Grant Writing Internal Procedures Handbook

Grant Writing Internal Procedures Handbook Revised 042612

Table of Contents INTRODUCTION... 2 GRANT PROPOSAL STEPS... 3 Development & Discussion of Ideas... 4 Schedule a meeting with your Department Chair... 4 Complete the Grant Proposal Concept Form... 4 Identify Funding Sources... 4 Internal Proposal Approval... 5 Grant Proposal Approval and Tracking Form... 5 Grant Partnership Tracking Form... 5 Secure initial approvals from the Grants Committee... 5 Formal Proposal Development... 5 Final Signatures... 6 Submission... 6 Post-submission Activities... 6 You re funded! What happens next?... 6 If you were NOT funded... 7 Appendix A - Grant Proposal Concept Form... 9 Appendix B - Grant Proposal Approval & Tracking Form... 10 Appendix C - Grant Partnership Tracking Form... 18 1

INTRODUCTION The purpose of this handbook is to assist faculty and staff to write and submit competitive grant proposals for Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC) by outlining the internal college processes and procedures for all grant proposals. Proposals should address the Educational Master Plan (EMP) http://www.lavc.edu/emp/ goals and objectives of the College and relate to the College s mission and vision statements http://www.lavc.edu/vision-mission/index.html. For resources regarding how to write a grant, visit the Grants Committee webpage at http://www.lavc.edu/grantscommittee/index.html. The LAVC Grants Committee operates under the auspices of the Educational Planning Committee and is a part of the shared governance process. The purpose of the Grants Committee is to: 1. Promote awareness and encourage faculty and staff participation in the securing of external funding to strategically support the college goals in alignment with the Educational Master Plan. 2. Promote communication, integration and collaboration of grants by all campus entities (instructional and service) to enhance student success. 3. Develop grant resources for potential applicants and directors. 4. Provide leadership in determining optimum opportunities for seeking external funding. 5. Track grant applications and monitor implementation of awards for effectiveness, planning and evaluation purposes 6. Review and inform the college shared governance structure via the Educational Planning Committee to the Institutional Effectiveness Council regarding submission of grant applications and acceptance of grant funds. a. Review application components to ensure compliance with the college s EMP goals. b. Effectively and efficiently evaluate a proposed grant for an impact analysis. c. Ensure evaluation plan alignment is in alignment with institutional research. 7. Study and make recommendations, to the EPC, regarding policy and procedures related to grants. 2

GRANT PROPOSAL STEPS Development and Discussion of Idea Review the literature Discuss idea with appropriate parties Identify other faculty/staff with similar interests Complete the Grant Proposal Concept Form Identify Funding Sources Get assistance from Area Dean, Grants Committee, etc. Get on the Internet Contact potential sponsors and ask questions Internal Proposal Approval (requires formal approval) Complete Grant Proposal Approval and Tracking Form or Grant Partnership Form Secure initial approvals from Grants Committee Formal Proposal Development Establish working schedule to meet deadline Follow the Request for Proposal (RFP) Guidelines Ask colleagues and Area Dean to critique draft(s) Final Signatures (requires formal approval) Polish final version of proposal Obtain signatures, letters, etc. Submission Submit to grant agency Submit completed proposal, hard copy and electronically, to your Area Dean and Grants Committee Post-submission Activities If funded: o Send copy of award letter to Area Dean and Chair of the Grants Committee o Meet with Area Dean and Area Vice President to discuss account procedures and review project requirements o Complete progress reports by required deadlines If not funded: o Request reviewers comments o Rewrite and resubmit if appropriate o Explore activities that can improve your future funding chances o Notify Area Dean and Chair of the Grants Committee 3

