• PHASE 1 – PREPARATION AND DEVELOPMENT

    Step 1:  Identify a Grant Opportunity that meets your needs
    The Office of Federal Programs communicates some grant opportunities on a monthly basis. (link to current grants). However, individuals within schools and departments are encouraged to research grant leads through library resources, online databases, and other sources. When suitable grants are located, schools and departments review the eligibility requirements and ensure the grant is a fit for your project.   Some external website sources for grant research are located at: 

    *Email a copy of the blank application, program guidelines, etc. via email to the Director of Grants. The Grant Director will review all documents to determine the next steps.

    *The Director of grants will send the interested person a timeline to complete research, collaborations/ meetings with key personnel, and due dates.

    Consult with the Principal or Department Head. Before beginning to write a grant on behalf of a campus or a department, the principal or department head must provide approval. Writers are responsible for ensuring they have permission to submit a grant on behalf of their campus or department before submitting the Intent to Submit form to the Office of Federal Programs.

    *The Director for Grants will send a Grant Committee signature form to the grant lead to be signed by all participants involved in the planning of the grant. The signed form must be received at the time final draft documents are submitted for review.

    From Campus or Departmental Grants Team. Grant writers on campuses or within departments are strongly encouraged to collaborate with others to provide a full perspective of approaches to solving the stated need.

     Step 2:  Complete the grant appl
    The Grant Interest Form should be completed BEFORE beginning your application. This form, accompanied by the Grant Guidelines, will be emailed directly to the Director for Academic Support and Grants. At that time, she can discuss with you the specific assistance she can provide to you in completing this application. The only time this form does not need to be completed and submitted is if you are submitting an application to the ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ Education Foundation.

     Step 3:  Begin brainstorming responses to application questions or drafting the proposal
    You will need to be ready to craft a needs statement, provide a project design, which includes – goals, objectives, strategies, activities, a management plan – and finally, a way to evaluate the success or impact of your project. It is imperative that any required appendices (letters of support, MOUs, etc.) are planned for in advance so that they can be submitted on time with the grant.

     Step 4:  Complete the application
    Be sure to be responsive to the requirements outlined in the grant guidelines. It includes data and information to support the need for funding for your campus/department, program planning, and activities for the project, and personnel descriptions for who will manage project implementation. However, it is unnecessary to include a lot of national or state data that does not speak intimately to your situation.

     *Small Cybergrants. If it is a small online grant, it is suggested that you copy/paste application questions into an MS Word document and give all of your responses in this format first, then paste the final responses back into the online system. Before submitting, you must send your draft to the District’s Director for Academic Support and Grants, to provide you with feedback and editing support.

     *Have a campus committee and your principal or department head read your grant BEFORE submitting it to the Director for Grants.

     Step 5:  Prepare your budget for the application 
    Before submitting your grant, you must submit a copy of your budget for review to the Special Revenue Accountant and Director Academic Supports and Grants. They will work with you to ensure your budget is appropriate.

     Step 6:  Submit your application to the Director of 504 and Grants for review
    Please allow at least a 2-week window for a turnaround to enable review of the application and time to obtain the necessary District signatures.  If your grant requires Board of Trustee approval, more time may be necessary.