District Grants September 14, 2011
What s a Grant? What do I need to do? Where do I start? Grant
Application for Grants Submit information regarding the proposed grant to the Grant Review Committee Complete the District grant proposal application Information needed: Type of grant funding Proposed use of funds Data that will need to be collected for grant reporting Documentation from the potential grantor about the grant nature of funds, reporting requirements, etc.
Application for Grants, cont. Why do we need a Grant Review Committee? Coordinate proposals Do not want to inundate an agency with multiple grant applications May be seeking a large District-wide grant vs. small individual grants Make sure that grant proposals align with District goals and objectives
Grant Writing Grant proposal approved by the Grant Review Committee Grant Writing Considerations Develop a detailed grant timeline with a related spending plan & narrative Review activities and proposed outcomes with assigned District Administrator If grant includes software and/or technology schedule a meeting with the IT department If grant includes hiring staff consult with the HR department
Grant Writing, cont. Budget development schedule meeting with Business Office to review the spending plan Quotes vs. bids 3 quotes need to be submitted for purchases of $4,000 or more If purchases are $10,000 or more, bids need to be solicited Purchases cannot be broken up to avoid bids/quotes In some instances, the items to be purchased may be available through joint purchasing groups or state contract
Grant Writing, cont. Supplies vs. equipment Supplies consumables, workbooks, etc. Equipment items of with a useful life of over 1 year and/or a cost of $1,500 or more Capital cost of $1,500 or more Non-capital cost less than $1,500 Salaries and benefits vs. contracted services If you will pay District employees with grant funds, salaries and benefits need to be budgeted Stipends paid to employees need to budget as salary & benefits Consult with HR on all salaries & stipends Contracted services are vendors that the Board approves contracts with to provide specific services
Notification of Grant Award Award documentation send copies to the business office Documents indicate the following: Grant period funds must be spent within the grant period to be allowable expenses Funding source local, state, or federal CFDA # (applies to federal grants) Reporting requirements Business Office will establish grant accounts Initial grant meeting with Business Office to review Grant Administrator responsibilities
Notification of Grant Award, cont. Implementation planning begins Personnel Any additional staffing (new hires, additional hours beyond the work day, additional work days beyond the contract year, stipends) requires Board approval prior to the start of grant work Review staffing needs with HR to ensure posting & hiring requirements are met & submission to Board Contracted Services need Board approval before vendor begins work Travel - Board approval needed if out of PA Purchase of items Bids??? Quotes???
Grant Management Payroll If fully funded by the grant, the grant administrator will need to have the employee acknowledge that they are being paid by the grant. The employee should sign a form at the start and end of the grant period or the school year, whichever is shorter. If partially funded, employees will need to keep records documenting their time and effort associated with grant-funded activities.
Grant Management, cont. Payroll, cont. Grant administrators need to provide a list of grant funded employees to the Business Office and Human Resources If the employee will be paid based on timesheet, please provide the employee with a timesheet for the grant with the following information: Grant account number where wages will be paid Prewritten printed name of District personnel authorized to sign the timesheet verifying the hours worked in the grant
Grant Management, cont. Purchasing considerations Bids vs. Quotes Ensure grant expenses are in accordance with allowable grant activities and are properly coded Follow District purchasing procedures Purchase Requisition, Purchase Order, submit packing slips to Accounts Payable, etc. At least 1 week prior to check run
Grant Management, cont. Supplies & Equipment Supplies consumables, workbooks, etc. Equipment items with a useful life of over 1 year and/or costs $1,500 or more Grant administrator must keep a record of all equipment purchased and submit an inventory of the items at end of the grant period to the Business Office Inventory will be needed for audit Listing of equipment will assist in the preparation of the final expenditure report
Grant Management, cont. Schedule a meeting with the Business Office Review proposed grant activities, payroll, purchasing and any other spending questions and grant administrator responsibilities Review the grant budget & verify it matches the budget in efinance Review the importance of following the spending plan for the approved grant activities Draw down of funds Federal interest calculations Suspension of payments
Grant Monitoring Monitor budget vs. status of expenditures on a quarterly basis at a minimum Grant budget revisions Internal to adjust for small changes Changes fall within the grant s allowable expenses and activities Changes are within the acceptable % of revision within the grant guidelines Budget transfers need Board approval Grant administrators need to monitor total transfers to determine if a revision is needed from the grantor
Grant Monitoring, cont. External budget revisions need the approval of the grantor Grant administrators need to know when revisions can be made & when window closes Changes fall outside the grant s allowable percentage of deviation or change the nature of the proposed expenses Increasing the amount of funds to be spent on supplies by more than 10% (or beyond the % allowable by grantor this varies from grant to grant) Shifting planned purchased from supplies to equipment anything over $1500 is equipment Changes in grant activities
Grant Monitoring, cont. Ongoing reporting Depending on the type of funds and the requirements of the grantor, reporting and/or data collection will be required during the grant. Grant administrator needs to be collecting data required for programmatic reporting Mid-year, progress, or quarterly reports are common The Business Office handles only financial data reporting.
Pre-Closing Activities Schedule a meeting with the Business Office a minimum of 90 days prior to the close of the grant Review budget and status of expenditures Review grant closing procedures & reporting requirements Business Office will provide a projection of how the grant will close and assist with identifying any available grant funds
Closing Activities Schedule a meeting with the Business Office Discuss the coordination of final closing reports & expenditure of funds Depending on the grant, the Business Office may be able to submit the final expenditure report and the Grant Administrator may be able to submit the final programmatic/narrative reports separately. In other instances, both parties may need to coordinate the completion of data within the same report.
Questions????