Development & Discussion of Ideas Schedule a meeting with your Department Chair You should discuss your proposal ideas with the appropriate Program Director, Department Chair, Area Dean, and/or Area Vice President. They can help you evaluate and clarify your project idea, making sure it is of interest and benefit to LAVC. They can also help you to identify programs or areas that may be impacted by your project and who else will need to be involved in the initial conceptualization and planning. In addition, they can work with you to identify potential collaborators for your project. Other faculty and staff may have the expertise you need in areas such as evaluation, technology, and curriculum development. Communication is key to successful projects! Complete the Grant Proposal Concept Form If you are firm on your proposal idea and are all ready to apply to a specific funding agency, you should skip ahead to the step titled Internal Proposal Approval. If you are still developing your concept, you should proceed by completing the Grant Proposal Concept Form http://www.lavc.edu/grantscommittee/ (see Appendix A). This form will help you to define and further clarify your future proposal. Answer each of the 23 planning questions in brief sentences. Once you have completed the Grant Proposal Concept Form, you are ready to schedule a time to attend an upcoming Grants Committee meeting http://www.lavc.edu/grantscommittee/. The purpose of this meeting is to provide you with additional support that will help you navigate the process, determine how your idea matches with the Educational Master Plan, campus priorities and initiatives and other projects currently on campus, and write a winning grant. This will ensure that your project is related to the College s mission of providing access to quality education and is supported by your colleagues and the Administration. We are ready to assist and guide you through the process. It is highly recommended that you develop a schedule for writing and submitting your proposal. Identify Funding Sources Detailed information regarding identification of funding sources and various grant databases can be found on the Grants Committee webpage at http://www.lavc.edu/grantscommittee/. 4

Internal Proposal Approval Complete either the Grant Proposal Approval and Tracking Form or the Grant Partnership Tracking Form Grant Proposal Approval and Tracking Form Once you have identified a funding opportunity for your proposal and before you begin to write your formal proposal, you will need to begin the internal approval process for your concept. Your next step is to complete the Grant Proposal Approval and Tracking Form http://www.lavc.edu/grantscommittee/presubresources (Appendix B). The purpose of this form is to further refine your grant proposal concept and to seek formal approval from various departments prior to submission. This stage will require you to schedule meetings with and get signatures from your immediate Director, Department Chair, Area Dean, Dean of Research and Planning, the Associate Vice President of Administrative Services, and Area VP (if new space is required). Each meeting will help you to further clarify your ideas and to ensure that the proposal is aligned with the mission, values, goals and priorities of the college. Grant Partnership Tracking Form The Grant Partnership Tracking Form is used when no funding is involved http://www.lavc.edu/grantscommittee/presubresources (see Appendix C). You may ask Why do I need to fill out a form? It is important that the Office of Research and Planning, as well the campus community, is aware of projects or studies involving our campus and our students. This ensures a holistic approach to advancing the goals and priorities of the college and enables us to gather more data. In addition, projects that involve students need input and approval from the Institutional Review Board of the college to ensure appropriate research protocols are followed. Secure initial approvals from the Grants Committee Once all required signatures have been obtained, you will need to submit your Grant Proposal Approval and Tracking Form to the Grants Committee for preliminary approval. You do not need to wait for the next committee meeting to do this. Simply, forward your completed form to the Chair of the Grants Committee. The Grants Committee will respond quickly with a notice approving your proposal for formal development or may ask you to provide further information. The Grants Committee will then forward your proposal to the Vice President and President for review and will notify you of the result. Formal Proposal Development Resources for proposal development and grant writing techniques can be found on the Grants Committee webpage at http://www.lavc.edu/grantscommittee/. 5

Final Signatures You are responsible for writing the grant, completing the budget and obtaining all signatures for the grant to be submitted (partner matches, in-kind support, MOUs, etc.). Your Area Dean can provide assistance with this process. It s also a good idea to have multiple people review your grant before submitting. If the President or VP of Administrative Services needs to sign any part of your grant, be sure to have a copy of your signed Grant Approval and Tracking Form accompanying the proposal. This is their reminder that your grant is fully approved by all internal parties and is ready for submission. Submission Once you complete your proposal, you are ready to submit it. At this point, you should have your final proposal packet ready to go, including all form pages, narrative information, supporting documents, and so on. You have reviewed the package for correctness and completeness. Hopefully, you have allowed yourself some time in case unforeseen problems arise (the copier breaks down, internet connection is lost, network connection is down, a power outage, etc.). Be sure to send a copy of the final submission to the Chair of the Grants Committee. Electronic submissions made through grants.gov require authorized personnel to submit the grant. Plan a date to submit 2 weeks in advance. The Chair of the Grants Committee will assist in coordinating the electronic submission. Post-submission Activities You re funded! What happens next? If your proposal is approved for funding, pat yourself on the back, have a celebration, and then get ready to really work! It took a lot of hard work to win that grant, and you ll want to continue to impress the sponsor that you are worthy of their support for this grant and the next! Congratulations, now the real work begins. If you are funded: Send copy of award letter to your Chair/Director, Chair of the Grants Committee, Area Dean or VP You may be the only person who receives a copy of the award letter. Make sure the appropriate people know about your award (tell the President, the Public Relations Manger!) We want to brag about your achievement! Meet with immediate supervisor, Area Dean or VP to discuss accounting and contract procedures and review project requirements. Establish your fund center and ask your Dean for information. 6

