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.
- The SFCC Grants Director must review all applications prior to submittal.
- The SFCC Grant Accounting Manager must review all grant budgets prior to submittal.
- The Executive Team must approve any new external grant that has a yearly budget exceeding $100,000 and/or requires matching funds.
- The SFCC Governing Board must be notified of the College’s intent to apply for any grant that exceeds $100,000.
- All grant applications must support the College’s mission and strategic plan and have College approval prior to submittal.
Role of the SFCC OPIE Grants Office
- Evaluating grant opportunities
- Communicating and planning with the college community to align grant opportunities with high-need areas and the College’s Strategic Plan
- Obtaining the College’s consent to apply for grant
- Contracting grant writers (when needed)
- Providing technical assistance with proposal development
- Overseeing the institutional final approval of grant applications
- Uploading grant applications into various sites (grants.gov, FastLane, ect.).
Grant Research
- Go to grants.gov to find federal grant opportunities
- Go to the Grants Office intranet page to review posted opportunities.
Pre-Award Approval Process
- All SFCC employees must fill out Grant Pre-Proposal Consent form to request consent to apply for a grant
- All applications with a total funding amount over $100,000 and/or that requires any amount cash or in-kind match must be approved by the Executive Team. The Executive Team 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.
- The Grants Accounting Manager must review your budget prior to submittal.
Grant Writing Responsibility
Grants are a team sport that requires a dedicated group of staff and faculty to develop. In most cases, the team lead or principle investigator will work with other team members to develop and write the application. The College often hires external grant writers to assist the team with large and complex grant applications. It is important to involve all parties including the OPIE office, which provides data, statistics and strategic planning, and the Grants Accounting Manager, who supports developing an accurate grant budget. Please be mindful that the College lacks the resources to apply for every grant.
Partnerships with Other Organizations
Any commitment of funds or substantial resources to an outside entity’s grant application requires a letter of commitment from the SFCC President. In addition, the President provides letters of support for outside entities’ grant applications. Please coordinate with the Grants Director to obtain these letters.
Sub-grants: The Grant Pre-Proposal Consent form must be completed if SFCC is to be a sub-grantee on another entities grant application.
Submittal of the Grant to Funding Agency/Organization
Only the SFCC President has the authority to approve the submittal of grants. The SFCC President has given the Grants Director authority to submit applications on behalf of the College to various federal, state and local sites. Grants must be reviewed by the Grants Director, the Grants Accounting Director and the principal investigator’s supervisor; and a [grants submittal form] must be signed prior to submittal.
Continuation Grants
Renewal of regularly funded formula grants such as Perkins, Adult Basic Education and Small Business Development Corporation requires both a Grant Pre-Proposal Consent form and a [grants submittal form] be submitted in advance to the Grants Director.
Links to Forms
- Grant Pre-Proposal Consent form
- Grants Submittal Form (in development)
- Grant Flowchart
Contacts:
Laura White, Director of Grants
Office of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness
laura.white@sfcc.edu
Office: (505) 428-1811
Updated: 8/22/2017
