Grant Management

Welcome to Grant Management

Your school won a grant? CONGRATULATIONS!! Once a grant is awarded, please email your award letter to snavo@ebrschools.org. The grant award will be placed on the next School Board Agenda. This will ensure a smooth transition to begin the grant management process.

Receipt of grant funds is important to the district, but grants involve responsibility and proper management. As a project coordinator you assume the overall responsibility for ensuring that the grant is implemented within the established parameters and grantor agency regulations.

Remember, the grant agency approved what was written in the grant and they anticipate a “good faith” effort on the part of the grant recipient and will work with us if unexpected circumstances necessitate a modification of the approved plan or budget.

The basic objectives for all grant administrators are:

• To monitor grant activities, expenditures and deadlines to ensure that students and teachers receive the maximum benefit;

• To ensure that all purchases are aligned to the grant plan;

• To prepare and file reports on time;

• To ensure that grant funds are not returned to the grant agency.

Ten Easy Rules for Grant Management

1. Read the grant application to make sure you know what is required of you.

2. Reread the grant application.

3. Discuss the program and budget with the district-level grant administrator and the coordinator of resource development; designate a project contact person.

4. Follow directions and grant requirements.

5. Keep records.

6. Meet all deadlines.

7. Put all budget requests in writing and make sure the program justifies the expenditure.

8. Spend the money in a timely manner; do not spend money on items that are not in the budget; and do not spend more money than you have been allocated.

9. Implement the program as it is written.

10. Keep the district grant administrator informed of all matters pertaining to the grant.

Grant Compliance

Rule #1: You cannot change your mind after the grant is awarded!!! Grant dollars must support the program and must be spent for the services and commodities specified in the grant application. In some instances, budget amendments may be written for services or commodities needed to accommodate the intent of the grant program that were not specified in the application budget, but only if the line for that budget category already exists in the budget. These changes must have prior approval of the grant administrator at the local level, and often, at the grantor level (federal or state).

Rule #2: Make sure you keep a valid paper trail that justifies your expenditures. All grants are subject to audit. Keep a log that is dedicated to the grant project. Keep records of purchase orders, invoices, budget amendments, and other support documentation. These records are subject to audit for three to five years after the project is terminated.

Rule #3: File all required reports in a timely manner. Additional grant funds to the district can be withheld if one school is out-of-compliance. All grants require some type of report – these may be quarterly, mid-term, and/or final reports. Your failure to send these reports could jeopardize future funds for the district. Most grantors require a program report and a budget report.

Rule #4: Always read the fine print to make sure you know what the grantor is requiring of you. Discuss any requirements that are unclear or problematic with the district-level grant administrator. Good grant management is based on a trust factor between the grantor and the grant recipient. The district-level grant administrator will inform the grantor of any concerns regarding the implementation of the program or compliance with grant regulations. The grantor will work with the district if we keep them informed.

Federal, State, and Local Budget Requirements

Audits:

Grant budgets are subject to internal and external audits. This scrutiny requires:

◆ detailed justification of all expenditures and

◆ evaluation of all expenditures in relation to program components.

The expenditures must support the development or implementation of the program as specified in the grant application. Any modifications must have the approval of the grant agency.

NOTE: Grant funds may never be used to purchase food. Most grants carry restrictions on the use of Capital Outlay funds (i.e., expenditures for computers) and on the purchase of student incentives.

Reports:

Program and budget reports are required on all grants. Detailed record keeping, initiated at the beginning of the grant period, will help facilitate this process. Reports must be submitted on time.

Deadlines:

Funds must be expended within the grant period and reports must be submitted by the deadlines to keep the district in good standing with the grantor agency. All grant agencies require the return of funds that are not used prior to the end date of the grant. Under certain circumstances, an extension of the deadline may be requested. However, these requests must be justified in writing and submitted in a timely manner by the grant administrator or district grant writer.

Extension requests will not be accepted by the grant agency after the end date of the grant, so plan ahead.

