Office of Research & Grants

Grants

 

This page provides information about grants at Porterville College.  Below, you will find important grant-related documents and an FAQ that will help you understand the grant process at Porterville College.  Any questions can be directed to the Director of Research and Grants, Michael Carley at (559) 791-2275, mcarley@portervillecollege.edu.

Or, you may contact any member of the Porterville College Grant Oversight Subcommittee:

Michael Carley (faculty), chair

Donna Berry, (administration)

Bill Henry (administration)

Open position (faculty)

Vicky Trueblood (faculty)

Sarah Phinney (classified)

 

Grant Documents

Grant Proposal Form    This document must be filled out for all grants the College is considering and will be reviewed by the Grant Oversight Subcommittee prior to someone writing a proposal.

Grant Signature Form    The signature form must be filled out prior to a grant proposal being submitted.  Each person who signs the form should keep a copy of the grant provided to them and it should not change significantly after those copies are provided.

Grant Approval Routing Sheet (district intranet document)    This is a district form which is to be filled out before a grant proposal is submitted.  It also requires some signatures including from the district Assistant Chancellor for Administrative Services

Board Action Request  When a grant is awarded to the college, the project director should fill out a board action request so that the KCCD board can officially approve the grant.  A grant will not receive a fund number or be able to spend any of its funds until this form is completed and the board has approved the grant.

Grant Priorities list    This document shows a list of funding priorities for the College.  This list was finalized in spring 2007 by the College Learning Council.  As the college seeks grants, we keep these priorities in mind.  This list will be updated periodically.

Current Grants list.  This document lists grants that are currently active at Porterville College.

 

Grants FAQ

How does the grant process work at Porterville College? 

I'm thinking of applying for a grant.  What things should I keep in mind?

I see a need at the college and I think we should pursue a grant to fill it.  What do I do?

I've heard of a grant opportunity that I think we should pursue.  What do I do?

I'm applying for a grant and I need some information for the application.  Where do I get it?

I've applied for a grant and I just heard that our application was rejected.  What do I do now?

I've applied for a grant and I just heard that our application will be funded.  What do I do now?

I have a grant for my reporting, I need information about the college, its students, or something else that I don't have.  Where do I go for this information?

 

How does the grant process work at Porterville College?

The Grant Oversight Subcommittee (which reports to the College Learning Council) has the responsibility of prioritizing needs of the college for which we will seek grant funding and recommending to the CLC which grants we should pursue.  In most cases, the grant ideas will be discussed at a CLC meeting before the application is submitted.  In rare cases, when a deadline is imminent, the Subcommittee may approve an application and bring the topic to CLC later.  The college will still have the opportunity to reject the grant if awarded.  The Subcommittee also monitors grants the college has been awarded to ensure we are in compliance with reporting and other requirements. 

Anyone can write a grant, provided they understand the process required by the granting agency.  However, no one should write a grant proposal without discussing it with the Grant Oversight Subcommittee.  The Director of Research & Grants may also be able to help with the grant writing process.

The Grant Oversight Subcommittee is charged with ensuring that grants comply with college procedures, serve an identified college need, have been reviewed by the appropriate people, and will not place an inappropriate long-term burden on college finances.  To this end, we have instituted procedures and forms that if followed, should make sure that each grant we apply for is in compliance and that the grant goes as smoothly as possible.  To make this work, please make sure you read and understand this information as early as possible in the process. 

As you apply for grants,  there are three forms you will need to fill out.  A link to each of these is provided above.

• When you are first considering applying for a grant, you need to fill out the "grant proposal form" linked above.  This form asks you to include several things usually found in the request for applications/proposals.  These will help you identify what you need to do when completing the proposal and will help the grant oversight committee determine whether a grant is appropriate for the college.  This form should be completed and provided to the committee before spending serious time working on a proposal.  Note that also before working on any grant, you need to have approval from the dean (where appropriate) and Vice President in your area.
• When a proposal is complete, there are two other forms to be completed.  First among these, to ensure that all of the appropriate people have reviewed the proposal, you must get the required signatures on the "grant signature form", also linked above.  Each person signing this form should also keep a copy of the grant proposal.  The proposal should not significantly change after those signatures have been obtained.  Here is a list of those who must sign and a brief description of what they'll be looking for:

ü  Grant Initiator:  This is usually the person writing a grant and this person may be the project director when it is completed. 

ü  Dean:  The area dean must sign the form to ensure that she or he has reviewed the proposal and is on board with the activities included.

ü  Vice President:  The area vice president (either of academic affairs or student services) must sign the form to ensure that she or he has reviewed the proposal and is on board with the activities included.

ü  Director of Administrative Services:  The administrative services director reviews the budget of each grant proposal to make sure it is appropriate to the tasks included and realistic.

ü  Human Resources Manager:  The HR manager reviews the personnel listed in any grant proposal so that the individuals and activities listed comply with district HR policies.  (Position titles may reflect grant funding agency terminology rather than district job titles).

ü  Research & Grants Director Signature:  The research and grants director reviews each proposal to ensure that the objectives are measurable and realistic.  The research director also reviews the evaluation plan of each proposal.

