----

##  Grants Management at Community Colleges. ERIC Digest.                        

INTRODUCTION
Less than 6.5 percent of the revenue at public                    associate-degree-granting institutions comes from                               federal (non-tuition) and private sources (U.S. Department of                   Education, 1998). As local and state public financial support has               become more tenuous at community colleges, obtaining other means of             support is necessary to start, maintain, and expand                             programs (Reeve & Ballard, 1993). This Digest summarizes the basic              principles of grants funding development at community colleges.                 Information provided is based on the author's experience as a grant             writer at a community college and as the editor of a grants                     information newsletter, as well as the opinions of experts about                grants development. GENERAL TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE GRANTS                         ADMINISTRATIONSuccessful grants development requires more than              writing grants. Below are some tips that might help a community                 college develop its grants administration function. 
* The first               step in grants funding development is to review the institution's               mission, goals, and objectives. One person who understands                      institutional and programmatic goals and is able to identify                    appropriate grant resources should be designated to coordinate                  grants (Matsoukas, 1996). 
* The grants coordinator should not                 administer all grant programs nor write every grant proposal.                   Rather, the grants coordinator role should be to seek funding                   opportunities that match institutional objectives, inform program               leaders about grant opportunities, guide grant seekers in following             proposal guidelines, review and edit document proposals, ensure the             ethical treatment of human and other subjects in research and other             projects, and help implement necessary processes for appropriate                management of granted funds. 
* A qualified administrator with                 accounting, reporting, and negotiation skills should manage granted             funds (Hale, 1994). 
* Grants development explicitly "written into"            job descriptions implies the institution values these                           activities (Snyder, 1993; Miner, Miner, & Griffith, 1998). Without              explicit validation, grants development becomes "extra" work. 
*               Grants development functions should be closely aligned with other               development functions such as those that seek monies from individual            donors (Matsoukas, 1996). These efforts should be                               complementary (Rowh, 1987.) 
* U.S. Census and similar data,                   college catalogs, institutional planning documents, and grantor                 lists should be housed together for easy access. Ideally, this space            would also have the necessary tools for tracking funding                        opportunities and writing proposals -- an on-line computer with                 spreadsheet, word processing, and searching                                     capabilities. EVALUATION OF GRANT GUIDELINESGuidelines, and               requests for proposals (RFPs), applications (RFAs), quotes (RFQs),              or information (RFIs) can often be downloaded from the Internet or              may be requested from the grant program manager of the funding                  organization. From guidelines and requests, the following                       information should be carefully examined to evaluate the                        appropriateness of the grant and program before deciding to submit              an application. 
Eligibility indicates types of organizations or               individuals that can apply for funds. The grantor's funding                     priorities and the ideas expressed in the grant application should              match. While a perfect match may not exist initially, aligning the              project's purpose with that of the grantor may simply be a matter of            thinking creatively to reach institutional goals. 
Information                 about grant award amounts helps college leaders decide which                    opportunities to seek. The costs of developing a grant proposal can             be quite high, so the net gain of the potential award amount should             be assessed in terms of institutional resources available to prepare            and fulfill a competitive application. Application processes vary.              Some grantors require a letter of inquiry or intent prior to                    submission of a full proposal. Others discourage contact between the            grantor administrator and potential grantee. 
Questions that need              to be answered prior to submitting an application include issues of             the fit between the college's and the grantor's priorities,                     institutional capacity for matching funds and providing facilities              and other resources for implementing and sustaining a grant funded              program, and opportunity costs. 
For efficiency, information about             grants should be organized in a database, spreadsheet, or "tickler"             file for easy tracking by grant seekers. Information should be                  easily accessed by anyone within the college to encourage creative              collaborations. Many community colleges grants coordinators use Web             sites to disseminate information about grant opportunities. For                 examples, see the following Web sites: 
*                                      http://www.lanecc.edu/instadv/grants.htm 
*                                    http://www.Sinclair.edu/departments/grants/index.html 
*                       http://uni.edu/advance/grantinfo/index.html. SOURCES OF                       GRANTSPublic grantors include federal, state, and local                     governments. Private funding organizations include foundations,                 corporations, businesses, civic groups, associations, and                       individuals (Dodson-Pennington, 1995). Internet sites, directories,             and specific topic guides are all places to find grant fund                     resources. 
Public Grant Sources 
The Internet is the easiest                 vehicle to find federal funding opportunities. The Catalog for                  Domestic Assistance (http://www.cfda.gov) allows key word searches.             The FirstGov Internet portal site (http://www.FirstGov.gov) will                take searchers to specific agency Web sites that provide program                descriptions, application guidelines, and contact information.                  Community colleges are in a prime position to seek federal funds                since many appropriations are geared to help disadvantaged                      populations. The Department of Education is the most logical place              to start searching for funds to serve the community college mission.            Other federally legislated appropriations for grants available to               community colleges include funds from the Departments of Commerce,              Labor, and Health and Human Services and the National Science                   Foundation. 
