Catherine Crary, M.Ed., Rio Salado College Adrienne Price, M.Ed., Mt. San Antonio College

Catherine Crary, M.Ed., Rio Salado College Adrienne Price, M.Ed., Mt. San Antonio College

Discover potential sources to locate funding opportunities. Recognize the common elements of a grant proposal. Understand the elements of developing a competitive application for funding.

One look at your proposals and people will want to be you! Small animals will not fear you! You will be the envy of your friends by being able to talk about the latest grant trends.

Restrooms Questions Stretches Laughter

Determine if your college has a Grants Office. May also be called Office of External Funding, Resource Development Office, Institutional Advancement Office, to name a few.

Step One: Determine a need and a solution. Step Two: Determine appropriate funding source(s). Step Three: Plan a proposal. Step Four: Write a proposal. Step Five: Review and submit proposal.

Determine a need and a solution.

To develop a grant idea, a problem or need must be grounded in data. Where can we improve? What does data suggest about enrollment, persistence, graduation, transfer, etc.? Do our students face any particular barriers to success that we can address through programs, activities, capacity, or services? The closer the data is to your college or community, the more compelling your case will be!

Ideas for grants address problems or meet identified needs. Develop innovative means to address needs or opportunities Seek to implement strategies in your program or institution Research Workforce development Ideas may begin from: Observation Conference or workshop presentations Reading and research The problem drives the development process.

Institutional data Local/state/national data Surveys and interviews Research reports Anecdotal evidence Trends and projections

Determine appropriate funding source(s).

Review funding opportunities available based within your discipline. Talk with colleagues who receive grant funding. Sign up for press releases, funding opportunity alerts, and announcements. Think outside the box which agencies relate to your need?

Once you find the opportunity, read it carefully! Determine: What is the purpose or rationale for the funding? Are you eligible to apply for this funding? When is the proposal due? What are the narrative guidelines? How do you submit an application? For how much money may you apply? What are the allowable costs? What are the matching requirements? How will the proposal be reviewed? Is it a match to your need? If yes, then proceed!

National Science Foundation Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE)

U.S. Department of Education First in the World Innovation through Institutional Integration (I3) Institute of Education Sciences

Foundations MetLife Foundation W. K. Kellogg Foundation Wells Fargo Medtronic Foundation Bruce T. Halle Family Foundation CCVA Compass Bank Foundation

SGA: Solicitation for Grant Applications RFP: Request for Proposals RFA: Request for Applications NOFA: Notice of Funding Availability

The funding source puts all that important stuff together up front where you can easily find it, right? Not always! Tip: Use highlighters and stickies to mark the important information in the guidelines so you can find it again quickly.

Eligibility requirements - Are community colleges eligible to serve as the fiscal agent? If community colleges are not eligible, could the college partner with an eligible entity (e.g., K-12 districts, universities)? Does the grant program require partnerships?

Budget considerations Are matching funds required (cash or in-kind)? What are the allowable/disallowable costs? Is the funding adequate for what you want to accomplish? Is your project concept much smaller in scope that the grant program wants to fund?

Grant requirements - Can you adequately satisfy all requirements listed in the solicitation? Data Partnerships Letters of commitment Travel/dissemination Expected outcomes

Plan a proposal.

When planning your proposal, be sure to keep the funder s guidelines in mind. Create a writing outline and/or checklist. Invite the main partners together to plan. Decide on the main components: who, what, when, where, and why.

Look at the budget early. Review the prior awards. If your project is similar, speak with the project director/principal investigator. Read press releases, abstracts, and the proposal, if possible. Email or call a program officer to discuss your idea. Grant writing = strategic planning

For education, a team approach is always essential The community college team is often composed of the project administration, the faculty who will implement the project, a representative from the budget office, and the grant officer. The grant officer often facilitates the meeting with the faculty and administration personnel providing the content and goals. Journal of the American Association of Grant Professionals, Vol. 5 No. 1, September, 2008

Identify the key players and talent essential to a successful proposal. Set a planning meeting, have an agenda, and review background knowledge. Develop a proposal process and present it at the first meeting. Define roles and responsibilities of the team members. Establish, review, and follow a timeline for project completion. Know how to develop and use a logic model. Have an agenda and sign in sheet for all meetings. End all meetings with a clear statement of next steps. Maintain communication with all team members. Journal of the American Association of Grant Professionals, Vol. 5 No. 1, September, 2008

Proposal formula 2/3 Planning + 1/3 Writing Competitive Application

Write a proposal.

small, simple BIG, COMPLEX

The abstract is typically the LAST thing to be written since it typically offers an overview of the proposal from need to outcomes. Most of the time, the information to be included in the abstract is very clearly defined in the solicitation. Abstract formatting is often different from the narrative.

