LSC-Tomball Grants Council Jane Buckner Jared Cootz Melinda Coleman Henri Dally Anne Ginnett Ann Johnson Latoya Lewis Yolanda Lopez Maggie Mendoza Jill Riethmayer Jennifer Richardson Scott Stallman Jackie Thomas, Jr. Jerrel Wade Carol Wheeler Tracie Wood

Our Charge Research and prioritize grant opportunities Consider grant opportunities that align with: our values our strategic goals and priorities community needs Engage all departments and stakeholders necessary to strengthen LSC- Tomball’s ability to coordinate all aspects of grant development and implementation Decide which grant opportunities to pursue

Guiding Points Keep the our mission, values, and strategic goals and priorities front and center Keep the President’s Executive Cabinet informed of our activity and include them in your processes whenever possible Use the Strategic Plan (Tomball 2020) as a guide and inspiration Be creative and think big Think about leveraging existing assets and partnerships Engage other departments sooner rather than later in the process (IT, facilities, business office, etc.)

LSC Grant Processes August 16, 2017 An Overview of the Grants Process

What is the grants process at Lone Star College?

The LSC Grant Life Cycle RDA Grant Development works with campuses and system departments to match data-based needs with grant opportunities. Once there is a match and a campus or system department decides to move forward, the grant is developed, reviewed and submitted. (See next slide for details.) These steps involve campus staff and faculty, written authorization from the President, representation from system office departments as appropriate, RDA, Office of General Counsel and the Chancellor’s office. A notice of grant award moves the grant forward to RDA for contract execution. Grants Accounting establishes a grant project budget in iStar and post-award support is initiated. From this point forward, GA supports the accounting piece of a project and RDA supports the program piece. GA and RDA work together to prepare programs for annual audit and other external audits.

Grant Development Process LEO gives written authorization to submit the proposal Proposal goes through Internal Approval Process RDA submits grant proposal after Chancellor signature Grantor notifies LSC of grant award Submission Campus or SO grant team reviews and edits draft Final application prepared LEO authorizes cost share Final Review Create project timeline & form grant team Analyze data Set project goals Secure other required documents Design project activities Draft narrative & budget Timeline & Development Campus considers grant match to campus needs and LSC strategic goals LEO written request to develop a grant proposal Key parties identified Grants permission for RDA to work with key staff Signals RDA to assign staff to the project Notice of Interest (NOI) RDA is the process expert who coordinates with key individuals or a team of subject matter experts to develop the proposal. RDA grant writers must have the ability to facilitate groups of administrators and faculty and to synthesize data and discussions into a proposal that is written at the graduate level to the grantor specifications. RDA facilitates grant team meetings to analyze data and to design project goals, objectives and activities. RDA grant team transforms meeting discussion and data into a draft narrative according to grantor requirements. Narrative can be 6-65 pages in length. RDA works with the grant team to draft a grant budget that supports the project design, is allowable and within LSC policy. The grant team makes decisions on how to best use grant funds in budget development. Next, the review and approval process begins. All of this must occur in the short window of time allotted by the funder, typically 30-60 days.

LSC Internal Approval Process Procedure is based on LSC policies II.H.2 III.A.2 III.B.2 III.D.1.3 VII.A.4 Protects LSC from liability Protects LSC from contracting to conduct any activity that is not within our scope, mission or policy Holds the LEO (Authorizer) accountable for activities under their supervision Requires multiple levels of approvals including LEO, CEO, OGC and Chancellor LSC has one of the most rigorous internal approval processes among community colleges and universities. LSC has thoroughly vetted any proposal that it submits. LSC must balance its internal approval process with time frames imposed by grantors in order to maximize funding opportunities.

LSC Internal Approval Process Grant Proposals to Grantors Requests for Proposal are posted 30-60 calendar days before the proposals are due. TWC, 45 days U.S. Dept. of Education, 30-60 days THECB, 35 days LSC Internal Approval Process uses 10 of the available days for development. Per LSC Policy III.A.2.3, the Chancellor or his designee are the only ones authorized to sign grant documents Review and Approval of President/VP or LEO RDA/CEO Review and Approval, 2 days OGC Review and Approval, 5 days Chancellor Signature, 3 days RDA Submits Grant to Funder If cost share is required, campuses must identify the source of the cost share and the President must give written authorization to commit those resources as cost share. Proposals consist of narrative, budget, required forms, supporting documentation such as letters of support, grant-specific data, or partner commitments. Typical size of proposal package for LSC Top 3 funders: TWC Proposals - 30 pages U.S. Department of Education proposals – 55-89 page proposals THECB – 6-31 pages

LSC Internal Approval Process Awarded Grants/Contracts LEO (Authorizer) approval required to execute post-award documents Per LSC Policy III.A.2.3, the Chancellor or his designee are the only ones authorized to sign grant documents Grantors often impose “Return by” dates. Extensions are not always available. LSC Receives Grant Contract or Award RDA Secures LEO Approval RDA/CEO Review and Approval, 2 days OGC Review and Approval, 5 days Chancellor Signature, 3 days RDA Submits Signed Document to Funder Post-award documents utilize the same internal approval process as do proposals. RDA reviews document for accuracy before sending them forward. LSC places a high priority on the accountability of its LEOs (Authorizers). The LEO (Authorizer) must approve every post-award document before it goes through internal approval. Examples of post-award documents are Contracts MOUs Amendments Reports Other grant-specific documents RDA works closely with OGC and the Chancellor’s office to facilitate review and timely submission of all grant documents.

What is the grants process at LSC-Tomball?

LSC-T Grants Council identifies grant funding targets for the upcoming academic year. LSC-T Grants Council receives and reviews a list of funding opportunities from Resource Development and Administration (RDA). LSC-T Grants Council solicits ideas for potential grant-funded projects and initiatives from faculty and staff at a fall annual event. Phase 1

LSC-T Grants Council meets to review, match, and prioritize proposed grant projects. Prioritized projects will be assigned to specific LSC-T Grants Council members for oversight and support, and submitted to RDA via Service Now. RDA checks project and grant for feasibility. Phase 2

If a project and grant are feasible, the Notice of Intent (NOI) is submitted and approved. A Grant Writing Team is assembled. The Grant is written and submitted. Phase 3

Lonestar.edu/Tomball-grant Questions? Jackie C. Thomas, Jr., Ph.D. Jackie.Thomas@lonestar.edu Lonestar.edu/Tomball-grant