Complete progress reports by required deadlines. Maintain a good relationship with the sponsor by following your project plan as you presented it in the proposal. Remember that YOU ARE ultimately RESPONSIBLE for your project! Visit the Grants Committee website and check on grant management resources. If you were NOT funded Don t fret notify Area Dean and Chair of the Grants Committee. You ve probably seen the statistics average funding rates for most sponsored projects range from 10-30%. Proposals get rejected more often than not. However, you should be aware that funding rates for resubmitted proposals can be significantly higher even as much as 50%. Consequently, if you have been rejected on your first submission, you ll definitely want to consider resubmitting for the next deadline. The first thing you ll need to do is take a close look at the reviewers comments and evaluate what problems can be easily fixed and which may require more effort. Here are some typical categories of problems: Failure to follow the guidelines did you use the correct forms? Are the sections in the correct order? Did you exceed the page limits? Typos, omissions, inconsistencies, and other general errors is your document riddled with spelling and grammatical errors? Have you included all of the required information? Have you paid attention to the details? Insufficient detail and lack of clarity do the reviewers understand your project plans and objectives? Maybe your writing is not clear. Concerns about feasibility, resources, and qualifications maybe you need to reduce the scope of your project, or add a more experienced collaborator to the project team. Project is vague, uninteresting, or unimportant these are serious concerns and you may want to consider either a major rewrite (check that literature review!) or possibly taking a new direction altogether. If you do decide to rewrite and resubmit your proposal, make sure to address all of the reviewers comments and concerns in the new version. If you decide that it s not worth the effort to resubmit your original proposal, what do you do now? One alternative, if you are no longer interested, is to turn the proposal over to someone else who may be interested in moving forward with the project. Keep in mind that you ve had a valuable learning experience in developing a proposal and are better prepared for next time. There are several things you can do to improve your chances of being funded: Conduct further preliminary studies and activities apply for a mini-grant to do a pilot version of your project. 7

Look at what other grants the agency has funded. Explore partnerships that might improve the strength of your proposal. Keep up with the current literature what are the new developments in your areas of interest? Talk to the sponsors about your ideas and find out if there is a receptive audience for them. Volunteer to be a proposal reviewer get first hand experience with the process. Explore other funding opportunities and experiences. Consider applying for summer residencies or fellowships. Volunteer to serve as a consultant or subcontractor on a colleague s project. Continue to add to your list of qualifications! Explore other activities that can improve your future funding chances. The Grants Committee may also help you identify potential collaborators for your project. Other faculty and staff may have the expertise you need in areas such as evaluation, technology, curriculum development and so on. 8

Appendix A Los Angeles Valley College Grant Proposal Concept Form Date Prepared: Faculty Member/Project Director: Funding Period: (1 year, 2, etc.) Funding Source: Contact Information: Phone Email Proposal Deadline: Tentative Budget Amount: Write a one-paragraph description of the proposed project. Briefly answer the following questions: 1. What is the connection to the Educational Master Plan? 2. What is the benefit to Los Angeles Valley College and its students? 3. Will the grant start a new program? If so, it is a program that is in demand in the San Fernando Valley area? 4. Will release time be requested for any of the project team members? 5. Will there be a need for part-time faculty or staff to carry out the grant? 6. What is the allowable amount for the grant budget? Total? Per Year? 7. What is the allowed indirect cost rate? 8. Who are your partners? 9. What are the long-term obligations required by the grant? Personnel? Space? Equipment? Licensing renewals? 10. Do we have to commit to doing certain things, such as keeping a program in place or employees? 11. If the grant requires a commitment beyond the period of the grant, is the college willing to make that commitment? 12. Does the grant require a funding match by the college? If so, how will we meet that requirement? 13. Who will be the lead person (usually called the Project Director) of the grant if it is funded? 14. Will it be a current college employee or will we need to hire a new position? 15. If it is a current employee, does that person have the required skills and is she or he interested in taking on this role? 16. If we will need to hire a new position, will we be required to keep that employee after the grant period is over? 17. What information do we need for the grant application or proposal? 18. What are the reporting and evaluation requirements of the grant? 19. Will there be an internal or external evaluation? 20. Do we need to keep track of certain things and if so, who will be responsible for doing so and how will it be done? 9

