Here you can find information on the grant proposal development and submission process at Ivy Tech, some of the key documents you will need prior to submission, and links to information on how to manage an award through the life of the grant.
Grants Submission Process
- Identify a project/program/initiative/research question in need of funding, and/or identify a funder/opportunity and match to potential project/program/initiative
- Contact your campus Development Office
- Campus Development Office will reach out to Systems Office Grants Development
- Systems Office Grants Development will contact you to discuss proposal development process
- Systems Office Grants Development will assist with writing/budget development support
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- Complete Grant Proposal Form; send to Development Office for signatures
- Systems Office Grants Development can offer four (4) tiers of writing support; default writer is Project Director
- Obtain all needed approvals from relevant stakeholders (Systems Office Grants Development can assist)
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- Send final proposal/budget to Systems Office Grants for review two (2) weeks before deadline
- Systems Office Grants Management will submit proposal to funder, unless an exception is requested
Grants Office Organization
Campus Development Office (located in campus service area)
- Initial point of contact for pursuing grant proposals
- Assists with identification of best funding strategy (grant or otherwise)
- Makes contact with Systems Office Grants Development to begin process and tracking
Grants Development (located in the Ivy Tech Foundation)
- Assists with funder/opportunity research
- Surfaces and develops potential projects/programs/initiatives or research
- Coordinates grant funding strategy statewide
- Identifies shared projects, vision, concepts, or potential collaborations
- Aligns pursuit of grant opportunities to strategic plan
- Proposal writing, budget development, and coordination of proposal support
- Makes contact with Grants Management to complete proposal submission and tracking
Sponsored Programs Office
Grants Management
- Completes final budget review and submits proposal to funder
- Serves as point of contact for proposal after submission
- Manages statewide grants and assists campuses in local grant management
Sponsored Programs Accounting (located in Systems Office Finance)
- Manages financial accounting of all grants
- Assists campuses with financial tracking, audits, and closeouts
What Makes a Quality Grant Proposal?
“SMART” grant proposals are:
- Specific and limited in scope
- Measurable in objectives and outcomes
- Attainable goals with a limited time frame
- Relevant to the funder, campus, and College’s goals
- Time-limited
What grants typically are not:
- Free money or general operating funds
- Capital or infrastructure funding
- Ongoing or long-term funding source
- Support for regular, tested, or well-established programming/projects
- Broad in scope or general in purpose
- Used for stipends, scholarships, gifts, or giveaways
What Makes a “Fundable” Proposal?
Research
- Studies, experiments, incubators, labs
- Specific research questions
- Often partnering with R1 institution as testing site
Initiatives
- Could be part of an ongoing program
- Collection of projects, programs, or activities under a broad umbrella
Projects
- Specific, time-focused activities
- Clear objective, clear timeline, clear outcomes
From Concept to Proposal
Questions to Consider:
- Can I identify who benefits?
- Can I articulate this as Research, Initiative, or Project?
- Could I describe the activities as happening in a room or with active verbs?
- “Prof X will lead (3) one-hour database research sessions with 10 students each,” vs. “Students will learn about database research.”
- Can I clearly state objectives and measure outcomes?
- How will I know when my project has been successful?
- Why does it matter? (So what?)
Other Considerations:
- Is a grant the best source of funding for this activity?
- