Grants Office

A grant is a great way to fund a special project or idea. You can receive small to generous amounts of money, and this is an opportunity to be creative and try new things ‘outside of the box’ to further the goals of your academic program or area. Sometimes grants can allow for new and exciting changes that would not have been possible without the funding they provide. Receiving a grant can be a positive and rewarding experience.

Much like snowflakes, grants are unique. Each grant opportunity has its own goals, subject area(s), budget minimums and maximums, applicant eligibility criteria, funder streams, application process, forms and other related details.

The below information provides an overview of the grant process at Lake Land College. It gives a summary of the services provided by the Grants Office as well as direction for finding and applying for grants. We are here to support all of your grant endeavors.

Grant Office Annual Reports

FY2024 Annual Report

Guidelines for Submitting Grants

I am curious, what services does the Grants Office provide for the grant process?

The Grants Office provides the following services for grant development:

• Provides information on potential funding agencies and specific grant programs
• Assists faculty and staff in transforming an idea into a complete grant proposal
• Coordinates the planning process for the development of the grant proposal
• Convenes the appropriate group of people across campus to develop and write grant proposals
• Writes the grant proposal and develops the grant budget in collaboration with the grant project leader
• For renewing funding at the end of a grant cycle, provide assistance with updating and reviewing the proposal, budget, and forms. However, there may be instances where the Grants Office will need to be the lead grant writer if so required by the grant program. Please see the “I am renewing a grant that Lake Land College has had for a number of years. My office is responsible for putting together the proposal and budget, but I would like to have it reviewed prior to submission section” for further details.
• Ensures proposal aligns with grant criteria
• Provides statistical data and other information about the College and in-district community in order to support grant proposal ideas
• Reviews and edits content submitted by content experts
• Coordinates the final packaging of the grant, including completing and receiving signatures of related forms and submits the final proposal to the funding agency
• Serves as a resource for grant proposal questions for the campus community

The Grants Office also provides the following post-grant support:

• Processes grant award documents
• Reviews grant agreements for general compliance and oversight
• Assists with interpreting funding requirements and other regulations for granting agencies and works to coordinate related College processes
• Serves as a resource for Grant Project Leader on allowable expenses during project implementation
• Facilitates the preparation and submission of reports and documentation required by grant funding agency
• Assists with implementation of College policies and procedures as they affect the administration of grant projects

I have an idea, but no grant – I need a grant to fund a project

Do you have a great idea, but no idea about how to get funding to support your initiative? Who do you call? GRANT BUSTERS! Yes, that is right, just contact the grants office at Lake Land via email at bcraig2@lakelandcollege.edu or phone 217-234-5405. Share your idea and provide a description of the project and the Grants Office will begin looking for funding sources. Once potential possibilities are found, we will contact you and the exciting process of proposal development can begin!

If found a grant. We fit the criteria and we should apply for it. How do I proceed?

You may find a grant on your own for which the College should apply because it 1) aligns with the College’s strategic plan and/or 2) meets the needs of the project you have in mind. What is your first step? Contact GRANT BUSTERS! Yes, you can experience the exciting prospect of working with the Grants Office on developing a proposal for submission. DON’T overlook sharing the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) with the Grants Office. Print the NOFO or preferably, email it to yourself so you have the information to share with the Grants Office.

In the event that two groups on campus want to apply for the same grant proposal, and only one grant proposal is allowed per applicant agency, the Grants Office will work with the first group that inquires about the notice of funding to prepare and submit a proposal.

You’ve got your idea and funding source – what comes next?

Once a grant opportunity has been identified, schedule a meeting with the Grants Office to talk through the details of the grant. Details could include but are not limited to

• Grant funding agency
• Amount of grant funding available
• Project summary
• Project need and objectives
• Project length (i.e. 6 months, 2 years, etc.)
• Project timeline (i.e., tasks to accomplish in year 1, year 2, etc.)
• Budget considerations:
  o Hiring of additional staff
  o Paying current employees through the grant
  o Equipment needs
  o Supply needs
  o Travel needs
  o Training needs
  o Other/miscellaneous needs
  o In-kind or matching funds requirement
  o Indirect costs

Once these details have been talked through, the Grants Office will prepare and electronically sign a Grant Notification Form that contains the details of the grant. You, the Grant Project Leader, will electronically sign and date the form. The form will then go to your supervisor to sign and then to the appropriate Vice President for signature. Once all signatures are completed, the form will be electronically filed on the College S drive in the Grants folder.

