Externally-Funded Grants

Purpose:

To describe policies and procedures on the types of externally-funded grants to pursue, the review and approval processes of the grant proposal, and the administrative procedures of the awarded grants. For the purpose of this policy, the term "grants" shall be interpreted as "externally-funded grants" for the college.

Definitions:

Grants: Cash, provision of gifts of services, generally referred to as in-kind gifts, real property, tangible personal property or intangible property, accepted from governmental agencies or nongovernmental organizations.

Policy:

1. Grant funds include those monies or services sought and/or acquired through any grant-solicitation process for educational and/or support services. This policy excludes external grant funding for federal and state student financial aid programs, including federal and state financial aid or tuition support for noncredit workforce programs.

2. The college shall actively pursue grants from appropriate private and public sources for the support and enhancement of the college's mission, goals, and strategic direction.

3. Responsibility for the coordination of grant submissions and management of awards from private foundations, corporations, or other nongovernmental organizations shall be through the Office of Institutional Advancement or through the executive director of the J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College Educational Foundation (hereafter known as the Foundation).

4. Responsibility for the coordination of grant submissions and management of awards from governmental grants (local, state and federal government agencies) shall be through the Department of Research, Planning and Grants or through the associate vice president, research, planning and grants and/or the director of grants management.

5. All grant proposals submitted to federal, state and local government agencies shall be coordinated through the associate vice president, research, planning and grants. Grant applications requiring a cash cost share commitment from the college must be approved by the vice president of finance and administration and the president of the college.

6. All grant proposals submitted to private organizations and corporations shall be coordinated through the executive director of the Foundation. Grant applications requiring a cash match from the college must be approved by the vice president of finance and administration and the president of the college.

7. In general, grant proposals shall include job duties, responsibilities, and benefit costs that mirror/match current Virginia Community College System and Department of Human Resource Management position titles and compensation guidelines. Grant writers shall consult with the college’s associate vice president of human resources for current position and salary rate schedules, as well as impending state-approved salary increases.

8. Annual salary increases and supplementary salary pay actions for employees assigned to grant positions shall be applied in accordance with state and college compensation policies. The availability of additional grant funds may not be used to award salary increases above state and college compensation policy.

9. The Office of the Vice President of Finance and Administration shall be responsible for the review and fiscal impact determination of all grant awards, except those made directly to the Foundation.

10. The authority to accept a grant award lies solely with the associate vice president, research, planning and grants on behalf of the president.

11. In the event of extended or emergency absence of the associate vice president, research, planning and grants, the vice president of finance and administration may designate an ad hoc authorized organizational representative to submit proposals or accept grant awards on behalf of the college.

12. The authority to execute contracts as a signatory for the college lies solely with the vice president of finance and administration.

13. Fiscal management responsibility for grant awards, other than those made directly to the Foundation, shall be handled by the Office of the Vice President of Finance and Administration in coordination with the Department of Research, Planning and Grants.

14. With the exception of Foundation-acquired grants, the associate vice president, research, planning and grants shall be the designated negotiator for grant awards and must be designated as the appropriate college official for award notifications unless otherwise specified by the granting agency.

Procedures:

The following outline of procedures are specific to the governmental grant process unless otherwise noted. The Grants Manual provides procedures and considerations to assist faculty and staff in the development of federal- and state-funded grant projects and proposals. Grant seekers should refer to this document.

1. The director of grants management will:

   1. Coordinate the grant proposal-writing process with final oversight responsibility of document presentation, format, required college approvals, packaging, and delivery;

   2. Act as an information resource for program data, statistics, personnel cost estimates, budget review, and persons to contact to assist the grant writer in the preparation process;

   3. Provide direct support in the grant-writing process by writing those sections of the grant that apply to general college information or statistics such as organizational structure, the college mission and goals, budget information, etc.; and,

   4. Be proactive in the grants process by working with potential grant writers to identify their goals, objectives, needs and wants, and to help them find grants that will support their ideas and planned activities well in advance of the grant's submission date.

2. All governmental grant proposals are to be coordinated through the director of grants management in the Department of Research, Planning and Grants.

3. Prior to proposal preparation, the faculty/staff member seeking governmental funding will:

   1. For proposed projects requiring grant funding, prior to supervisor/dean approval, faculty/staff may complete the electronic Grant Funding Inquiry Form to determine availability of funding opportunities to match a proposed program;

   2. Secure approval from staff supervisor or, for faculty, dean of the department. The faculty/staff member will certify through submission of the web-based Grant Start-Up Form that all necessary approvals have been obtained; and

   3. Submit the electronic JSRCC Grant Start-Up Form to secure approval of associate vice president, research, planning and grants and to initiate grant development support from the office of grants management.

   A summary of the web-based governmental grant proposal form is forwarded via email from the director of grants management to the associate vice president, research, planning and grants. Grants not requiring a cash cost-share commitment from the college may be approved by the associate vice president, research, planning and grants. Grants requiring a cash cost-share commitment must strongly align with the college's strategic direction and/or promote student success and/or have exceptional academic merit. The relevant members of the President's Cabinet will decide final approval for all government-funded grants requiring a cash cost-share commitment.

4. Upon approval by the associate vice president, research, planning and grants, the proposal writing and project budget development will proceed with support of the director of grants management.

5. Before the grant due date:

   1. The proposal developer will submit the proposal and budget to the director of grants management for review. The director of grants management will review the budget with the senior grants accountant.

   2. The director of grants management will review the grant proposal and, if necessary, forward it to the vice president of finance and administration for review by VCCS Legal Services.

   3. The proposal developer will review the entire proposal with the director of grants management for possible editing to conform with RFP requirements.

6. The developer of the proposal, with assistance from the director of grants management, the senior grants accountant, and the vice president of finance and administration, if necessary, will make final revisions to the proposal and/or budget.

7. The director of grants management will obtain final approvals and submit the grant.

8. The associate vice president research, planning and grants will keep the Executive Cabinet informed of grant submissions and awards through routine updates.

9. The director of grants management will notify appropriate college leadership and proposal developers when award decisions are received.

10. If the project director/principal investigator named on the grant receives the grant award notification, the director of grants management should be notified as soon as possible. Grant awards must only be accepted on behalf of the college by the associate vice president, research, planning and grants or the vice president of finance and administration.

11. After funding notification, the associate vice president, research, planning and grants, in conjunction with the vice president of finance and administration, will negotiate final terms of the project with the funding agency officials.

12. The director of grants management will keep up-to-date files of government-funded projects and establish reporting guidelines and deadlines with the senior grants accountant and the project director to ensure that all activity and expenditures are in accordance with any and all contracts and agreements the college has made with the funding agency.

13. The senior grants accountant will obtain a budget code from the VCCS for the grant project. Department codes for grant management will apply to governmental grants and, when appropriate, to non-governmental grants, for tracking and auditing purposes.

14. The senior grants accountant will review reimbursement requests and fiscal documents prior to their being submitted to the funding agency.

15. Working with the senior grants accountant, the director of grants management will provide evaluation reports to appropriate college leadership regarding the status of all current, active grant projects as requested.

16. The director of grants management will be responsible for coordinating the submission of all required fiscal, evaluation, and follow-up reports to the funding agency.

Other Information:

JSRCC Grant Funding Inquiry Form

JSRCC Grant Start Up Form