• The last form to complete, also when a proposal is finished, is the district “grant approval routing sheet”.  This form contains some information required by the district office and also includes some necessary signatures. 
• Be sure to include enough time before your proposal is due to get all of these forms completed and the signatures obtained.

I'm thinking of applying for a grant.  What things should I keep in mind?

Here's a quick list of questions to ask when applying for grants:

• What will be the benefit to Porterville College and its students?

• Will the grant start a new program?  If so, it is a program that is in demand in the Porterville area?

• What are the long-term obligations required by the grant?  Do we have to commit to doing certain things, such as keeping a program in place or employees?  If the grant requires a commitment beyond the period of the grant, is the college willing to make that commitment?

• Does the grant require a funding match by the college?  If so, how will we meet that requirement?

• Who will be the lead person (usually called the Project Director) of the grant if it is funded?  Will it be a current college employee or will we need to hire a new position?  If it is a current employee, does that person have the required skills and is she or he interested in taking on this role?  If we will need to hire a new position, will we be required to keep that employee after the grant period is over?

• What information do we need for the grant application or proposal? 

• What are the reporting and evaluation requirements of the grant?  Do we need to keep track of certain things and if so, who will be responsible for doing so and how will it be done?  What resources will be necessary to accomplish this reporting?  Will we be doing an internal or external evaluation? (Hint:  evaluation typically should be 5-10% of your total grant budget).

• Is there a proposal deadline, and if so, when is it?

I see a need at the college and I think we should pursue a grant to fill it.  What do I do?

The Grant Oversight Subcommittee of the College Learning Council is in charge of prioritizing ideas we will pursue for future funding.  If you have an idea you'd like us to consider, contact the chair of the committee, Michael Carley, or any of its members.  Before doing so, please check the priority list above on this page.  That will give you a sense of the ideas we are currently pursuing.  Your idea may already be on the list.

I've heard of a grant opportunity that I think the college should pursue.  What do I do?

Forward information about the grant to the Grant Oversight Subcommittee.  If you are planning to be involved, fill out the Grant Proposal Form (above).  For this form, you'll need a few things about the grant requirements, such as the matching requirements (if any), evaluation and reporting procedures, etc.  Most funding agencies include this information in their Request For Proposals (RFP) or Request For Applications (RFA).  If you have any questions, please contact the Director of Research & Grants, Michael Carley.  Lastly, if you are interested in being the lead person for the grant, let the committee know.  If not, please consider suggesting someone (with their permission).  Some very good ideas die simply because no one is interested in taking the lead.

I'm applying for a grant and I need some information about the college for the application or proposal.  Where do I get it?

A great deal of information about the college, such as demographics of students, etc are available on the Research and Grants web page.  Take a look there.  If you don't find what you need, contact the Director of Research and Grants, Michael Carley.  Please be sure to allow enough time to find the information you need (usually at least 2 weeks, preferably longer).  Last minute requests for information may not be possible to process in time.

I've applied for a grant and I just heard that our application was rejected.  What do I do now?

Less than half of grant applications are accepted for funding, so don't be too surprised.  At this point, you should do two things.  First, let the Grant Oversight Subcommittee know about the decision.  Second, if you received any information with the rejection, please review it and forward it along to the committee.  Often, reviewing reader comments may help us prepare future proposals.  Also, in some cases, a rejection isn't the final word.  We may be able to revise the proposal and resubmit at a later date.

I've applied for a grant and I just heard that our application will be funded.  What do I do now?

Congratulations, now the real work begins.  If you are the lead person on the grant (usually called the Project Director), you'll have some specific things to do.  First, inform the Grant Oversight Subcommittee about the approval.  Also, you'll need to fill out a board action request.  This is a form available on the district web site (and linked above) that provides the district with certain information about each grant.  You'll need to fill it out before you can get a budget number, so be sure to do so quickly.  Also, be sure to let us know if the funding agency has requested any changes to the proposed activities associated with the grant.  This is common and usually we can make the requested changes, but the committee and the college need to be aware of them.

I have a grant and for my evaluation, reporting, or for some other reason, I need to provide the funding agency with information about the college, its students, or something else that I don't have.  Where do I go for this information?

Just as above, you should first look at the research and grants web page for the information.  If you don't find it there, contact the Director of Research and Grants, Michael Carley.  Also, whenever writing grants, the research and grants office should be involved, so that it is aware of the reporting and evaluation requirements.  We need to write realistic goals and the data that we promise to provide should be easily available.  Working with the research and grants office from the beginning (when the proposal is written) can help make sure this happens smoothly.  Also remember that typically funding agencies expect that you will spend 5-10% of your grant budget on evaluation.  Whether that is done internally (by a college employee) or externally, you'll need to be aware of it and budget appropriately.

Also note that ALL reporting of actual financial activity on all grants must be coordinated through the KCCD Business Services Office.  This is the case regardless of who your funder is and whether they are federal, state or private.  To coordinate financial reporting, contact Christine Morales at the KCCD district office.  Other reporting, including your budgets, program issues and goal achievement, are typically the responsibility of the individual grant project director in coordination with the Director of Administrative Services.