If grant funds are requested for employee pay, Human Resources (HR) will need to be consulted prior to grant submission in order to determine appropriate pay ranges to be included in the grant budget. If a new position to the College is developed for the grant, HR will need to be notified to help estimate what level the new position will fall into, which in turn impacts pay. The following folder may be helpful in determining salary information: S:\Human Resources\Salary Information.

Based on the grant details provided, the Grants Office will create the grant narrative and grant budget and send them to you for review and revisions. You may need to provide assistance with the proposal development by identifying and providing pertinent information such as historical information, goals and objectives, activities, expert information, resumes, bio-sketches or other items in the grant writing process.

Once all revisions are complete and you approve the revisions, the Grants Office will submit the grant narrative, grant budget and related paperwork to the grant agency for review and possible funding.

The grant narrative: What am I doing and why am I doing it?

Each grant application is different and has unique criteria but some common sections in the grant narrative may include the following:

Statement of Need = the underlying problem, issue or project within your academic department or within the College that the grant application will address

Project Goals and Objectives = a description of what the College hopes to accomplish with the project you are proposing and the specific outcomes you plan to accomplish

Methodology = clearly outline how you will use the grant funds to accomplish the project objectives
(i.e., what are we doing and how are we going to do it)

Metrics and Evaluation = how will you measure the efforts of the project and what evaluation approaches will be used to determine the success of the project

Logic Model = a visual representation that shows the resources and inputs needed to implement a grant project

Timeline = a detailed list of all grant events and the dates when the events will occur

Sustainability Plan = a detailed plan explaining how you will sustain the grant activities, strategies, grant staff, etc. and how you will continue to implement successful strategies/activities after grant funding has ended

The grant budget: how much do I want? How much do I need? How much can I really get?

Each grant budget is very different. Different funding sources (i.e., ICCB, IBHE, federal government, etc.) have different budget categories, and some funding agencies have specific spending stipulations. However, there are some common budget categories like the ones listed below.

Staff salaries = funds to pay part time or full time staff who will be employed in order to fulfill grant requirements

Fringe benefits = non-wage compensation that includes State Universities Retirement System (SURS) for part time or full time staff as well as healthcare benefits for full time staff

Equipment = any item that costs $5,000 or more to purchase or can be used for more than one year (e.g., robotic arm, simulation dummies, wheelchair, storage carts, etc.)

Travel = hotel accommodations, airline tickets, airport transfers, mileage and any other accommodations for conference travels; this category can also encompass travel for general grant activities

Supplies = items to purchase in order to complete the grant, as well as marketing materials; most purchases for a grant are listed in the supplies category

Training and Education = educational opportunities needed in order to successfully facilitate a grant

Miscellaneous/Other = a category that encompasses stipends for faculty, staff, businesses, etc. who play a role in the grant project

Direct costs = the cost categories listed above, which directly benefit the grant project

Indirect costs = costs that are related to the costs of using College facilities and administrative support for the grant that cannot be claimed as direct costs; an example of this would be Accounting department costs; the College has an indirect rate of 40% of salaries and fringes only, but some funding agencies limit the indirect costs they are willing to provide for a grant

Totals = the total amount of funding needed to complete the grant project; the totals incorporate all of the items listed above

Budget Justification = detailed explanation of the purpose of each budget line item. This may or may not be required depending on the funding agency.

Prior to submitting the grant application to the funding agency, a meeting with the Accounting group will be held to go through the budget and make sure all items are accounted for and are in compliance with College guidelines.

What are some budget considerations to think about if my grant is funded?

Different funding agencies have different fiscal years. So your grant may start at the beginning of the calendar year on January 1 and go through December 31, while the College’s fiscal year starts on July 1 and ends on June 30 of the next year. This can be confusing, since your grant could be running over two fiscal years (6 months in one fiscal year and 6 months in the next fiscal year). You will want to make note of this information so that you can be sure to spend funds and complete your grant project within the funding agency fiscal year. This will likely require collaboration with the College Accounting group.

In-kind contributions? Matching funds!? What are these and how do I get them?

Sometimes, funding agencies require a demonstration of the College’s financial commitment to a project, or the commitment of other funding sources or project partners. This is done by sharing the total project costs through in kind or matching contributions. In kind contributions are non-monetary contributions and are typically a contribution of a good or service other than money. Examples of in kind contributions are staff time and labor, use of facilities/office space, computers, etc. In order to include in kind contributions for a grant, you would place a fair market value on the staff time, rental of facilities, etc. so that costs could be captured and included in the grant budget.

