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9-3: External Funding: Grants Request Process Policy – Procedures

  1. All applications for external grants submitted on behalf of Santa Fe Community College (SFCC or College) or the SFCC Foundation must be coordinated through the Grants Office. The Grants Office is part of the Office of Institutional Planning and Effectiveness.
    1. The SFCC Grants Director must review all applications prior to submittal.
    2. The SFCC Grant Accounting Director must review all grant budgets prior to submittal.
    3. The Executive Team must approve any new external grant that has a yearly budget exceeding $100,000 and/or requires matching funds.
    4. All grant applications must support the College’s mission and strategic plan and have College approval prior to submittal.
  2. Role of the SFCC OPIE Grants Office
    1. Evaluating grant opportunities
      1. Communicating and planning with the College community to align grant opportunities with high-need areas and the College’s Strategic Plan
    2. Obtaining the College’s consent to apply for grants
    3. Contracting grant writers (when needed)
    4. Providing technical assistance with proposal development
    5. Overseeing the institutional final approval of grant applications
    6. Uploading grant applications to various sites (grants.gov, research.gov, etc.).
  3. Grant Research
    1. Go to grants.gov to find federal grant opportunities
    2. Contact the Grants Office to request help locating possible grant opportunities.
  4. Pre-Application Approval Process
    1. All SFCC employees must fill out Grant / External Funding  Pre-Proposal Approval Form to request approval to apply for a grant
    2. All applications with a total funding amount over $100,000 and/or that require any amount of cash match or in-kind match must be approved by the Executive Team. The Office of Finance also must approve grants that waive any of the College’s allowed in-direct costs as this is considered a match. The Grants Director will coordinate with you to schedule a presentation of your grant on the Executive Team agenda as needed.
    3. The Grants Accounting Director must review and approve your budget prior to the submittal of the application. Using the following form will ensure the budget goes through the proper approvals: External Funding / Grant Proposal Budget and Narrative Approval Form
  5. Grant Writing Responsibility
    1. Grant Writing is a team sport that requires a dedicated group of staff and faculty to develop in collaboration.
    2. In most cases, the team lead or principal investigator will work with other team members to create and write the application.
    3. The College hires external grant writers to assist the team with large and complex grant applications as needed.
    4. It is important to involve all parties including the Office of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness, Financial Services Department, Office of Information Technology, Office of Human Resources, and SFCC Foundation, etc.
    5. Please be mindful that the College lacks the resources to apply for every grant.
  6. Partnerships with Other Organizations
    1. Any commitment of funds or substantial resources to an outside entity’s grant application requires a letter of commitment from the SFCC President.
    2. In addition, the President provides letters of support for outside entities’ grant applications. Please coordinate with the Grants Director to obtain these letters.
  7. Sub-grants
    1. The Grant / External Funding Pre-Proposal Approval Form must be completed if SFCC is to be a sub-grantee on another entity’s grant application.
    2. The Grants Accounting Director must approve the budget before submittal.
    3. Using this form will ensure the budget goes through the proper approvals: External Funding / Grant Proposal Budget and Narrative Approval Form
  8. Submittal of the Grant to the Funding Agency/Organization
    1. Only the SFCC President has the authority to approve the submittal of grants.
    2. The SFCC President has given the Grants Director the authority to submit applications on behalf of the College to various federal, state and local sites.
    3. Grants must be reviewed by the Grants Director, the Grants Accounting Director and the principal investigator’s supervisor.
    4. Both the Grant / External Funding  Pre-Proposal Approval Form and the External Funding / Grant Proposal Budget and Narrative Approval Form must have approval prior to submittal.
  9. Continuation Grants
    1. Renewal of regularly funded formula grants such as Perkins, Adult Basic Education and Small Business Development Corporation requires both a Grant / External Funding Pre-Proposal Approval Form and an External Funding / Grant Proposal Budget and Narrative Approval Form be submitted in advance to ensure all necessary approvals.
  10. Links to Forms
    1. Grant / External Funding Pre-Proposal Approval Form
    2. External Funding/ Grant Proposal Budget and Narrative Approval Form
    3. Grant Flowchart

Contact:          Laura White, Director of Grants
Office of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness
505-428-1811 laura.white@sfcc.edu

Updated:         9/19/2024