Grants and Contracts

OCCC_Grants_ContractsVision Statement

Aligned with the College’s mission to help students achieve their education goals and dreams, the Office of Grants and Contracts enables OCCC faculty and staff to become leaders in the development of programs and services that support the needs of our diverse student population by capturing public and private sector resources necessary to strengthen our community. The Grants Office supports the creation of external funding by evaluating and anticipating the needs of students, faculty and staff of Oklahoma City Community College, assisting project developers in finding viable funding opportunities, and offering strengthened, competitive proposals to those sources.

Services

The Office of Grants and Contracts coordinates OCCC's efforts to secure external funding both from public and private sector grantors. To assist the faculty and staff of OCCC, the Office of Grants and Contracts:

  • Reviews proposals submitted by the College faculty and staff to funding agencies
  • Edits, critiques and adds strengthening suggestions to proposals and concept papers written by others, and as needed, drafts, revises, and prepares formal proposals
  • Assists with development of ideas for projects and budget preparation to ensure all OCCC policies are followed
  • Provides and obtains current guidelines for application processes
  • Provides current information on sources of grant funding opportunities (federal, state, local, private)
  • Acts as liaison with funding agency personnel (obtains samples successful and funded proposals, clarifies questions about selection criteria, determines project viability, etc)
  • Obtains signature of the President as certifying official of the College
  • Develops, maintains and monitors contractual obligations with community partners
  • Mails (certified mail, overnight courier) and submits electronically proposals to meet application deadlines
  • Maintains file copies of all pending, funded, and unfunded proposals submitted by OCCC
  • Negotiates awards, when appropriate
  • Provides grant management orientation for project directors

It is important to note that the Director of Grants and Contracts is not an expert within any given academic field or specialized curricula. Rather, the Office provides technical expertise and assistance in the research, development, and submission of grant proposals.

  1. The process for initiating a grant proposal at Oklahoma City Community College is the same, regardless of whether the grant is being submitted through the College or through the Oklahoma City Community College Foundation on behalf of a College program.
  2. Before an employee of Oklahoma City Community College initiates a grant proposal of any kind, regardless of the dollar amount being requested, he or she must contact the Office of Grants and Contracts and complete a Grant Registration and Approval Form. This form must be completed for all requests to organizations outside of the College to fund projects, requires the signed approval of the employee's direct supervisor and his/her respective President's Cabinet member, and must be promptly returned to the Office of Grants and Contracts.
  3. Upon receipt of the Grant Registration and Approval Form, the Director of Grants and Contracts will establish a timeline to be utilized by Project Directors and Principal Investigators to facilitate proposal completion.
  4. President's Cabinet must approve all grant requests of $25,000 or more. President's Cabinet must also approve grant proposals requiring a cash or in-kind College resource. Under these circumstances, the Grant Registration and Approval Form must be presented by the employee's President's Cabinet member for review by the full Cabinet. This form should be presented to President's Cabinet no less than 30 days prior to the grant's due date, unless other arrangements are made with the Director of Grants and Contracts. The Grant Registration and Approval Form must be returned to the Office of Grants and Contracts within 3 days of being approved or declined by President's Cabinet.
  5. Information regarding grant personnel must be established once the Grant Registration and Approval Form is approved by President's Cabinet. The Project Director will work with Human Resources to develop a detailed job description where required, establish salary level, and calculate benefits. Human Resources will review personnel information in the completed proposal before submission.
  6. The consent of the President and/or President's Cabinet must be received before any department or program in the College may enter into a Memorandum of Agreement with another institution for grant purposes on behalf of the College as a whole. Letters of support to other organizations for the purposes of being used in another's grant proposal do not require consent of the President's Cabinet.
  7. Final drafts of completed proposals must be sent to the Office of Grants and Contracts for review one week prior to the proposal or mailing deadline. During this time, the Director of Grants and Contracts will review the completed proposal and ensure that the project complies with internal and external requirements; and the Office of Finance will review the grant proposal budget for compliance and accuracy. The Director of Grants and Contracts will obtain the required signature from the College's authorized signing authority. After all approvals and signatures are obtained, the Director of Grants and Contracts duplicates, packages, and submits the proposal to the funding agency.
  8. The President of the College, the Executive Director of Institutional Advancement, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs are the only authorized organizational representatives at Oklahoma City Community College permitted to sign grant applications. There may be grants that require signatures from Project Directors/Principal Investigators in addition to the authorized signature.
  9. The Office of Grants and Contracts is the designated authorized institutional representative for all electronic/Internet based proposal maintenance and submission.
  10. Project Directors and Principal Investigators are required to forward copies of documents such as award letters, denial letters, major budget changes, reports, and other important documents related to the College's grant proposals to the Office of Grants and Contracts.
  11. Failure to adhere to any of the rules governing the grants management process at Oklahoma City Community College may result in a proposal not being approved for submission or a funded project not being accepted.

  • Identify a need or gap in services. Conduct a needs assessment if necessary.
  • Assemble a project design team of people who are committed to the project.
  • Create a timeline that will allow a couple of days at the end for emergencies.
    Develop a problem statement.
  • Ask for letters of support from project partners early.
  • Develop one or two goals for the project.
  • Develop both process and outcome objectives that are measurable for each goal.
  • Design activities to carry out each objective.
  • Design an evaluation plan that includes both qualitative and quantitative information.
  • Write the narrative using short sentences that are to the point. Provide necessary information without trying to impress the reviewer.
  • Use charts and graphs for impact as appropriate. They also help to break up the reading for the reviewer.
  • Develop the budget carefully. Make sure the budgeted items correlate to the goals, objectives, and activities.
  • Read through the Request for Proposal/Application (RFP or RFA) carefully. Check to be certain all the points are addressed in the proposal.
  • Have a couple of people outside the team read through the proposal. Then ask them to describe the intent of the project.
  • Contact the program officer and ask questions for clarification.
  • Always use either certified mail or private courier and document when the proposal was sent. Be sure to allow enough time to arrive by the deadline.

 

Questions? Contact Us.

Office of Grants and Contracts

(405) 682-7856