The role of the Lake Land College Grant Office is to assure Lake Land’s growth, viability, and competitive advantage. We build an annual grant development agenda to seek and obtain funding support aligned with the mission of the College and are available for collaboration with faculty and staff seeking new funding opportunities.
Lake Land College Grant Funding Initiative Request
Illinois Emergency Management Agency
Randy Ervin, Chief of Police
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) has selected Lake Land College to receive a grant in the amount of $194,200 under the 2014 Illinois School and Campus Safety Grant Program. According to the press release issued by Governor Quinn’s office, “…grant awards totaling $25 million [will] enhance security at 448 public elementary and secondary school districts, community colleges and state universities in Illinois. The grants will support 1,312 projects, including reinforced doors, shatter-resistant glass, physical locks and other security measures that will enhance safety for students, staff and visitors.” A full listing of grant award recipients is available on the Illinois.gov website. Funds will be used to purchase and install a network-based video surveillance system in the common areas of each of the main campus’s 13 educational buildings. LLC’s Police Department investigates all reports of criminal activity and takes appropriate action based on the level of evidence obtained, but in most instances, the level of evidence available to identify suspects is insufficient. With the exception of regular police patrol, entrances to the campus and campus buildings are not regularly monitored by staff or by video security system. This system will allow the LLC Police Department to document video evidence of criminal activities for the purposes of enhancing investigations, verifying or increasing possible suspect leads, improving overall campus security, and reducing the vulnerability of the student population at LLC as a result.
Illinois Community College Faculty Association
Joe Tillman, Renewable Energy Instructor/Coordinator
This research project will develop a small experimental floating hydroponic garden designed to draw nutrients from the upper level of pond water to grow useful and/or edible plants. By placing the aqua-garden in the College’s larger western pond, Mr. Tillman and his students will test how well it competes with blooming algae and affects water quality. The widespread use of agricultural chemicals in rainwater runoff contributes to algae growth in many Midwestern lakes and ponds, and the resulting algae blooms greatly reduce the water oxygen levels causing various ecological damage. This project is part of a larger research project about improving water quality through aquaculture, rather than relying on harsh chemical treatments that require significant amounts of energy to produce.
Contact the Grant Office for assistance. Emily Ramage, Director of Grants Development, can help you find opportunities that align with your idea.
Contact the Grant Office for assistance. Emily will help you as much as possible with the application/proposal and submission, depending on other projects in the works. Regardless, you’ll receive help in some form.
The Grant Office not only assists with proposal writing, submission, and management, but also serves as a central repository for all Lake Land College and Lake Land College Foundation competitive grant activities.
By skipping a critical step in the proposal process, you might inadvertently target a funder who already supports another project at the College, or you might unknowingly commit the College to obligations that can’t be fulfilled for reasons you weren’t aware of.
The President and the College Treasurer are the only two people authorized to sign and certify on behalf of Lake Land College. Since grant agreements are legally binding contracts, you don’t want to assume those financial responsibilities by signing your name on the dotted line unless you have some personal liability insurance.
Competitive grant proposals are rarely developed overnight, and mistakes are easily made when you’re rushed to throw something together at the last minute. Contact Emily ASAP to find out about your options. If you needed the funding yesterday, then a grant is probably not the best solution for your needs. Grants take time, but they’re usually worth the wait!
A grant is a grant, despite the size. Remember, it’s a legal contract between Lake Land College and the funder, which is why the Grant Office needs to be involved. Each college employee can’t be expected to know everything about grant management and auditing requirements, and Emily works with Accounting and Human Resources to make sure that the grant project’s objectives and activities follow acceptable standard practices. Sometimes, the smaller grant awards come with many more strings attached! Contact the Grant Office for assistance.
Even though the proposal is already out the door, please contact Emily with copies of what you submitted along with the information on the grant opportunity. She won’t bite your head off for breaching protocol, because she’s generally quite agreeable and has no motives to steal your thunder for the hard work you’ve already done. Her role is simply to ensure that Lake Land College and the Lake Land College Foundation submit consistent, competitive proposals that align with the mission of the College and follow acceptable standard practices. It’s all about the checks and balances in the best interests of everyone involved.
The links below are meant to assist in finding grant opportunities available through the federal government. Included is an extensive set of links to most of the sources of funding mentioned in the Council for Resource Development Federal Funding to Two-Year Colleges Report.
The Federal Trade Commission works to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint or get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters consumer complaints into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online database and investigative tool used by hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The Better Business Bureau offers these tips and suggestions to protect yourself from grant fraud:
(1). ALL GOVERNMENT GRANTS REQUIRE AN APPLICATION PROCESS. If you have not submitted an application for a government grant and someone claims you have been awarded one, it’s a scam. Grant money is not given over the phone for a fee. In order to qualify for a grant you must apply for the specific opportunity that you are qualified to apply for.
(2). GOVERNMENT GRANT APPLICATIONS AND INFORMATION IS FREE. Be cautious of offers that ask for your personal information (especially financial) when requesting a fee to access grant information. You can always access free information about government grants and other benefits at Grants.gov and Govbenefits.gov. as an additional resource.
(3). GOVERNMENT GRANTS ARE AWARDED FOR EXPLICIT OPPORTUNITIES. Government Grants are typically awarded to states, cities, educational institutions, nonprofits and other organizations to fund research and other projects.
(4). THERE ARE NO FEES ASSOCIATED WITH APPLYING FOR A GOVERNMENT GRANT. Providing financial information to prove that you qualify for a government grant is typical, but you should never pay money to apply for a grant. People who run scams often claim to provide help and sometimes claim to be “federal government” officials, don’t be fooled by these scams that request money from you.
(5). YOU WILL NOT BE CONTACTED BY THE GOVERNMENT TO OFFER YOU A GRANT. The government does not contact people to offer them money. If you do qualify for a government grant, the government does not request payment for it.
The National Procurement Fraud Task Force developed Grant Fraud, a document that provides tips to protect your organization and the source of your federal funds by helping to detect and prevent fraud. Click here to view the Grant Fraud document.