Writing Grants

Note: This page is for grants with external funding sources only. Institutional grant inquiries should be directed to the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) office.

Grant Consideration

Board Policies for Review:

Application Process

Documentation Requirements

  • The Chadron State Grant Signature Sheet along with a copy of the grant application must be sent to your Dean of School or Unit Supervisor two weeks prior to the application deadline. Once approved, he or she will forward it on to the appropriate parties for approval. You must obtain all internal approvals before applications leave campus. Please see Term Definitions and Frequently Asked Questions sections below for assistance with completing the signature sheet.
  • Once all approvals have been obtained, you will be informed by the Accountant for Grants, and you may then submit the application to the grantor. The Accountant for Grants will use the signature sheet to complete and submit the necessary Board reporting requirements. The following Board Meeting (or subsequent meeting if the documentation deadline has passed) will have the report.

Award Notification

Grant Application Acceptance

  • Acceptance letter, agreement and any additional documents need to be forwarded to the Accountant for Grants. From there, the agreements will be forwarded to the Vice President of Administration and Finance (VPAF) office. The VPAF is the authorized signer for agreements with external parties.
  • The VPAF will return the documentation to the Accountant for Grants. The Accountant for Grants will send a copy of the fully-executed agreement to the Project Director/Grant Author, as it is his or her responsibility to provide the grantor with the agreement.
  • The acceptance will be reported in the Board Materials by the Accountant for Grants.

Grant Application Denial

  • A copy of the letter/documentation needs to be forwarded to the Accountant for Grants and the VPAA office (if a Dean is the fund controller).

Post Signed Agreement

Setting up a Cost Center/WBS

  • The Comptroller is responsible for setting up the account. He or she will do so upon receiving the fully-executed agreement. You will be informed of the new cost center/WBS.
  • If your grant is federally funded, you will need to ensure the CFDA number is sent to the Accountant for Grants. This is often included in the agreement.

Money Exchange

  • Billings/Deposits/Money Monitoring is completed by the Accountant for Grants. All required reports for progress and/or completion are to be completed by the Project Director/Grant Author.
  • NOTE: All grants relating to Chadron State College (CSC) and its faculty and staff MUST BE deposited, expended, etc. in compliance with all State of Nebraska, Nebraska State College System (NSCS) and CSC policies. No funds, at any time, can go to faculty or staff directly without being reimbursed or paid through CSC.

Finalizing a Grant

Final Report

  • If a final report is required by the grantor, after you have submitted the report to the grantor, a copy of the report needs to be sent to the Accountant for Grants and the VPAA office (if a Dean is the fund controller).

Closing a Cost Center/WBS

  • When a grant has been fully expended and/or reimbursed, the Accountant for Grants will inform the fund controller, Project Director/Grant Author and other necessary parties. When this occurs, expenses can no longer be charged to the grant.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
  1. Faculty or staff will be paid as part of this agreement, do we need to budget for payroll benefits? – Yes, the recommended fringe rate is 16% (retirement, LTD and FICA).
  2. Can students be paid if allowed by the grant? – Yes, on-campus students can be paid at an hourly rate and not a stipend for their work. Contact Human Resources (HR) with any student employment concerns.
  3. Indirect cost funds are available as part of the grant. How much should be included in the application budget? – The federal de minimis is 10%. Indirect cost funds are used to offset administrative costs and are not approved for use by the grant. CSC does not have an indirect cost rate agreement.
  4. What if there is a cash match required by CSC? – This is the purpose of the signature sheet. You will need to provide the source of the State Matching Funds on the signature sheet. The approval or disapproval of the application will inform you whether this is allowed by the administration.
  5. What if there is an in-kind funds requirement? –The approval or disapproval of the application will inform you whether this is allowed by the administration.
  6. What if there is a commitment from CSC past the period of the grant? – Your grant may require prior approval by the Board of Trustees. See Board Policy 6024.
  7. What if my application requires Board approval, but the next Board Meeting is after the application due date? – If your application is due before the next Board Meeting, you may submit the application after you have received the appropriate approval from the signature sheet. If the Board were to deny the application and the grant was awarded, you would be required to turn down the grant award.
  8. How soon can I get my application reported or approved by the Board? – Board Meetings only happen five times per year. All Board Materials are due at least six weeks prior to the meeting date. Please see the NSCS website for the upcoming meeting dates.
  9. How do I get the CSC tax identification number and/or the DUNS number for my application? – These numbers can be obtained by contacting the Accountant for Grants.
Term Definitions

Accountant for Grants: The person in the accounting department that is responsible for the billings, deposits and money monitoring of grants for audit and accounting purposes, not to be confused with a grant administrator.

Board Materials: The documentation required to be reported and/or approved for the NSCS Board Meetings and can be found on the NSCS website.

Cash Match: Any CSC cash contribution during the grant funding period required by a grantor to support the grant.

Cost Center/WBS: Cost centers are the budget accounts for accounting. All grants have a WBS instead of a cost center. The difference is an extra three digits at the end of the number. (Cost Center: 6#-####-####, WBS: 6#-####-####-###)

CFDA Number: Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number is an identification number given to federal agencies (grantor).

Dean of School or Unit Supervisor: This is the supervisor in charge of the grant for oversight and fund controller purposes. This will typically be the direct supervisor of the faculty or staff member serving as the Project Director/Grant Author.

DUNS Number: A unique nine-digit identifier for businesses sometimes required for a grant application.

External Funding Source: A financing entity outside of the NSCS. This includes funding from other state entities such as Nebraska Game and Parks, University of Nebraska Medical Center, etc.

External Parties: Any entity that is not of the NSCS.

Fringe Rate: The payroll benefit percentage of salary offered by CSC.

Fully-executed Agreement: When a grant has been awarded, the contract or agreement (if required) by the grantor that has been signed by all appropriate parties.

Fund Controller: The person in charge of the approval of expense requests for a cost center/WBS as required by CSC procedure.

Funding Period: The beginning and ending dates the grant funding will be available for CSC’s use.

Funding Source: The external entity providing financing for the grant project.

Future Fiscal Responsibility: When CSC is required to keep a grant’s project running after the grant funding period has expired, CSC has a future monetary responsibility for the grant.

Grantor: The external entity responsible for the distribution of grant funds to CSC.

Indirect Cost Funds: Funds available by the grantor for overhead and/or administrative costs of the grant, typically given as a percentage.

In-Kind Funds: CSC contribution of goods or services, rather than a cash contribution, to support the grant.

Institutional Grant: A distribution of state funds by the VPAA office for research and/or projects for CSC.

Internal Review Process: The administrative proceeding to obtain the appropriate approvals for a grant application. This is accomplished through the signature sheet.

Project Director/Grant Author: The CSC faculty or staff member responsible for the grant application, execution and grantor reporting requirements.

Requested Amount: The total amount requested from the grantor for both the application and award report.

State Maintenance of Effort: See Future Fiscal Responsibility.

State Matching Funds: See Cash Match.

Sub-award: A distribution of grant funds from an entity that was awarded the original grant funds.

Tax Identification Number: The federal identification number assigned to CSC.

Contacts

Accountant for Grants: Amy Richardson

Comptroller: Melany Hughes

Human Resources

VPAA Office

VPAF Office: Tjaden Roenfeldt