Adopted by President’s Cabinet 8/28/18; 10/10/22
Introduction: This document outlines East Georgia State College’s (EGSC) grant process from initial grant planning to close out of grant awards and the roles and responsibilities of the various individuals involved in the grant process. This policy affirms EGSC’s commitment to conform to and comply with federal regulations and standards applicable to grants as required by law.
Pre-Award
Research and Identify Grant Opportunities: All unit heads of the college are responsible to research and identify grant opportunities applicable to their respective units and/or the College. In addition, the Associate Vice President for Grants and Data Analytics will research and identify grant opportunities and share the opportunity will key college leaders. Guidance for grant funding opportunities is provided in the East Georgia State College Grant Funding Resource Guidance document located on the myEGSC online forms page.
All initial grant vetting should begin several months in advance of any application deadline. If additional review and approval is required by college compliance committees such as the Institutional Review Board, Animal Use and Care Committee, or proposes collaboration with another institution or agency, is subject to US export control laws or involves select agents or toxins, the principal investigator (PI) must begin the initial vetting process well in advance. The PI is responsible for reviewing and understanding the grantor’s guidelines.
Procedure for Initial and Final Vetting of Grant Opportunity: The PI will complete the Grant Proposal Planning Form, sign it and obtain a supervisor’s signature, and any co-principal investigator (CPI) signatures and submit the form for preliminary authorization to the Associate Vice President for Grants and Data Analytics who will route the form for signature to Legal Counsel, the Provost/Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs, and the Vice President for Business Affairs. The grant is not considered initially vetted and ready for review until all relevant approvals and authorizations have been received and documentation of the same is attached to the Grant Proposal Planning Form.
After the Grant Proposal Planning Form has been approved, the PI will move to the grant proposal development stage. The grant proposal is created with the assistance of several key individuals as noted below. Once the grant proposal is ready for submission the PI will complete the Grant Internal Approval Form. The PI, CPI(s) and immediate supervisors must sign the form and submit it to the Associate Vice President for Grants and Data Analytics along with the Grant Proposal Planning Form and the grant proposal for final signature routing.
Grant Writing: The PI and/or CPI will consult with the Associate Vice President for Grants and Data Analytics and the Director of Financial Accounting for information about EGSC as required by the grantor and for assistance with the developing the proposal for funding. The Facts for Proposal Development document contains the relevant applicant information for EGSC as needed for proposal development. The document is located on the myEGSC online forms page.
The PI will coordinate with the Director of Financial Accounting to develop a budget for the grant. The PI and CPI(s) will write the grant and submit it for internal approval as part of the final vetting process. The routing of the grant proposal must follow the checklist on the Grant Proposal Planning Form and Grant Proposal Internal Approval Form.
Grant Submission: Upon final authorization of the grant proposal by the President, the PI is responsible for submitting the grant proposal.
Post-Award
Administrative Responsibilities: The PI is responsible for the technical, fiscal and administrative management of a sponsored project. The PI is responsible for compliance with institutional polices and sponsor terms and conditions. The PI is responsible for programmatic management including but not limited to managing the project program to meet project goals and grantor expectations, monitoring and tracking time and effort, requesting non-monetary modifications (program objectives, no-cost extension, etc.), and concluding the program. The PI is responsible for the programmatic reporting as required by the grantor and for the final progress report.
In order to carry out this responsibility, the PI should be aware of all relevant sponsor and college regulations regarding the budget limitations, conflicts of interest, use of human and animal subjects, biohazards and biosafety, purchasing and equipment management policies, patents and copyrights, inventions, confidential information, safety and security, and required reports.
Technical and Programmatic Reporting Requirements: The PI is responsible for complying with reporting requirements and deadlines, as specified by the sponsor. Therefore, PIs should read the sponsor’s guidelines carefully to ascertain what reports are required, their frequency, and preparation instructions.
Financial Management and Reporting Requirements: The PI is responsible for managing and controlling project funds in accordance with restrictions imposed by the sponsor’s terms and conditions and institutional policy and procedure.
The PI is responsible for ongoing fiscal management of their awarded projects. Budget reports are a valuable tool for project oversight and should be viewed each month to ensure expenditures and adjustments are timely and expenditure rates can be monitored to assure availability of funds. Questionable charges must be brought to the Director of Financial Accounting’s attention promptly and corrected by an appropriate transfer.
The Director of Financial Accounting and the PI are responsible for all equipment purchases and dispositions.
Formal financial reports will be prepared by the Director of Financial Accounting. Budget narratives are the PI’s responsibility.
Prior Approval for Programmatic and Financial Changes: Each sponsor may have specific requirements regarding changes to the scope of the project or modifications to the approved budget. Any changes should be discussed with the Director of Financial Accounting. This is especially important regarding changes in project duration or the budget.
For grants/contracts changes requiring sponsor’s prior approval, correspondence with the sponsor requesting such changes must be approved and executed by the Associate Vice President for Grants and Data Analytics on behalf of the College. Once written approval is received from the sponsor, the PI and other academic and administrative units will receive notification.
Record Maintenance: The Associate Vice President for Grants and Data Analytics is responsible for records maintenance of submitted proposals. The Director of Financial Accounting is responsible for the records maintenance of, all grants received, any monetary or non-monetary modifications, management of invoices and financial reporting, and grant file archives.