Appendix B Grant Proposal Approval & Tracking Form 1. INITIATOR: First Name: Last Name: Department/Program: Department Budget: Dean/Administrator: Area Vice President: Deadline for Proposal: 2. GRANTOR: Email: Phone: Grantor Agency: Grantor Title: Grantor Specification #: Type of Funds: City County Federal LACCD Private State LAVC Project Title: COLLABORATION: Lead Partner 3. PROJECT DESCRIPTION / ABSTRACT: Provide two to three paragraphs to include the following information: 1) Program goals/funding purposes, 2) Number of students/participants and expected benefits/services, 3) Program performance/evaluation and expected end results 10

4. EDUCATIONAL MASTER PLAN ALIGNMENT: Select one or more of the goals listed below which aligns with your project. 1. Increase student retention, persistence and success 2. Increase student access 3. Enhance academic programs and services to meet student needs 4. Enhance institutional effectiveness State how the project promotes/supports the goal(s) and objective(s) of the LAVC Educational Master Plan? (you may refer to http://www.lavc.edu/emp/edmasterplan.html ) 5. FUNDING: Required to schedule a consultation for funding review with Associate Vice President of Administrative Services, Raul Gonzalez at extension 2606 or via e- mail at gonzalrd@lavc.edu Administrative Services Consultation Consultation Notes: Total Grant Amount: $ Multiple Year Project? Yes No Funding Period Start Funding Period End mm mm d d d d yyyy yyyy Number of Years: Number of Months: Funding Amount per Year if multiple Years: Year 1: Year 2: Year 3: Year 4: Year 5: Match Required? Yes No If Yes, Match Type? In-Kind Cash Both Match Amount per Year 1: 11

Year if Multiple Years: Match comments: Year 2: Year 3: Year 4: Year 5: Total Indirect Cost: $ Indirect Cost %: Indirect Cost per Year if Multiple Years: Year 1: Year 2: Year 3: Year 4: Year 5: 6. SUSTAINABILITY: How will the program be institutionalized beyond grant funding? 7. PROJECT PERSONNEL ANTICIPATED: Class Code Position Title FTEF Rate Hour Week Stipend Flat Amount Benefit Rate Total Assignment Hour Total Cost Assignment Start Visit Campus Personnel Office; Yasmin Aviles, extension 2414 For more information: http://www.laccd.edu/perscom/job_descriptions.htm 8. CONTRACT SERVICES Required to schedule a consultation with Grants Committee, refer to www.lavc.edu/grantscommittee. Grants Committee Consultation Consultation Notes: 12

Are there grant services (writing, technical assistance, reporting, evaluating) to be paid by the college's regular budget, program 10100, that is NOT paid through grant funds? Yes No If yes, please complete the following: Company Name and Contact Details: 9. STAFF AND PROGRAM FACILITIES ANTICIPATED: If new space is needed, it is required you schedule a consultation with your area Vice-President. (Vice-President, Administrative Services, Vice-President, Academic Affairs, Vice-President, Student Services) Existing New Describe all anticipated space needs: 10. TECHNOLOGY/EQUIPMENT/SOFTWARE NEEDED : If purchasing new equipment beyond three desktops systems, set up a consultation with IT Dept. to determine impact. (Document IT consultation, support, maintenance. software licensing and renewal fees): 11. COMPLEMENT OR IMPACT UPON OTHER AREAS AND COLLEGE INITIATIVES: Will this project complement or impact other departments, areas or college initiatives? Yes No If yes, list department(s), area(s) and initiative(s) and explain, in detail, how you have included them in the planning process and what was agreed upon (include dates of meetings, etc.): Career Transfer Center Counseling Learning Center / Tutoring Math Lab Writing Center Other Sustainability and Green Initiatives 13