Matching funds require that you match grant funds with College funds. So if the College applies for a $50,000 grant with a matching funds component, the funding agency will require the College to provide a certain amount in matching funds. This may be a dollar-to-dollar match or a percentage to dollar amount (i.e., 25% or 50% of the budget). For matching funds, you will want to be sure the funds are available. This may require a discussion with College administration (i.e., Vice President, President, and/or Vice President of Business Services) to be sure the funds are available, should the grant be awarded.

I am renewing a grant that Lake Land College has had for a number of years. My office is responsible for putting together the proposal and budget, but I would like to have it reviewed prior to submission.

If you would like the Grants Office to review your grant application you have written, we would be happy to do so. Please do the following to ensure timely service on this request:

1) Email the Grants Office a ‘heads up’ of the grant’s renewal due date as soon as you receive the notice (email bcraig2@lakelandcollege.edu).

2) Please email us the NOFO and the grant renewal application materials to
bcraig2@lakelandcollege.edu at least 7 days in advance of the grant due date. Please include the grant deadline date in the subject line of the email. This will give us the necessary time to read the NOFO, read the grant application, and provide feedback to you for revisions so you will not miss the grant deadline.

Woo-hoo! I received a grant! Help – now what do I do!?

When a grant is awarded, the College receives an email (or in some cases a letter via U.S. mail), from the granting agency. This communication is referred to as the notice of award, letting you know that you have been awarded a grant. Be sure to forward the notice of award you receive to the Grants Office.

Congratulations! Take a moment to feel pride in this accomplishment. You have worked hard to put together a grant proposal, and a funding agency likes your idea and wants to fund the project. This is a big accomplishment! This is also an important responsibility.

The Grants Office will write a Memo to the Board of Trustees asking them to accept the grant on behalf of the College. The Memo will be presented at the next upcoming Board of Trustees meeting and will likely be approved by the Board. Once the grant is approved, you are now ready to begin implementation of the project. Work with the Grants Office to schedule a meeting with all key stakeholders in the project so everyone is in the loop on the grant activities and timeline.

There’s a purchase I need to make with grant funds. How does this work?

In certain cases, additional approvals may be needed besides just the Memo to the Board of Trustees approving the grant as a whole. If you are purchasing equipment or contractual/consultation services with grant money from an external source, you may need specific approvals from the Board of Trustees. This is a separate process from getting the actual grant approved by the Board of Trustees. This step will require an additional Memo with supporting documentation to be submitted to the Board. The Grants Office will help you with this process. Prior to making any type of purchase or signing a contract, contact the Grants Office.

If there is a grant expense that needs to be paid, under no circumstances should you pay for the expense from your own personal funds. Doing this will likely result in grant violations and Board of Trustees violations – both of which are serious offenses and could result in losing your current grant as well as the ability to apply for future grants. Instead, use grant funds to pay for the approved expense and be sure to follow all College policies. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask the Grants Office.

Reporting: how do I go about creating and submitting reports?

Most funding agencies require quarterly and/or annual narrative reports and financial reports. Typically both of these reports will be due at the same time. The deadlines for reports will be contained in the grant paperwork received from the granting agency. The narrative report will ask you to provide status updates on the progress of each grant activity, objectives and milestones. The financial report will list the money that has been spent as well as what money is currently left to spend. Most funding agencies have their own reporting templates. Krista Pickering in the Accounting office will complete the financial reports for the grant and will forward them to you and to the Grants Office to review. The Grants Office will send you reminders that report deadlines are approaching, and will also submit the reports to the funding agencies once the reports are complete.

What happens if I can’t spend all of the grant money we’ve been awarded?

Even when you try your best to spend all of the grant money the College has been awarded, sometimes this is not possible. Delays in funding, delays in the ability to hire staff, or unforeseen circumstances can cause issues that delay implementation of project work and the expenditure of project funds. When this happens-one of three things can occur:

1. All remaining funds must be returned to the grant agency along with an explanation of why the funds were not spent. If you do not spend all of the funds, there is the possibility that you will not receive any additional funding from that specific funding agency again. Granting agencies are happy to provide grant funds, but they also want you to spend the funds and complete the project you proposed in the grant application.
2. Sometimes you can request a no cost extension from the granting agency. If approved, this means you can continue spending the money you have been unable to spend by continuing your project until all money is spent. However, you will not get additional money, and you will need to provide an explanation of why funding was not spent in a timely manner. Sometimes the agency will provide a specified time within which the remaining money should be spent.
3. Sometimes you can request and submit a budget modification for approval to funding agency. This involves moving money around into different categories in order to spend it. For example, maybe you can buy a piece of equipment for your program with some of the excess money you have not spent.

