Grant Management 101:
Processing & Mngt.
of Grants
What You Need to Know








Preparation
Investigation
Request for Proposal (RFP)
Writing the Grant
Submitting the Grant
Notification of Award (NOA)
Project Implementation
Project Completion
Words to Live By
(Grant Buzzwords)
 RFP
 PI
(co-PI)
 Proposal (grant proposal)
 Accounts
 Sub-account
 CAS (Cost Accounting
Standards) Third Party Match
Words to Live By
(Grant Buzzwords)
 DSR
 Sponsored
 NOA
Programs
 Sub-awards
 Indirect
Costs
 Unrecovered Indirect
 Match
 In-Kind
Project Preparation

Questions to ask yourself:
• What are you trying to achieve?
• How practical is it for your situation?
• Is there a need for the project?
• Are adequate resources available?
• Is there support for the project?
•Stakeholder
·County
•UF-IFAS
· Colleagues
•Granting Agency · You
When Life is Not Perfect…
Make sure that everyone knows
why this is not a good idea.
 Try to garner support by showing
the pros and cons of the project
and/or grant.
 Illustrate specific examples of
where a similar project was not
successful.
 Just say “No”.

…But You Have to Do It
Anyway.
 Set
clear and concise goals.
 Communicate at every level.
 Delegate the responsibility.
 Generate buy-in from the group.
 Include the decision-makers.
 Have distinct and reasonable
goals.
Investigating for the
“Best Fit”

Where are those pesky grants?
• Do your research
• Investigate RFPs that look “too good too
be true.” Usually they are.
• Make sure you understand the
requirements of the grant proposal.
• Make sure you have the tools you need
to successfully implement the proposal.
Understanding the RFP



Read it all the way through.
Read it again and highlight key points.
Color code different parts of the
RFP.
• Pre-preparation
• Grant writing
• Post-preparation
• Submission

Delegate RFP activities.
Read the RFP Thoroughly!


Don’t skim through the RFP. Read it
carefully, as if it were a contract.
Highlight important information and
specific requirements.
• May seem redundant (i.e., # of originals)
• May seem childish (i.e., specific colors)
• May seem unreasonable (i.e., special fonts)
• May seem impractical (i.e., no e-mail
submissions)
Weeders!!!






It is their money. Do what they ask.
Each agency has their own reasons for
their guidelines.
Some agencies can be persnickety.
They DO want to give their money
away.
They want to look good.
Usually, not concerned with other
agencies rules.
Grant Writing 101





Give the agency exactly what they are asking for,
nothing more, nothing less.
Don’t add superfluous information. It will not help
and it might hurt.
Ask for advise at all levels.
Notify IFAS Sponsored Programs that you are
applying for this grant.
• They will be prepared to make sure that all
guidelines are followed.
Pay strict attention to deadlines
• Preproposals
• Proposals
Grant Submission






Make a specific list of requirements.
Give this responsibility to someone who is
not a part of the writing team.
Have them prepare the packets.
Give the proposal to them with ample
time to meet the deadline.
Make sure that you can FedEx if you
have to.
Check it again, again and again.
It’s not over yet….
Stay in contact with SP.
 Know when the granting agency
was going to announce the award
winners.
 Check-in periodically with SP to
make sure that the NOA has
arrived.
 Ask to have a copy of
EVERYTHING!!

…and still not over!
Ask for account numbers once
they have been set up.
 Don’t rely on IFAS extension to
remember every component of
your grant.
 Familiarize yourself with UF
process for grant expenditure.
 Ask for a P-card.

Mo’ Money (NOA)
Yahoo!
You
won the grant award.
Now what?
Project Implementation
Make sure that your budget is in the
right account categories.
 Find out how to expend your
funding.
 Go through the proper process for
county operations office.

• Each category may have a different
person to submit paperwork to.
For Example
 OCO
 OE
 Travel
•local
•In-state
•Out-of-state
 Staff
•OPS
•Agent
•Program
Assistant
•Consultant
Don’t Forget Reporting
 Specific
to the granting
agency.
 Specific to UF/IFAS.
• Copy in everyone.
 Specific
to the county.
• Less is safer.
Middle-of-the-grant Advice
Keep up with the required reporting.
 Include section on “Problems &
Solutions.
 Have scheduled meetings.
 Look at the scope of services
periodically.
 Try to keep on track.
 Ask for a “no-cost extension”

Completion of Project
 Final
Report: usually just an
overview.
• Final statistics.
• Successes.
• How it solved the original problem.
• Focus on the future.
• Add pictures and graphs. Not just
verbiage.
Completion of Project
 Final
accounting.
• Spend all monies within 6 months
of end of project date.
• Make sure that UF is keeping up
with F&A.
• Keep track of your own budget
expenses throughout the life of
the grant award.
Done Yet?
 Evaluate
the grant, the
agency and your role in the
process.
 Learn from your mistakes.
 Try it again.
Questions
and
And maybe some
answers.