12. EVALUATION PLAN / ALIGNMENT WITH INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH: Required to schedule a consultation for evaluation plan and IRB with Dean of Research and Planning, Michelle Fowles at extension 2437 or via email at fowlesmr@lavc.edu Research and Planning and IRB Consultation Consultation Notes: Indicate Evaluator: Internal External 13. RESEARCH PROTOCOL: Does any portion of your grant include research that involves facts or surveys concerning students or training participants? Yes No If yes, continue with RESEARCH METHODS AND ACTIVITIES. 14. RESEARCH METHODS AND ACTIVITIES: Identify and describe all interventions and interactions that are to be performed solely for the research study. Distinguish research (i.e. experimental) activities from non-research activities. Audio, video, digital, or image recordings Coordinating Center, e.g., offsite location Data, not publicly available, e.g. student records Data, publicly available, e.g. domestic violence records, criminal records Deception, i.e., participants are informed of the subject matter of the research Devices, i.e. technological instruments are used on respondents Focus groups Internet or e-mail data collection Materials that may be considered sensitive, offensive, threatening, or degrading Observation of participants (including field notes) Oral history (does not include medical history) 14

Surveys, questionnaires, or interviews (one on one) Surveys, questionnaires, or interviews (group) Other Specify 15. PARTICIPANT POPULATION Specify the ages(s) of the individuals who may participate in the research: Ages(s): Specify the participant population(s) to be included (check all that apply): Children (<18 years) Adults Decisionally Impaired Adults Other (e. g., research using secondary data, non-targeted surveys, programs protocols Non English Speaking Pregnant Women 16. APPROVAL (required prior to grant proposal submission): Department Chair or Program Director or Supervisor Approval: Academic Area Dean Approval: Dean of Research & Planning Approval: Associate VP of Administrative Services Approval: 15

Grants Committee Approval: Application Submitted to Grantor: 17. GRANTS COMMITTEE - NOTIFICATION (To be completed by Grants Committee) Submit to Grants Committee Chair, refer to www.lavc.edu/grantscommittee Vice Presidents Approval: President Approval: Grants Committee Notification to: Applicant, Department Chair, Area Dean, Dean Research and Planning, Associate VP of Administrative Services and Appropriate Shared Governance Committee: 18. INITIATOR PROVIDES GRANT NOTIFICATION STATUS: Submitted Submitted 16

Not Submitted Funded Not Funded Funded Actual Dollar Amount Funded: Actual Year Funded Start Actual Year Funded End $ 17

Appendix C Grant Partnership Tracking Form [Use this form when NO funding involved.] 1. INITIATOR: First Name: Last Name: Department/Program: Department Budget: Dean/Administrator: Area Vice President: Deadline for Proposal: 2. GRANTOR: Email: Phone: Grantor Agency: Grantor Title: Type of Funds: City County Federal LACCD Private State LAVC Project Title: 3. PROJECT DESCRIPTION / ABSTRACT: Provide two to three paragraphs with the following information: 1) Project goals, 2) LAVC role, 3) Targeted population: 4. EDUCATIONAL MASTER PLAN ALIGNMENT: Select one or more of the goals listed below which aligns with your project. 1. Increase student retention, persistence and success 2. Increase student access 3. Enhance academic programs and services to meet student needs 4. Enhance institutional effectiveness State how the project promotes/supports the goal(s) and objective(s) of the LAVC Educational Master Plan? (you may refer to 18

http://www.lavc.edu/emp/edmasterplan.html ) 5. RESEARCH PROTOCOL: Does any portion of your grant include research that involves facts or surveys concerning students or training participants? (e.g. student profile data, contact information etc.) Yes No If yes, schedule a consultation with Dean of Research and Planning, Michelle Fowles at extension 2437 or via email at fowlesmr@lavc.edu 6. APPROVAL (required prior to grant proposal submission): Department Chair or Program Director Approval: Academic Area Dean Approval: A VP of Admin. Services Approval: Grants Committee Approval: 7. GRANTS COMMITTEE - NOTIFICATION (To be completed by Grants Committee) Submit to Grants Committee Chair, refer to www.lavc.edu/grantscommittee Vice President Approval: President Approval: Grants Committee Notification to: Applicant, 19

Dep. Chair, Area Dean, Dean of Research and Planning, A VP of Admin. Services and Appropriate Shared Governance Committee: 20