445.000 - Grants

The College shall produce and comply with procedures to develop and manage grants. Grant development procedures must ensure all applicable College departments are aware of and agree to the commitments outlined in the proposal and mitigate the risk of inappropriately committing the College’s resources. The grant management procedures must enable the College departments to comply with funders’ regulations and restrictions as well as mitigate risk to the College.

445.005 GRANT ADMINISTRATION

Grant Preparation Guidelines

  1. The Grants Development Office of the Office of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness is the clearinghouse for all grant information at ClarkCollege, including current funding resources, submitted and funded grant applications, and grant policies and procedures. Requests for Proposals (RFP’s) will also be forwarded to the appropriate deans or vice presidents as available.

  2. Faculty and staff that wish to pursue grants will contact the Grants Development Office to complete the Concept Development Review and Sign-Off Sheet prior to applying for a grant. (See “Grant Proposal Guidelines,” Page 4, on the College Intranet.)

  3. The Concept Development Review and Sign-Off Sheet will be reviewed and approved by Executive Cabinet before preparation of the grant proposal begins. This ensures that the project is in line with the College’s Strategic Plan.

  4. After the Concept Development Review and Sign-Off Sheet is complete, the Grants Development Office will notify the faculty/staff of Executive Cabinet’s decision. If approved, preparation of the grant request will begin as outlined in the funding agency’s application/guidelines. The Grants Development Office will assist faculty/staff with proposal preparation.

  5. Unless the grant has no provision for indirect cost or as agreed otherwise by the president, all federal, state, or private grants must include the full federally negotiated indirect cost rate, which will be distributed to the college's grant indirect policy.

  6. The Director of Grants Development will be contacted prior to seeking funds from any individual, corporate, or Foundation donor. The Clark College Foundation regularly solicits these constituents, and multiple requests will be approved by Executive Cabinet.

Grant Submission Guidelines

1. All faculty and staff will review grant requests with their unit deans or heads prior to submission if a proposal will result in any of the following:

2. Matters to consider in the proposal preparation stage include:

3. After the proposal is completed, faculty/staff will submit a hard copy to the Director of Grants Development.  The Formal Proposal Review and Sign-Off Sheet will then be completed prior to submitting the proposal to the funding agency. (See “Grant Proposal Guidelines,” Page 5, on the College Intranet.) This form will be returned to the Director of Grants Development after all signatures have been obtained.

4. The Director of Grants Development will submit a copy of the proposal, budget, and Formal Proposal Review and Sign-Off Sheet to the vice president of administrative services and the associate vice president of planning and institutional effectiveness. This ensures that the proposal and budget reflect the grant policies and financial procedures established by the College.

5. The proposal will also be reviewed, with signature required, should any of these activities occur:

6. The Director of Grants Development will notify faculty/staff when the Formal Proposal Review and Sign-Off Sheets is complete and will coordinate efforts to ensure that the proposal is submitted according to the funding agency’s application guidelines. Copies of the proposal will be distributed to the appropriate vice presidents, executive deans, and deans.

Grant Award Negotiation and Acceptance

  1. Negotiation of the final grant contract will be coordinated by the Grants Development Office. The Director of Business  Services and the grant manager/project director will also be involved in the process.

  2. Upon notification of a grant award, faculty/staff responsible for the grant (grant project director) will notify their dean, vice president/executive dean and the Director of Grants Development about the grant award.

  3. The Director of Grants Development will provide the grant project director with the Clark College Award Acceptance Form, which will be filled out prior to the acceptance of any grant award. (See “Grant Proposal Guidelines,” Page 6, on the College Intranet.) This form will be returned to the Director of Grants Development after all signatures have been obtained, along with any award documentation and the project budget. The Director of Grants Development will work with the grant project director to complete the award acceptance checklist at the bottom of the Clark College Award Acceptance Form.

Grant Implementation and Monitoring

  1. If the grant project director is required to sign a grant agreement/contract provided by the funding agency, the grant project director will submit the grant agreement to the Director of Grants Development, the Director of Business  Services, their dean and vice president/executive dean to review prior to submission to the funding agency. This is to ensure that the grant agreement does not commit the project director or College to extensive legal commitments or other binding arrangements. The Director of Grants Development will notify the grant project director when the agreement is approved by all parties, and assist the grant project director with submission of the agreement if necessary.

  2. Upon receipt of a signed grant agreement/contract, the grant project director will submit copies to the Director of Grants Development, the Director of Business Services, the unit dean, and the appropriate vice president/executive dean along with the project budget. The Director of Grants Development and Accounting Services will schedule a meeting with the grant project director to establish a grant account and discuss  the details of managing the grant budget.

  3. The implementation and day-to-day operation of the grant program is the responsibility of the grant manager/project director.

  4. Periodic and final reports and evaluations are the responsibility of the grant manager/project director. The Grants Development Office can assist the grant manager/project director in compilation of data and information.

  5. Fiscal monitoring of the grant is the responsibility of the grant manager/project director who will be assisted by the grants budget analyst.

6. Amendments – Any grant or contract amendments will be processed in the same manner as the original grant or contract.

7. Completion – A number of basic subjects need to be addressed when a funded project/grant is completed:

8. Accounting For/Use of Indirect Costs Recovered – All indirect cost recovery will be credited to accounts established by Accounting Services. Actual indirect cost charges will be initiated against the grant by the grants budget analyst at the time the grant budget is established or as provided in the grant's instructions.  The Executive Cabinet will approve uses/transfers of monies accumulated in the indirect cost recovery account.

Time and Effort Reports

Time and effort reports are after-the-fact records that reflect how faculty and staff spent the time for which they were compensated by the College. Time and Effort reporting is the federally mandated method of certifying that the salary and benefits charged to a grant is accurate and is used to support such charges.

Any faculty or staff who are compensated in part or in full by grant funds, including those whose efforts are used to satisfy either a required or a voluntary match, or are used in the determination of indirect costs must complete a time and effort report. Time and effort reports are to be completed and submitted at least quarterly.

When a grant is initially received, budget allocations may be made in the assigned account for all categories of expenditures, including salaries and benefits, based on the grant budget and depending on the Time and Effort reporting method used. Personnel Action Forms authorizing payment to employees will reflect these allocations. Prior to the end of each fiscal year, adjustments to the payroll expenditures to match actual time worked will be processed if the variance between the initial budget estimates and the actual allocation of time worked is more than 5%.

Time and Effort Reporting Methods:

After-the Fact Activity Report System:

Plan Confirmation System:

Maintenance of Records

The office which is responsible for managing the grant will collect and maintain the Time & Effort reports for six (6) years. The office which is responsible for managing the grant will use the monthly reports to maintain a schedule of time worked on the grant(s) to monitor the 5% variance requirement and to provide a list of employees paid by the grant for internal and external auditing purposes. Forms required for Time & Effort Reporting and Tracking are available on the College ClarkNet under Business Services Forms.

Annual Evaluation

The College’s Internal Auditor will perform an annual evaluation to ensure the integrity of the Time and Effort reporting system.

Revised Policy/Procedure Approved by Executive Cabinet

February 16, 2010
September 15, 2015
February 9, 2016