I received a grant and I need to hire staff to administer the grant. How do I proceed?

If you haven’t already, you’ll need to create a job description for the staff position(s) you want to hire. Once this is complete, you’ll submit this to Human Resources (HR). HR will look over the job description, provide an audit of work responsibilities and assign a numerical level to the position which will correspond to a pay level. Once this is complete, HR will post your job description on their web site, and collect candidate paperwork for the position(s). In the meantime, create a hiring committee to review resumes and to participate in the interview process. After the application deadline has passed, HR will notify you that the candidate paperwork is ready for the hiring committee. You will convene your hiring committee to review applications and decide which candidates to call for interviews. You will also create an interview guide that lists interview questions you will ask each candidate. Schedule interviews that correspond to your hiring committee availability. Once interviews are complete, confer with your hiring committee for top selections. Confer with HR on your final candidate and call to offer them the position.

One important item to note – if the position is part-time, no Board of Trustees approval is required prior to the candidate starting the position. If the position is full-time, Board of Trustees approval is required prior to the candidate starting the position.

What are the roles and responsibilities of campus personnel and departments involved in grant coordination?

Grant Project Leader/Principal Investigator/Project Manager

• Participate and may oversee hiring of grant staff
• May oversee/supervise grant staff
• Make purchases with grant funds, making sure that purchases adhere to College policies and procedures and to federal, state or grant funding agency requests
• Manage the grant budget
• Manage/oversee grant activities
• Complete Time & Effort reports
• Monitor grant work and deadlines and ensure that all parts of the grant project are implemented
• Manage/oversee data collection
• Meet funder reporting requirements by writing monthly, quarterly and/or annual grant reports
• Review and/or approve grant documentation, reports, etc.

Accounting

• Provides financial reporting and financial record maintenance
• Prepares monthly, quarterly and annual financial reports
• Provides cash management support, including preparation of reimbursement requests and draw down of funds
• Ensures that grant funds are expended in compliance with grant funding agency regulations and requirements

Human Resources

• Posts grant funded staff positions on Human Resources web site
• Provides an audit of work responsibilities for staff positions
• Assists in providing candidate resumes and associated paperwork for hiring committee of grant funded positions
• Collects information from candidate references
• Collects required paperwork for hiring new staff
• Assists with making employment offers and salary decisions

I just found a grant to apply for, and it is due quickly. What do I do?

Sometimes, there are grants that pop up with very little time to complete. These grants may be important for a specific project or activity you would like to pursue. Here are some items to note that might impact the Grants Office ability to turn around a grant proposal quickly:

• Competing deadlines for other grant proposals already on the schedule
• How involved is the grant? What are the requirements the grant must include?
• Do you already have an idea or plan for the grant?
• Do you already have the data and other information required for the grant?
• How much is the grant worth?

If the grant has a quick turnaround time, all of these factors will be considered by the Grants Office. Due to one or more of these factors, the Grants Office may not be able to accommodate a short notice to write a grant proposal.

What are some helpful tips to ensure the success of a grant project?

• Create a grant folder on your computer that contains all pertinent grant details
• Keep your own log and notes with grant information so that you are prepared if you receive grant questions from college auditors, grant auditors or others
• Monitor your grant budgets monthly to ensure you are spending funds in a timely and appropriate manner and that all funds are spent by the end of the grant period
• Monitor grant activities and timelines to ensure that the project is progressing in a timely manner
• When issues arise, address them as efficiently and effectively as possible
• If you don’t know the answer, then ask someone for assistance
• Provide timely responses to campus departments who are helping to coordinate the grant, which allows them to complete their work for the grant
• Complete required reports and requests from granting agencies and submit them by their deadlines. This ensures the College is eligible for future grant opportunities
• Be a Chief Cheerleader for grants. If others are interested in applying for grants, serve as a resource to them by answering questions about your experiences and providing helpful information to them
• Spend all grant funds efficiently and follow all regulations on grant spending; reference the section above regarding grant spending
• If you have questions, reach out to the Grants Office. We are here to help you succeed in receiving grants and administering them successfully