCes that are operaconal in nature (and not developmental)

15 STEM Application 101 Main project components Need for the project Quality of the Project Design Quality of Project Services Quality of Project Personnel Adequacy of Resources Quality of the Management Plan Quality of Project Evaluation

16 Criteria (2011) Need for the project (20 points) Quality of the Project Design (15 points) Quality of Project Services (15 points) Quality of Project Personnel (10 points) Adequacy of Resources (10 points) Quality of the Management Plan (15 points) Quality of Project Evaluation (15 points)

17 General Tips Get started early determining your accvices and needs Read the RFP carefully before pubng together your applicacon to ensure that nothing has changed Use seccon headers in your applicacon that are consistent with the RFP and in the same order Be concise but clear Cite best praccces whenever possible (who else is doing it and why is it working for them?)

18 Main Components of a Title III Part F grant

19 Need for the Project Include: Background informacon on the insctucon Magnitude of the need for the services or accvices to be developed with grant funds, such as: Demographics of the area served Academic aeainment in STEM Inadequate facilices, equipment, other resources to meet needs Lack of professional development opportunices Low transfer rates Overview of idencfied weaknesses and plans to address them through the project (works great in a table) How needs will provide services to students at risk of academic failure The extent to which accvices will serve disadvantaged individuals

20 Quality of Project Design Include: Clearly idencfied goals, objeccves and outcomes Goal: General concept of what you want to accomplish ObjecCve: must be measurable Outcomes: Performance indicators of how you will reach each objeccve InformaCon on how the project meets the idencfied needs

21 Quality of Project Services Include: How the project design is strong Plan to ensure equal access Clearly specified goals How project will meet needs How services are appropriate to needs for underserved students How project reflects up- to- date knowledge from research and effeccve praccce Keep data within the last five years Describe component and follow it with research and then best praccces

22 Quality of Project Personnel Include: InformaCon on how underrepresented groups will be encouraged to apply for posicons QualificaCons of the project director If you know who, name them Include minimum qualificacons as well as job duces and how applicant meets qualificacons QualificaCons of key project staff Include summary of other non- key staff posicons

23 Adequacy of Resources Include: Resources being supplied by the insctucon (facilices, support, equipment, supplies, etc.) Relevant experience and demonstrated commitment of insctucon(s) Extent to which budget is adequate to support the project Extent to which costs are reasonable Complete budget narracve not included here Include informacon on how many students will be served by each component Determine cost per parccipant

24 Quality of Management Plan Include: How plan will be completed on Cme and within budget Project Management objeccves Timeline including task, responsible party, methods involved, results and Cme frame Include organizaconal chart Show that project has a conneccon to the president Procedures for ensuring feedback and concnuous improvement Project management mechanisms How Cme commitment of key staff is adequate

25 Quality of Project Evaluation Include: How evaluacon will help meet project goals Include formacve and summacve evaluacon accvices Explain the evaluacon process, especially how internal and external components will work together Illustrate how performance measures are objeccve Overview of data to be collected

26 Budget Narrative Include in a separate narracve document: Breakdown of each budget category Detail of how amounts were arrived at Use standard federal budget categories: Personnel Fringe Benefits Travel Equipment Supplies ConstrucCon Contractual Other Show all five years

27 Reasons applications may not be funded Not proving sufficient needs Focusing objeccves on numbers served rather than impact Not addressing insctuconalizacon Not providing target dates for when each objeccve will be met Being unrealiscc in when goals will be met, including not increasing the amount of success anccipated as the grant moves forward Not making objeccves measurable Including too many accvices Not organizing the objeccves into a readable format

28 Reasons applications may not be funded, cont. Not providing raconalizacon for your plan Using data that is more than five years old Not providing enough informacon for the reviewers to understand what you are doing and why Not including specific tasks in your Cmetable Not using a budget period of Oct. 1- Sept. 30 for the Cmetable Not being clear about the project or accvity directors experience with federal grants and, specifically, Title V or STEM Not correlacng experience to the accvices outlined in the grant Not providing a specific job descripcon that outlines duces Not discussing briefly other staff and their importance to the project

29 Reasons applications may not be funded, cont. Having the Title V project buried too far in the insctuconal hierarchy (without immediate access to the president) Not insercng an organizaconal chart Being vague about what administracve systems are in place and how they work within your insctucon Not illustracng that project oversight rests with the Project Director Not explaining how the Project Director will oversee evaluacon of the project Not being specific about the components of the evaluacon plan Not explaining how the Project Director will oversee evaluacon of the project Not being specific about the components of the evaluacon plan

30 Budget Lots of moving parts! Budget Narra?ve Demonstrate that proposed costs are necessary and reasonable in rela?on to the project objec?ves and scope HSI Ac?vity Budget Detail Form Explain away, include details on the role/ purpose/jus?fica?on for why funding is needed ED 524 Budget Summary Form Represents your key budget line items from your budget narra?ve

31 Budget Three parts: Budget Summary NarraCve Show insctuconalizacon throughout the project Remember, these grants are for capacity building AcCvity Budget Detail Form ED specific form that includes detail Include required costs such as travel SF524 Form

32 Questions?