EDHE 6780 Notes

04.07.2008

Grants

Types of Grants (p. 67)

• first government education grant: land grant
• block grants, p.69
  • the way grants come together, on the same topic, brings together units, people, org. who will work together
• project, categorical, and research grants (p. 71)
  • very specific grants, for a specific project or category (topic)
• formula grants (p. 70)
  • vague term
  • a set of criteria create a formula for the grant itself
  • most grants have a formula approach: ask you to create a budget, etc.
• contracts (p. 72)
  • many grants have a contract; written after the grant is awarded
  • may allow you to negotiate things within the grant (amount of funding, research produced, etc.)
  • may set up how many years you are awarded the grant
• grants for which there is no RFP
  • case statement, budget, state the need and approach a corporation
  • if they agree, they will want a contract (provide guidelines for you)
  • commonly referenced as contract grants; unsolicited
• state gov. grants
  • just different funding source
  • very specific requirements and outlines for the proposal
• foundations
  • already discussed...
• community foundations (p. 175)
  • geographic definition
  • many coming together to solve a problem

Letters of Support (p. 53)

• involving volunteers
• needs to be directly and specifically related to your grant
• comes from people who will actively participate or be connected in the grant work
• "i will do the things necessary to make this project happen..."

Matching Funds or In-Kind

• "matching funds" specifically means budget "hard money" (not "soft money" like grants, that you may or may not get)
  • must get institutional support *before* applying for a grant that requires matching funds
• "in-kind" means non-cash contributions or salaried workers (does *not* count when grants require matching funds)

What Not To Do (Grant Submissions)

• most grants are now submitted online, even government grants
• ethical considerations about contact with congressperson, particularly when you are a state employee...

Handout: Preliminary Proposals

• basic guidelines (generic)
• when would you use a preliminary proposal?
• UNT COE program with high school education grant
  • RFP went out for grants for planning to write the grant (UNT got this one)
    • held by UNT; involves multiple community colleges and ISDs; minimum 5-year program
    • too complex and involved groups; required money to get together for the grant planning
    • rep's from each institution came to meetings about program
  • once planning was ready (had enough data/info)...
  • then UNT wrote a grant to Gates Foundation about the plan for early college high schools
  • then invited all participants in planning for those writing to be a recipient of the program itself (getting a budget for your institution)
  • had to have a preliminary proposal from those institutions to be a part of the UNT grant; all the info went to Gates Foundation
  • UNT received grant
  • UNT asked preliminary participants which of them truly wanted to go through with the program
  • an early college high school of 400 students
  • took 2 years of planning and working on the grant until it was awarded
  • find the real need, not the "razzle dazzle" to you or the administration
  • tendency among grant coordinators to write the "razzle dazzle" and not worry about the implementation or outcomes

"alot can get accomplished if you don't care who gets the credit"

"accept people on two levels: personal level and professional level"

The One-Minute Manager

• catching your employees doing something right
• helps you to be positive and genuine when dealing with them
• people who have "holes in their needs cup" (it's never enough)
  • not worth your time to fulfill, unless you have to regulary interact with them to perform work

grants are a very subjective process

Handout: Outline for Full Grant Proposal

• two types of full proposal grants:
  • RFP (request for proposal): anyone may apply for this; federal/state grants, some foundation grants
  • grants by invitation
    • fairly rare
    • funding agency does the pre-screening
    • Lumina foundation sent out RFPs for Achieveing the Dream
      • funded research on at-risk students
      • often Math, Science, or ESL focus
      • not just a program, but research/data (particularly if it has the potential to affect policy or the legislature)
    • sent RFPs to communities with certain statistical characteristics (low college enrollment, etc.)
    • sent 56 RFP invitations; 28 grants were awarded
• (see more comments handwritten on the handout)

Handout: Outline for Full Grant Proposal (condensed version)

EDGAR

• become acquainted with that
• sometimes institutional policies will be in conflict with gov (EDGAR) policies
  • definition of capital expenditures

next class: whole class will be a discussion on our case statements

• Dr. Whitson will make copies for everyone (10)