State level departments administer funds from federal             programs and programs appropriated through the state legislature. An            understanding of the state agency's grant administration processes              is necessary to monitor grant opportunities at the state                        level. 
Private Grant Sources 
Information about private grant                opportunities is provided by foundation guidelines, annual reports,             and from Internal Revenue Service 990 forms -- documents that                   provide information about a private foundation's priorities,                    guidelines, and past grantees. 
The Foundation Center is a rich                source of private and corporate funding and information about grants            to individuals -- from awards to scholarships and research.                     Foundation Center information can be accessed via the                           Internet (http://fdncenter.org) and in the Directories it publishes             yearly. Public libraries house Foundation Center                                Directories. 
Corporate and trade association information is                   offered in Dun and Bradstreet/Gale Industry Reference Handbooks by              McConnell and Hall (1999). Association information about industries             and other related areas is found in the Encyclopedia of                         Associations: Regional, State, and Local Organizations edited by                Phillips (1999). Listings of local civic groups are available                   through Chambers of Commerce and organizations such as the United               Way. 
Grant Resource Guides 
Resource guides may be free but are              often expensive. Free guides about specific topic areas may be                  offered as part of membership in a professional association or                  through the Government Print Office (http://www.gpo.gov). The                   Council for Resource Development of the American Association of                 Community Colleges (http://www.ppcc.cccoes.edu/crd/) is an excellent            resource for community college grant seekers. Education Funding News            is a guide offered through subscription by the Thompson Publishing              Group (http://www.thompson.com). Several ERIC documents provide                 guides to resources. For examples, see The Vocational Education                 Resource Package (ED 357 798) from the Evaluation and Training                  Institute (1993); and Activities in Support of Two-Year College                 Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Education (ED 395             637) by the National Science Foundation (1996). PROPOSAL                      WRITINGEffective "grantspenship," like other forms of writing,              takes practice. Common elements of proposals include the following:             Proposal letter; Introduction; Statement of the problem and need;               Objectives; Methods or Plan of operation; Project management;                   Evaluation; Dissemination; Budget(s); Appendixes; and                           Abstract. 
There are many resources to consult for                             improving "grantspenship." Bauer (1999) has written four editions of            a grants manual. Miner, Miner, & Griffith (1998) offer examples of              good proposals. Reeve & Ballard (1993) write about proposal                     development for community college faculty. The Foundation Center                offers an on-line proposal- writing course (http://fdncenter.org).              The Council for Resource Development of the American Association of             Community College provides an array of professional development                 opportunities for grant seekers. CONCLUSIONExtensive                      opportunities exist for generating revenue through grants                       development at community colleges. To take better advantage of the              opportunities, an understanding of effective grants development                 practices, increased familiarity with funding sources, and greater              knowledge of available resources is beneficial to community college             personnel. REFERENCESBauer, D. G. (1999). The "How to" grants             manual: Successful grant seeking techniques for obtaining public and            private grants (4th ed.). Phoenix, AZ: The American Council on                  Education and The Oryx Press. 
Dodson-Pennington, L. S. (1995).                Grants across campus: Grant-writing basics. Arkansas City, KS:                  Cowley County Community College. (ED 388 369) 
Hale, C. (1994,                 June). Grants management handbook. Tempe, AZ: Maricopa County                   Community College District. (ED 381 182) 
Matsoukas, G. E. (1996,              May-June). Relationship of community college internal organizational            structure to effective grantsmanship. Community College Journal of              Research & Practice, 20(3), 277-288. (EJ 523 309) 
Miner, L. E.,               Miner, J. T., & Griffith, J. (1998). Proposal planning and                      writing (2nd ed.). Phoenix, AX: Oryx Press. 
Reeve, E. M., &                   Ballard, D. V. (1993). A faculty guide to writing grant proposals.              Community College Journal, 63(4), 28-31. 
Rowh, M. (1987).                     Leadership for the development function in the two-year college.                Greenville, SC: Greenville Technical College. (ED 278 459) 
Snyder,            T. (1993). Maximizing your grants development: A guide for CEOs.                Foundation Development Abstracts, 3(3). (ED 407 047) 
U.S.                     Department of Education. (1998). Digest of Education Statistics,                1998. Washington, DC: National Center for Education                             Statistics. 
----- 
This project has been funded at least in part             with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education under                  contract number ED-99-CO-0010. The content of this publication does             not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department            of Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial products,              or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. ERIC                 Digests are in the public domain and may be freely reproduced.               **Title:** Grants Management at Community Colleges. ERIC Digest.                        **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** ERIC Clearinghouse for Community Colleges, University of California             at Los Angeles, 3051 Moore Hall, P.O. Box 951521, Los Angeles, CA               90095-1524. Tel: 310-825-3931. For full text:                                   http:///www.gseis.ucla.edu/ERIC/eric.html.                                   **Descriptors:**  Community Colleges,  Educational Finance,  Financial Support,                   Grants, Program Administration, Two Year Colleges                           **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests                                                                 
###
[Return to ERIC Digest Search Page]