Grants Manual

The Kilgore College Grant Writer, Fred Peters, is on staff to help KC faculty and staff identify potential funding sources, grant programs and opportunities for KC programs and activities; hone strategies for grant consideration; assist faculty and staff with the grant approval process required at KC; write and submit effective grant applications; and assist in managing the necessary reporting processes.

For any questions about grants or to request more information about grant writing assistance, e-mail Fred Peters.

Grant Approval Process:

Complete the fillable form at the Grant Funding Request Form link below, save it to your desktop as shown below and forward to your supervisor to begin the approval workflow process.

  • Please “SAVE AS” and RENAME the document as:  DATE_LAST NAME (of requestor)
  • EXAMPLE: 09212016_PETERS.pdf

Grants - Additional Information and Resources

Before You Apply

Roles and Responsibilities:

The Grant Writer can serve as the Writer and Applicant representing Kilgore College, but any grant application must include a Principal Investigator (PI) and a Co-Principal Investigator – subject matter experts who can guide the narrative of the application and determine appropriate and eligible expenditures. Each application must also have a Project Manager and an Assistant Manager. The PI/Co-PI can serve as Project Manager or Assistant Manager during the grant’s duration but, all managers associated with a grant must be prepared to provide programmatic and financial reporting to the funding agency, as described within the grant RFA, RFP or NOFA (announcement of funding available). In most cases, the Kilgore College Business Office will submit financial reporting to the funding agency, but the accountability for funds expended through the grant rests with the Project Manager and Assistant Manager. Future KC grant funding requests may be helped or harmed by a program and/or individual’s grant management history.

Learn more about Grant Terminology - Click Here

Grant Writing Tips:

  • Identify a need or gap in services.  Conduct a needs assessment if necessary. 
  • Assemble a project design team of people who are committed to the project.
  • Create a timeline that will allow a couple of days at the end for emergencies.
  • Develop a problem statement.
  • Ask for letters of support from project partners early.
  • Develop one or two goals for the project.
  • Develop both process and outcome objectives that are measurable for each goal. 
  • Design activities to carry out each objective.
  • Design an evaluation plan that includes both qualitative and quantitative information.
  • Write the narrative using short sentences that are to the point.  Provide necessary information without trying to impress the reviewer.
  • Use charts and graphs for impact as appropriate.  They also help to break up the reading for the reviewer.
  • Develop the budget carefully.  Make sure the budgeted items correlate to the goals, objectives, and activities.
  • Read through the Request for Proposal/Application (RFP or RFA) carefully. Check to be certain all the points are addressed in the proposal.
  • Have a couple of people outside of the team read through the proposal. Then, ask them to describe the intent of the project.
  • Contact the program officer and ask questions for clarification.
  • Always use either certified mail or private courier and document when the proposal was sent. Be sure to allow enough time to arrive by the deadline.

Incorporating the Kilgore College Mission, Vision and Strategic Plan:

Incorporating an action plan, target or strategy matching the college’s Mission Statement and/or Strategic Plan can improve the likelihood of the Executive Leadership Team approving your request to seek grant funding for a project. Identify how your project meets one of the tenets of these guiding documents. If you need statistical assistance to develop a strong case for your proposal’s approval, contact the Grant Writer.

Financial Considerations:

Cost Sharing and Matching: Cost Sharing occurs either when a sponsor requires, or the college commits in a proposal, funds beyond those awarded by the sponsoring agency to support a particular grant or contract. Cost Matching means a grant requires the college to match funds at a particular ratio, either in cash or in-kind. In some cases, a cost match may be satisfied with external, partnership funding or in-kind provisions. Grant programs that require a Grant Match may place unrealistic financial burden on the college; matching requirements are amongst the critical factors that will be evaluated by the Executive Leadership Team.

Federal Indirect Cost Rate Agreement: The college maintains an agreement with the federal government as to the maximum allowable percentage of indirect costs. Grant application budgets must not exceed this agreed to rate. Indirect Costs are described as costs used by multiple activities, and which cannot therefore be assigned to specific cost objects, yet are needed to operate the college as a whole. Indirect costs may be either fixed or variable. Indirect costs include administration, personnel and security.

