This policy defines the process to be followed by Volunteer State Community College in developing and/or administering grants. All grant proposals must be approved by the departmental supervisor and Vice-President. The President, the Vice-President of Institutional Effectiveness, Research, Planning, and Assessment, and the Vice-President of Business and Finance will review and sign all grant proposals prior to submission to the granting agency. This policy applies to all proposals, both new and continuing, for application and management processes.
Section I: Grant Research Process
The grant research process should begin as soon as possible after the creation of the project concept.
A discussion should occur between the person seeking the grant funds and supervisor(s) and the Vice President of the area to discuss the merit of the project concept and to determine the need for grant funds to implement or enhance the project concept. If the project is viable, the project concept and any applicable deadlines should be submitted to the Grants Office, in as much detail as possible.
The Grants Office will research opportunities for funding, critique potential funding sources, review guidelines, review/critique applicable Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Application (RFA), and make recommendations concerning potential funding.
Once a funder or funders has been identified, the Project Director should obtain all approvals necessary to begin work on the designated project to include as a minimum the supervisor of the department and the Vice President of the area requesting the grant.
Section II: Grant Writing Process
The grant writing process should begin as soon as possible in advance of the grant deadline. A copy of the notice of upcoming RFP/RFA or actual RFP/RFA, upon receipt of such document, should be submitted to the Grants Office. The Grants Office will review/critique RFP/RFA, and make recommendations concerning submission of proposal. A discussion should occur between the person seeking the grant and the Vice President of the area and/or the Grants Manager to discuss the merit of the grant and to determine the feasibility of preparation of RFP/RFA. If the grant is determined to be feasible, the Grants Office should be contracted to provide specialized services, help avoid problems, and increase the chances for funding success.
The Project Director will obtain all approvals necessary to begin work on a designated project to include as a minimum the supervisor of the department and the Vice President of the area requesting the grant. A Grant Development Team (GDT) will be formed. For grant projects involving course development and academic programs, faculty will follow the process established for course development and academic programs.
The Project Director applying for funds will secure partnerships and acquire partnership agreements with the approval of their supervisor.
The Grant Development Team (GDT) will review the submission plan, designate assignments, and review the timeline established by the Grants Manager. The team will develop a full proposal concept and outline and begin work. The assigned GDT member(s) will develop the budget and work program to be included in the grant agreement. The Grants Manager will assist with guidelines under the direction of the Human Resources and Business Offices. The Grants Manager, under the direction of the Payroll Office, will ensure that all personnel resources are budgeted appropriately, taking into consideration salary benefits, longevity, yearly salary increases, etc.
The original grant and forms will be distributed by the Grants Office to the appropriate departments for review and signature including the Business Office and Facilities Office when appropriate. When the original has been preceded by an approved pre-proposal, the reviewers will initial and date beside the original signature. After review by the President, Departmental Vice-President, Vice President of Business and Finance, and Vice-President of Institutional Effectiveness, Research, Planning, and Assessment, the original proposal and forms will be returned to the Grants Office.
The department applying for the grant will create a CD of all master forms and route them to the Grants Office. The Grants Office will duplicate the required number of copies and packages for shipping or will submit them electronically. All original files will be maintained by the Grants Office. All information regarding newly submitted grants, continuation, pending, funded, and non-funded grants will be filed with the Grants Office.
Section III: Grant Award Notification Process
To ensure consistency in the receipt of grant award notification letters, contracts, and grant checks, all information should be coordinated by, and all records maintained by, the Grants Office. The President’s Office will contact the Grants Office concerning receipt of an incoming grant award notification and will forward the letter/contract to the Grants Office. Upon receipt of the grant award letter/contract, the Grants Manager will review document(s) to ensure that VSCC can meet compliance with all requirements. If there are questions about the contract, the Grants Manager will confer with the Purchasing Department. The Grants Office will notify all parties involved with the funded project, will ensure that the grant award contract is signed by the President or designee, and will copy the signed document and return the original contract to the funding agency.
When both VSCC and the funding agency representative have signed the contract and it is returned to VSCC, the contract will be signed by the party receiving notification and forwarded to the Grants Office. The Grants Office will make copies for the Business Office, Payroll Department (if applicable), Project Director, Grants Office files, and any other involved parties and will maintain the original in the master files.
Section IV: Post-Award Administration Process
To ensure consistency in the administration and reporting requirements for awarded funds and contracts, the Grants Office will coordinate with the Business Office and the Project Director to ensure that goals are achieved and filing requirements are met. The Business Office will establish general ledger accounts and processes for receiving and expending funds based on grant agencies’ methods of disbursement and accounting requirements. The Project Director will work with the Business Office to reconcile expenditures with accounting records.
All copies of the grant award letters or contracts, grant progress reports required by the funding source(s) and all communications with the funding source(s) must be sent to the Grants Office for the master file. The Grants Office will create a calendar of reports and benchmarks and disseminate them to the Project Director, the Vice-President of the grant area, the Vice-President of Institutional Effectiveness, Research, Planning, and Assessment, and the Business Office; the master calendar will be maintained in the Grants Office.
The Grants Office will oversee the submission of all reports and will assist, as needed, with the completion and/or review and submission of Progress and Final Reports. Copies of all reports will be forwarded to the Grants Office for addition to the master file.
TBR Source: Guideline No. G-030 - November 12, 1985 Presidents’ Meeting; August 15, 1989 Presidents’ Meeting; November 8, 1995 Presidents’ Meeting; May 14, 1996 Presidents’ Meeting; November 12, 1996 Presidents’ Meeting; August 5, 1997 Presidents’ Meeting, November 5, 1997 Presidents’ Meeting; February 17, 1998 Presidents’ Meeting & March 27, 1998 Board Meeting; November 4, 1998 Presidents’ Meeting, November 7, 2001 Presidents’ Meeting; August 16, 2005 Presidents’ Meeting; August 16, 2006 Presidents’ Meeting; May 15, 2007 Presidents’ Meeting; February 12, 2008 Presidents’ Meeting
VSCC Source: Policy IV:11:01, August 31, 1999, President; Policy IV:11:02, August 31, 1999; November 3, 2008, President's Cabinet
