Office of Advancement Grants Policy

17.9 Grant Requests on Behalf of the College

45. Grant Request Procedures 

It is the responsibility of the Office of Advancement to coordinate and keep thorough records of all grant requests issued on behalf of the college to government and non-government entities. Staff and faculty members who are considering submitting grant proposals to government entities, private foundations or other funding sources must advise the Office of Advancement of these plans prior to the actual writing or submission of the requests so that proper coordination can occur. The Office of Advancement will work with interested individuals to ensure that the grant concept has preliminary approval of his or her chair and/or dean as well as the appropriate Vice-President before grant writing begins.
This process is as follows (the process steps are available in a checklist format for grant seekers):

Step 1: Preliminary Concept Approval 

a. One copy of the Request for Authorization to Submit a Grant form should be completed for each proposed grant. The principal investigator or project lead should complete the header section of the document by filling in the requested information. The form should be approved and signed by the division head/dean and then submitted to the Office of Advancement, where the Advancement staff will check it for possible conflicts with other Snow College initiatives. After the review, the form will be forwarded to the appropriate Vice President for approval and then returned to the requestor.

b. This phase ensures the most positive outcome for grant-writing efforts, including discussing possible collaboration with other departments, utilizing established contacts and sharing additional information about particular funding sources.

Step 2: Rough Draft Approval 

a. The principal investigator or project lead should obtain approval of the rough draft from the division head/dean (if applicable) and submit it with a copy of the grant guidelines (RFP) to the Office of Advancement.

b. The Office of Advancement will secure approval of the rough draft from the appropriate Vice President.

c. Time permitting; the Office of Advancement will perform a thorough evaluation of the document, providing comments and suggestions to help strengthen the proposal.

d. The document and approval form will be returned for final changes/edits.

Steps 3: Final Draft Approval 

a. The principal investigator or project lead should obtain approval of the final draft of the proposal from the division head/dean (if applicable).

b. At least two business days prior to the date that the proposal needs to be mailed or electronically submitted, the final draft should be submitted to the Office of Advancement, along with the completed approval form and the electronic text for a letter of support to be signed by the president (The Office of Advancement has samples). Please note: proposals submitted with less than two days lead time may not meet the application deadline.

c. The Office of Advancement will secure approval of the final draft from the appropriate vice president or the president.

Step 4: Final Proposal/President’s Letter of Support 

a. The Office of Advancement will submit the letter of support and secure the president’s signature. All materials will be returned to the requestor with the signed letter of support.

Step 5: Notification of Status of Proposal 

a. Please forward copies of correspondence regarding the approval or denial of each proposal to the Office of Advancement as soon as information is received. This information is important as we strive to keep thorough records of the college’s grant writing activities. It also allows us to know when funding sources are available to pursue for other projects.

b. Final drafts of all grant proposals must be reviewed and approved by the appropriate Vice President prior to their submission. Additionally, copies of all grant proposals issued on behalf of the college as well as notification received regarding funding or denial of any pending grant request must be provided to the Office of Advancement within the month they are submitted to or received from the funding entity.

c. When more than one entity of the college is interested in submitting a grant request to one particular funding source during the same funding cycle, the following procedure will be observed:

d. If the granting entity accepts and prefers multiple proposals from one institution, the proposals will be submitted with a letter from the President (based on consultation with the appropriate Vice President and the appropriate dean) ranking the proposals based on institutional priorities.

e. If only one proposal can be submitted to a granting entity, the President in consultation with the appropriate Vice President will determine which proposal is submitted. Those interested must submit a preliminary proposal summary to the President or designee through the Office of Advancement, which includes institutional matching funds expected.

Grant Support Services Provided by the Office of Advancement

46. The Office of Advancement is responsible for assisting staff and faculty members in their efforts to write grants in the following ways: 

a. Review drafts of grant requests and make suggestions prior to their submission.
b. Assist in the research of possible funding sources for particular projects or needs of the college.
c. Assist in determining if matching funds are available for grants.
d. Assist in locating institutional documents necessary for submission of the request.
e. When needed and available, provide administrative assistance in preparing the request for submission.
f. When archives are established, provide information about grant requests submitted on behalf of the college.