Background/overview of the institution Describes the college, community, and/or department/program. Provides the history and establishes the context for your proposed project.

States the need and/or problems that your project will address. Documents these needs and/or problems with quantifiable data. May include internal and/or external data sources, depending on the scope of your project and the requirements listed in the solicitation.

Use of data is crucial to both making a compelling case AND setting the foundation for your project evaluation. Define a target population. Illustrate scope and scale. Set baseline data for outcome indicators. Data communicates the capacity of your institution in relation to tracking, analysis, and the use of data as a driver for planning and improvement.

A goal is an overarching statement of the project s purpose and should be aligned with the purpose(s) of the funding opportunity. Objectives are quantifiable and measurable outcomes that the project will achieve. Should not be confused with activities.

Information included in the need section will help to determine if your goal is ambitious yet attainable. Specific Measurable Aggressive Realistic Timebound? as measured by what

Includes a plan and sequence of activities to achieve the stated objectives. Provides a rationale for the selection of activities. Usually includes a detailed management plan (table) that lists tasks, who will be responsible for achieving each task, and the timeframe for completing each task

Includes descriptions of key personnel and describes their qualifications and duties. May request you include resumes for key positions and job descriptions in the appendices.

Generally includes an organizational chart showing reporting lines of all program staff (may need to create new one for purposes of the grant). College President Vice President Project Director Staff Staff Staff

May include a recruitment/hiring plan and desired qualifications.

Comprehensive plan for determining the degree to which objectives are met Includes success indicators. Describes how data will be collected and analyzed. Explains any testing instruments, surveys, or questionnaires to be used. Describes evaluation reports to be produced annually and at the end of the project period.

A typical evaluation is qualitative, summative, and formative. Usually performed externally, but may be completed internally. How to find an external evaluator

Description of activities that will occur to share the results of your project with a broad audience.

Description of the proposal elements that will remain after grant funds end. Funding agencies do not expect your grant to be retained at the level it was funded, but they expect elements/components to remain.

Required forms Letters of commitment and/or support Resumes/CVs

Clearly delineates allowable costs to be paid by grant funds. Is detailed in all aspects, showing clearly how amounts were calculated. Contains no unexplained amounts for contingency or miscellaneous expenses. Is reasonable and sufficient to perform the tasks outlined in the Project Design/ Operational Plan.

Personnel Fringe Benefits Travel Equipment Supplies Contractual Construction Other Indirect Costs

Review and submit proposal.

Ask others to review the proposal. Two individuals review the proposal: one familiar with the topic as well as someone who is not familiar with the topic. Ask questions after the review: What will the proposal do? Why is this important to fund? What will the outcomes be? How will you determine it to be a success?

History Background Requirement Process DHHS or CITI Training

Read and understand all guidelines and regulations (pre- and post-award). Know what are allowable and non-allowable costs. Keep all grant-related records. Grant management begins PRIOR to applying for a grant. Follow all internal guidelines/procedures. Being realistic about what it takes to manage a grant (small, large, HUGE, and individual vs. consortia).

Review solicitation very carefully Are partnerships required? Are any activities not allowable? Identify any requirements that could be problematic and/or difficult to obtain: Matching Letters of commitment Data needs Gap analysis of what you want to accomplish and what the funding source will fund

Make sure that your goal and proposed project coincide with what the funding source wants.

Develop a timeline and checklist Including tasks and key persons responsible Go backward from the due date. Make sure everyone knows their assignments. Check in with the team periodically to receive status updates. Plan to submit the proposal at least the day before the deadline. Consider internal approval queues and signatory availability.

Institutional commitment Only provide if requested. Do not overstate or be too generous. Possible sources Administration, faculty, staff engagement Facilities and equipment Policies and practices Alignment with mission, goals, and strategic plan

Always have a plan a, plan b, and plan c. If something can go wrong it will, such as: Budget does not add up, exceeds the maximum, and/or does not agree with the narrative. Proposal requires letters of commitment, and you do not have any. Technical difficulties with electronic grant submission system.

Think like the reviewer: Is there a need? Does the project propose a good idea? Who and how many people will the project impact? Does the college have resources, capability, and capacity to complete the project? Is the budget appropriate? Does the project have a solid evaluation plan? Remember The evaluator may be asking these questions after reading for 8 hours.

If not funded, use the reviewer comments. Most funding agencies will provide the reviewer comments with rationale for why you were not funded. Consider addressing the reviewers concerns and applying during the next cycle.

Be creative first critique later.

Spell cheek does not cache ill errors. Start early revise often. Use the same titles/headings as the funding agency. Try to get an example of a funded proposal

Catherine Crary, M.Ed. Rio Salado College catherine.crary@riosalado.edu Adrienne Price, M.Ed. Mt. San Antonio College aprice@mtsac.edu