Steps to Apply for a Grant

Step 1.1:  Complete the Grant Search Request Form and submit to the Resource Development/Grants Office at hccs.getfunded@hccs.edu.

 

Step 1.2:  Once received, a member of the grants staff will contact you within 72 hours to discuss your request in more detail and to develop a list of search criteria.

 

Step 1.3:  If potential opportunities are found, the initiator of the request will be contacted to discuss the opportunities and to determine whether or not to move forward with an application.  If so, the process to apply for a grant (below) will be initiated.  If no potential opportunities are found, during the initial search, the search criteria will be added to our weekly search activities.  

 

 

The purpose of this process is for the grants office staff to assess the value of an opportunity before making a recommendation to pursue.  This process occurs prior to proposal development. 

Step 2.1:  The grants office will assess the grant opportunity using the Pre-Proposal Assessment Form, which includes the following assessment criteria: 

• Strategic Alignment- Is the grant opportunity aligned with HCC’s strategic priorities?
• Financial Risks- What are the financial risks associated with the grant?
• Institutional Impact- What are the direct and indirect impacts of the project on HCC?  This includes, but is not limited to revenues, student success, enrollment, retention, and others.
• Institutional Capacity- Does the have college have the resources to meet the requirements of the grant, e.g. matching funds (if needed); office/classroom/lab spaces, etc?
• Grant Funding Capacity- Is the grant funding sufficient to properly staff the project? 
• Extent of External Collaboration- Does the project require external partnerships, and if so, to what manner and what extent does it impact HCC? 
• Proposal Preparation-Is there sufficient time to develop a quality proposal?    

 

 

The purpose of this process is to ensure that the appropriate Vice Chancellor/President approves the request to apply for a specific grant opportunity. 

 

Step 3:1:  Complete the Intent to Apply Form and return to the Resource Development/Grants Office.  Your immediate supervisor and the President or Vice Chancellor of your division must approve the form before the proposal development process can begin.  

• The approved form must be submitted by the principal investigator, to grants office, before proposal development can begin.

• This process informs the President/Vice Chancellor of the key details about the grant opportunity including: 
  • Project Type (i.e., Workforce Training, College Readiness, Student Service, STEM, etc.)
  • Estimated Budget Range
  • Match Requirement
  • External Partners
  • Principal Investigator
  • Grant Writing Team Participants

Step 3.2:  Once the Intent to Apply form is received, the assigned lead grant writer will contact the principal investigator to set-up a kick-off meeting.  The principal investigator and subject matter experts must attend this meeting to discuss the requirements of the grant and the project strategy. 

Step 3.3:  The principal investigator and subject matter experts will receive a Proposal Development Work Plan, which includes details of the grant’s selection criteria, assignments for writing grant sections, and due dates.   The work plan is used to guide the grant writing team and ensure that all of the grant requirements are addressed.  

 

The purpose of this process is to ensure that the President/Vice Chancellor approves the proposal prior to submission of the grant to the funding agency.  

Step: 4.1: Once the proposal is finalized, the principal investigator must complete a Grant Routing Form.  The principal investigator’s immediate supervisor and the President of the campus or the Vice Chancellor of the division, that will administer the grant, must approve this form before the grant will be submitted to the funder.

This process informs the President/Vice Chancellor about key details regarding the project design in the proposal, including:

• Grant Period
• Amount of Budget and Indirect Costs
• Subrecipient Agreements (if applicable)
• Amount and Type of Matching Funds (f applicable)
• Proposed Staff Levels
• Salaries and Stipends
• Office/Cubicle Space Needed