Helping departments throughout the college apply for & “win” federal, state, & foundation
funding to the benefit of students, community, & faculty.
Administrative Services Training Workshop
Grant Set-up, Development and Administration
March 1, 2013
AGB Conference Room
Edward de la O
Cathy Arreguin
Betty McClelland
Introduction
Purpose of Meeting
• Opportunity to fine tune the Saddleback College grants process
• Group effort
Survey
• Survey responses identified training needs and areas of the grants
process that need clarification and improvement
Disclaimer
• The Grants Office understands that every grant is unique
• Ultimately we want to work with you to develop Grants Best Practices
Grants Office Website
http://www.saddleback.edu/grants/
Pre-Award & Research Process
 Basic breakdown of the grant process
• Red Section- everything that happens BEFORE any grant application
process begins!
 Project Development
• Determine needs of department- or
• Identify or develop conceptual idea of project to be funded
• Meet with Grants Office to review goals, projects for funding, etc.
• REALISTIC assessment of funding opportunities
Grant Application Development
 Independent Decision Matrix Form
• Assists with determining if funding opportunity identified is
appropriate
• Starts the process of completing the Grants Office Request Form
 Grants Office Request Form
• Relevant information regarding grant intending to pursue
• Funding amount, due date, duration, allowable costs, target groups,
approvals, etc.
• Internal resources needed in order to complete
• Commitment required of college and/or department if funded
Grant Application Development
Application & Narrative
 Characteristics of a “successful” application effort
• Cooperative working relationship between Grants Office and
academic department/division
• Core group
• Grants Office/Analyst
• Faculty
• Dean
• Add value partners
• Cooperation/support from District Finance and College/District
Research departments
• Clear vision of what you want to achieve
• What gap is being filled
• How will your program meet the funders needs
Grant Application Development
Application & Narrative
 Availability of data to support the proposed concept need
• Current & historical data
• Outcomes to be achieved
• National, local, and college/district data
• Demographic data
• Saddleback/District Research Departments
• Clearly- a grant application is a collaborative process
• Grants Office –
• Assist and refine narrative
• Develop budget, required forms, submission of application
Grant Application Development
Review & Approval
 Green Section
• Application must be reviewed by Grants Office prior to submission
• Budget, narrative submitted 10 business days prior to funder due
date
• Grants Office will obtain all internal approvals
• Matching funds must be approved by VP Administration and
President prior to submission to District
• Final budget submitted to District Finance for approval
• Submission of final or near ready draft narrative, approved
budget and required forms to District approver for signature
• Grant Applications- VC of Technology and Learning Services
• “Contracts”- VC of Business Services
Grant Application Development
MASTER FILE
 In the beginning- START A MASTER GRANT FILE
• RFP
• Correspondence with funder
• Executed copies/approvals of everything
• Information you may need to go back and look at if you get
funded- or use the next time if you don’t get funded
• Preliminary budget, research, etc.
Grant Application Development
Forms are your friends!
 Worksheets that can make application development and grant
tracking and reporting easier 
• Matching Worksheet
• Classified Employee Worksheet
• Short term Employee Worksheet
• Academic Employee Worksheet
Grant Application Development
It’s time to submit
 Blue section- Submittal
• Grants Office oversees
• Application is finalized and approved internally
• Application submitted via required method
• Hard copy mail/courier
• Email
• Online data submission
• Now we wait- a few weeks to a year in some cases!
Grant Award
We got funded! Now what?
 Purple Section- Post Award
• Grants Office coordinates internal approval processes for grant
acceptance
• Grants Office works with Project Director/Dean prior to
submitting grant award for Board of Trustees/District approval
• HOWEVER- all grant funded hiring or staff approvals or reassignments are handled by the grant project director and
corresponding division manager/dean
Grant Management
Project Implementation
Grant Management
Project Oversight
Grant Management
All good things must come to an end…
Grant Management
Staying on track
 Tracking Mechanisms
• Tools which can assist you in keeping your grant on course and
maintaining the Districts fiduciary responsibility over the funds
awarded
• Variance report
• Compare amount planned to spend against actuals
• Assess progress of activities and funds monthly
• Required at least quarterly for funder reporting
• Escape reports
• Fiscal 02- summary of expenditures by object code
• Fiscal 03- detailed expenditures
Grant Management
Sample Reports
 Basic Report
Go to Escape  Megatron  Start  User Name  Password
 Finance  Fiscal  Accounts
 Go to Project  Enter Project #
View Sample ReportA. Year, Project, Object Codes, Description
B. Account balance + spent= revised amount
C. Revised amount should match your budgeted amount
As you review the report look for:
• Salary allocation and expenditure rates
• Benefits allocation and expenditures
• Are expenses matching up according to original budget
• Is there budget remaining to cover upcoming expenses
• Is a budget revision needed
Grant Management
Escape Reports
Betty McClelland to review samples of Escape reports
• Fiscal 03
• Fiscal 02
Grant Management
Variance Report Checklist
 Quarterly Grant Expenditure Data Entry Page
• Approved funding source grant budget
• Total expenditures for each object code
• Current variance or balance which may include overage
• Grant annual budget variance- % of budget spent
• Month to month variance
• Report will allow a 10% (over/under) will show green
• Over expenditures will be coded red
• Under expenditures will be coded yellow
Grant Management
Variance Response Report
 Variance Report and Response
• Form which helps you demonstrate the reasons for a grant
budget not being in line with expenditure projections or
commitment to funder
• Provides opportunity for strategy to be developed or steps
taken to get the grant back on track
Grant Management
Invoicing- Review
• Expenses identified for reimbursement must match expenses
shown in Escape!
• Accounting/auditing purposes- expenses exist once viewed in
Escape
• Only actual expenditures can be invoiced
• Activities occurred ≠ Expenditures
• Expenses paid = Expenditures ready for reimbursement
• Budget expenditure plan and all approvals should be
developed at grant initiation
• On rare occasions- invoices may be submitted prior to
expenses visible in Escape
• Must be able to demonstrate the expense has
occurred
• Must demonstrate that grantor will accept expense
issued without back up of payment having occurred
Grant Management
Discussion Point
 Expending funds outside approved budget
• Mitigate, reduce, eliminate the practice of expending funds
outside of the approved budget without prior funder approval
• Each grant is different- different rules apply...?
 Budget allocation consistency
• Funds should only be expended according to approved grantor
budget
• Tentative budget gap period- no excuse to spend outside
approved grantor budget