Finding Grants & Types of Funding Sources

Grant funding may come from federal, national or regional government; private foundations; or corporate foundations. Foundations generally give based on subject and geographic region, so those seeking grant funds are advised to look for funders whose interests match the college’s mission, programs, populations served and locations served. Corporate foundations typically are only willing to fund projects for grantees who are within the service area of the parent company. Foundations generally make grant-funding decisions through a board of trustees that meets at regular intervals during the course of a year. Foundation boards may meet once or up to four times per year. Their makeup may be as few as three decision-makers for a small, family foundation or as many as 15 trustees underscoring a wide geographic region for a corporate or large private foundation. Foundations make their grant awards to not-for-profit entities and sometimes require that the applicant have a 501(c)3 status. Kilgore College is designated as a tax-exempt educational institution under Section 115 of the Internal Revenue Code. The college has not made application for 501(c)3 status, as it has not been necessary. So, for foundations that require a 501(c)3 status, a partner applicant or an application from the Kilgore College Foundation can be considered.

Federal, state and regional government grants are often repeated semi-annually, annually or bi-annually. Government grant applications are tedious, lengthy and often require periodic financial and programmatic reporting. Government grant applications are reviewed by panels of experts and typically scored according to a points matrix. Performing as a peer reviewer in a federal grant application process can provide birds-eye insight into the award selection process, and Kilgore College faculty members are encouraged to serve on review teams in their topic of expertise.

External Grant Search Resources

External Grant Search Resources:

There are a variety of web-based resources that publish Requests For Proposals (RFPs), Requests For Applications (RFAs) and Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs). The Kilgore College Grant Writer routinely scans for worthwhile grant opportunities and has access to a subscription service that assists the college in locating attractive opportunities.

Among the most prominent and free, web-based search resources are:

Grant Funding Informational Workshops

Periodically, the Kilgore College Grant Writer will schedule Informational Workshops about the grant funding process, KC requirements and resources, and current trends in grant fund-raising. Workshops are free, interactive and open to any KC employee or department.

Upcoming Workshops:

  • TBA
Managing Your Grant

Purchasing Approval Process:

All grants must adhere to the provisions of the KC Purchasing Procedures document.

Hiring Approval Process:

The hiring of full- and part-time personnel and any provision of release time or stipends to any Kilgore College employee must comply with the college’s hiring procedures.

Travel and Professional Development Activities:

Prior approval must be received by the Grant Manager’s supervisor for any travel, convening or professional development activities associated with the grant, whether the grant itself provides funding for the activities or not. This includes adjunct personnel and student assistants.

Project and Financial Reporting:

A good evaluation plan helps the grantee organization determine what worked, what didn’t, and how programs and services could be improved. The results of the evaluation are then used to adjust activities, make improvements, and reallocate resources if necessary. Federal grants, in particular, require more detailed evaluation plans than other grants. The grant narrative should refer to three types of data collection that will be the subject of regular reports submitted by the Program Manager: Formative, Summative and Management Benchmarks. Formative is an ongoing evaluation as activities are implemented. Summative is an evaluation conducted at the end of a reporting period, usually at the end of each grant year and/or the end of the grant. Management Benchmarks reflect how you intend to use the accomplishments of the project to predict future outcomes.

The Program Manager is the primary person responsible for executing the project, managing expenditures within the budget, and achieving the results proposed. This includes assistance with writing the proposal, developing the budget, satisfying cost sharing requirements, submitting reports, purchasing goods and services in compliance with college and grant procedures, and remaining in compliance with federal, state, and the funding source’s policies. As stated earlier in this manual, in most cases, the Kilgore College Business Office will submit financial reporting to the funding agency, but the accountability for funds expended through the grant rests with the Project Manager and Assistant Manager. Future KC grant funding requests may be helped or harmed by a program and/or individual’s grant management history.

Close-Out:

The grant close-out is the process by which the funding agency determines that all applicable administrative actions and all required work associated with the award have been completed. If an awardee does not seek a supplemental grant or a no-cost extension on the completion date, the grant is “closed out”. At a minimum, the grant close-out consists of: final reports; ownership: disposition or recovery of federally owned assets, as distinct from property acquired under the grant; settlement of accounts: adjustment of the award amount and the amount of federal cash paid to the award recipient. Final reports include financial, performance, and other reports required under the grant. Typically, these reports are due within 90 days of the end of the project period.

Using Compliance Assist to Update Grant Information (coming soon)

Important Files:

For information about Grants:

Fred Peters
Grant Writer
Phone:
(903) 983-8289
Office:
Whitten Applied Tech. Center (WHITN), 110
fpeters@kilgore.edu
Chris Foote
Grant Accountant
Business Office
Phone:
(903) 983-8668
Office:
Devall Student Center (DEVAL), 1st Floor
cfoote@kilgore.edu

Grants at KC