61-02 Constitution of Alumni Association

Procedure Description

In order to develop and enhance educational programs, Florence-Darlington Technical College (FDTC) may seek outside support from private, corporate, state, and federal funding sources. The FDTC Educational Foundation is the liaison between the college and the group providing private or corporate external funds. The Grants Office, within Finance and Administration, is the liaison between the College and the Federal and State funding sources and is responsible for leading and directing the College’s grants acquisition activities. The project director is the subject matter expert and must work closely with the Grants Office to develop the proposal and manage and administer the project if funded. The Grants Office works on all proposals submitted through proposal submission processes, including the Institutional Advancement Office.

Developing an External Grant Proposal

The President 's Executive Cabinet will set priorities for development of proposals for external funds.

A. Any employee seeking funds, equipment, or other resources from local, state, federal foundations or federal agencies must work with the appropriate FDTC personnel before any requests are made, verbally or otherwise. Those seeking resources from a local company or foundation must work with the Executive Director of the Educational Foundation and those seeking federal or state resources must work with the Grants Office before contacting the program officer(s) regarding their project to determine: if the project has the appropriate support from their Vice President; if the project aligns with the College’s mission and goals; if there is an available funding source; if another employee/department is interested in submitting a proposal to the same agency; and if there is sufficient time to properly develop a competitive proposal.

1) If the conditions outlined in A are fulfilled, the Subject Matter Expert with the help of the Grants Office personnel (or Educational Foundation personnel) will complete the Grants Council forms to present to the Grants Council for their decision on whether or not to pursue the grant.

2) If the Grants Council agrees that the project should go forward, the proposal originator will work with the Grants Office to develop a plan for completing the proposal.

3) As the proposal is being developed and written, but before it is submitted, the Grants Office will get the signatures of the grant originator, the Grants Director, the Vice President for the proposal area, the Vice President for Finance and Administration and the President.

B. The Grants Office serves in a coordinating capacity for the development of grant proposals to secure funding from external sources. The Grants Office may assist project directors in the following ways:

1) Providing information on potential grant sources;

2) Making initial contact with officials at funding agencies;

3) Securing supporting data and documentation;

4) Writing appropriate sections;

5) Editing proposal; and

6) Acting as the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) in federal databases and portals through which grants and forms are submitted.

C. Project directors must work with the Grants Office to develop the final project budget so that the Grants Office is aware of any provisions for matching funds, in- kind costs to the college, requirements for record keeping, etc. The Grants Office will notify the Grants Accountant when matching funds and in-kind costs to the college are required for a grant.

1) A project director should provide the first draft of the budget to the Grants Director. Budgets must show correct details, i.e., benefit rates.

2) Two weeks prior to securing the necessary signatures, a project director must provide a final budget to the Grants Director for final approval.

D. If a proposal requires in-kind cash contributions from FDTC, project directors must secure these additional funds from their departments, their divisions, or the administration before submitting the final budget.

E. The following procedures will be followed to secure signatures on final proposals before submission:

1) The President's Office requires at least 48 hours’ notice when securing signature(s) of the President and/or the Board Chair.

2) All grants requiring a secure electronic submission with an electronic signature will be signed electronically by the Grants Office.

F. Project directors must provide the Grants Office a copy of all final documents as part of a proposal since the Grants Office maintains an archive of proposals.

Managing an External Grants Project

Auditors review FDTC management of all external grant funds. Therefore, it is very important that necessary documentation be kept in the appropriate office. Our ability to qualify for additional funds can be compromised if we do not correctly document grants we receive. The Grants Office will keep an electronic record of all award letters. The project director is responsible for following FDTC procedures, spending funds and for fulfilling the agreement with the funding agency. He/she is also expected to maintain current files.

A. If the grant is awarded to the college, the project director will work with the Grants Office to meet the terms of the grant agreement with the funding source.

B. If the funds are awarded through the Grants Office, the project director will follow the procedures of the Grants Office:

1) The original of the written notification of award should be sent to the Grants Office for permanent files, and a copy should be provided to the Grants Office immediately upon receipt of award.

2) A copy of the grant agreement with all signatures in place must be sent to the Grants Office for permanent files.

3) Once a grant has been awarded and the award letter received by the Director of the Project and the Grants Office, a copy is forwarded to the Grants Accountant in the Finance and Administration Division. A fund Authority Form must be completed upon award notification. Under no circumstances should grant expenses be processed until the award notification and supporting documentation have been received by the Grants Accountant and appropriate account numbers are assigned. 4) Budget detail by line item account numbers must be provided no later than two weeks after receipt of the grant.

5) All expenditures for grant projects are subject to regular FDTC purchasing policies and procedures.

6) Grant expenses are not to be charged to other funds, including state funds, without prior approval of the Finance and Administration Division. Failure to observe this requirement could result in payments not being honored or could have other consequences. Cases in which grant expenses are charged to other funds will be forwarded to senior administrators for resolution. The Finance and Administration Division will recommend corrective action and follow up activities as appropriate on a case-by-case basis.

7) The designated project director and his/her supervisor are responsible for assuring compliance with grant requirements and determining whether expenses are appropriate for funding through grant funds. Supporting documentation for all expenditures should not be disposed or destroyed without permission of the Finance and Administration Division. The length of time records should be kept is contingent upon satisfactory financial audit, as well as individual grant requirements. In some instances, supporting documentation may be forwarded to the Grant Accountant for retention.

8) Revisions to grants, including time extensions, must be approved in writing by the grantor. A copy of this documentation must be provided to the Grants Accountant and to the Grants Office to support deviations from the original grant before any budget changes can be made.

9) A special fund budget/expense report will be provided by the Business Office to the designated project director for review on a monthly basis. A summary report of grants is sent to the Grants Office. The Grants Office uses this report to prepare a monthly summary of grants for the President and selected Cabinet members. Any questions or concerns regarding the information on this report should be directed to the Grants Office.

Guidelines for Financial Control of Externally Funded Grants or Sponsored Research and Programs

Purpose: The purpose of these guidelines is to monitor the process when applying for external funding which includes federal agencies, private and public foundations and other organizations so that appropriate signatures, approvals, and matching funding (when applicable) can be secured. Where allowable, budgets/requests must include amounts for all indirect costs, including those for financial administration of the grant/project.

Pre-Submission Guidelines: Any faculty or staff person at Florence-Darlington Technical College applying for outside funding will be responsible to developing a proposal which includes a detailed budget. If there is a financial or in-kind match component of the grant this must be identified in the proposal prior to submission.