Please, do not wait until the end of the grant period to make expenditures. You must be able to show how the funds make it possible for you to implement your program and make a difference for students. You will be asked to explain and justify why you are holding on to the funds if you show a balance that is greater than 50% of the funds at the mid-point of the project.

Purchasing Guidelines

The following guidelines are to assist you. It is recommended that you refer to these guidelines during each phase of your project. Remember, grants are not exempt from existing School Board Purchasing Policies and Procedures.

1. Requisitions will be initiated at the school/department level. All orders must include shipping and handling (10% of total charges where applicable) on the form. If shipping is not required, add “shipping NA” in the Comment Panel, Line Section of the requisition. Please make sure you reference the quantity, item number, and name of the item on your purchase order. If the item name does not adequately describe the item, add a more detailed description in the comment line. This will expedite requisition review.

2. Please follow your grant program when ordering materials, supplies, audiovisuals, software, or hardware. If your purchase order deviates from the grant, make sure you have written approval from the grant administrator and have discussed the purchase with the Office of Federal Programs & Grants. All grants are appropriated as awarded and new functions/objects may not be created without the approval of the grantor.

3. Please have current prices on your requisition. Keep copies of all paperwork related to the order, including packing slips and invoices. Receive on the order as soon as you get the material. Taking care of loose ends as they occur will make the end-of-year closure much easier. All POs must be finalized or cancelled at the end of the validity period of the grant.

NOTE: Each school/department is responsible for maintaining a separate inventory for all materials, supplies, software, audiovisual, and equipment ordered with grant funds. Grants are subject to audit for up to five (5) years after the close of the project. If audited, the auditors will start pulling purchase orders at the district level and follow the purchase order to the end. The auditors will require verification that your order is being used for the grant program.

Budget Amendments

1. To initiate the budget amendment process, please email or call the grant administrator. The local grant/program administrator will make contact with the grantor agency if necessary.

2. Moving money from one budget line to another requires the approval of the grant administrator and a written budget amendment.

3. Most grants restrict the amount of money that may be moved within a budget. The average is usually between fifteen and twenty percent (15% - 20%).

4. Adding or deleting a line item (budget category) in a budget requires the approval of the grantor agency and must be initiated by the program administrator. Changing the budget requires a program amendment that justifies the request. This is a time consuming process and is usually done for extenuating circumstances.

Contracts

1. Contractual services (consultants) must have an EBRPSS vendor form on file. Contracted service will be paid in accordance with the EBRPSS vendor payment schedule. Please make sure that consultants understand the system. No payment will be made the day that service is performed.

2. Please make sure the consultant is on the vendor list. If they are not on the list, please contact Purchasing/Accounting for the New Vendor Setup Form. Make sure the form is completed and submitted back to Purchasing/Accounting.

Grant Evaluation

All grantees are expected to evaluate the projects and programs funded through grants. Grants usually require “formative” (process) and “summative” (outcomes) evaluations, and sometimes require the services of an external evaluator. The Grants Office will assist in facilitating the evaluation process.

Grants are evaluated on the established benchmarks for the grant (goal, objective, activities) using the methodology established in the evaluation plan. Data must be collected, records must be kept, and activities must be implemented in adherence with the grant plan and all must be reported to the grantor agency in a timely manner. Report deadlines are critical to funding – both for this project and for future funding awarded to the district.

An evaluation Matrix is an easy way to document the progress and achievements of a grant program.

The following provides an example of an evaluation tool:

Goal: To promote appreciation of and participation in contemporary dance

Objective: 1. Increase attendance by 10% at the annual performance by a guest touring company

Outcome Indicator: 1. Number of tickets sold; audience head count; marketing materials

Data Source: 1. Existing records; box office receipts; observation

Objective: 2. Maintain the quality of contemporary dance performances and dance internship programs

Outcome Indicator: 2. Testimony of students, staff, and community; evidence of sponsors for internships

Data Source: 2. Pre-and post evaluation of performances; documentation of internships offered and accepted

The most efficient way to keep track of the grant is to create a grant notebook. A 3-ring binder or electronic notebook is a great way to manage all of the data, information, and paperwork required for evaluation and audit purposes.