Grant Application Process – Standard Procedure

All grant opportunities pursued by Nunez Community College must align with the College’s mission, strategic priorities, and workforce and student success goals. Faculty and staff interested in applying for a grant are required to notify and coordinate with the Office of Institutional Advancement at the earliest stage of planning. Proposed grants must receive appropriate administrative review and approval, including endorsement by the relevant Dean and the Executive Leadership Team, prior to submission. The Institutional Advancement team provides support with proposal development, budget preparation, compliance requirements, and submission logistics to ensure institutional consistency, sustainability, and accountability. No grant may be submitted on behalf of the College without formal authorization from the Chancellor.

1. Opportunity Identification

  • The Advancement Office searches for grant opportunities or receives notification of a funding need from another department.
  • Advancement may also receive a recommended funding mechanism from faculty, staff, or external partners.

2. Presentation to the Grants Council

  • Advancement presents each opportunity—including basic requirements, deadlines, eligibility, and alignment with institutional goals—to the Grants Council.
  • The Council reviews and discusses the opportunity.

3. Grants Council Review & Scoring

  • The Grants Council completes the scoring rubric/decision matrix for each opportunity.
  • Based on the scoring results and discussion, the Council votes to approve or decline pursuit of the opportunity.

4. Assignment of Principal Investigator (PI)

  • If approved, the Grants Council assigns a PI (and Co‑PI, if applicable).
  • The PI develops a project abstract and a preliminary budget estimate.
  • These materials are submitted to the Chancellor for approval to proceed with full proposal development.

5. Proposal Development

Coordination Between Advancement and PI/Co‑PI

Advancement works collaboratively with the PI/Co‑PI to:

  • Complete all required grant forms and institutional templates
  • Develop the detailed budget
  • Compile price estimates for all items
  • Obtain quotes from subcontractors or sub‑awardees
  • Review, edit, and refine all narrative documents written by the PI

6. Budget Review by Business Office

  • Advancement submits the draft budget and justification to the Business Office for review.
  • The Business Office evaluates:
    • Allowability
    • Alignment with institutional financial practices
    • Cost accuracy
    • Match requirements (if any)
  • The Business Office provides comments or required modifications.

7. Financial Approval

  • Once finalized, the Business Office forwards the budget and their recommendation to the Chancellor for approval to submit.

8. Submission of the Grant Application

Upon receiving the Chancellor’s approval, the Grants Office submits all final application components:

  • Narratives
  • Forms
  • Budget & justification
  • Attachments required by the funding agency

9. Post‑Submission Notification

If the grant is awarded:

9.1 Internal Notification

  • Grants Office notifies:
    • PI/Co‑PI
    • Business Office
    • Relevant administrators

9.2 Kickoff Meeting

  • The Business Office and Grants Office coordinate an initial project kickoff meeting with the PI to review:
    • Budget details
    • Compliance requirements
    • Reporting schedule
    • Institutional procedures

10. Contracting and External Agreements

  • Grants Office negotiates and finalizes contracts with:
    • External evaluators
    • Subcontractors or sub‑awardees
    • Any other required collaborators
  • All agreements must follow institutional procurement policies and any agency regulations.

11. Grant Management, Reporting & Closeout

Throughout the life of the grant:

11.1 Reporting

  • Grants Office coordinates preparation and submission of:
    • Programmatic reports
    • Financial reports
    • Agency‑specific compliance documents
  • PI provides required data and progress information.

11.2 Closeout

At the end of the grant:

  • All final reports are submitted.
  • Remaining funds are reconciled with the Business Office.
  • All project documentation is archived according to institutional and agency requirements.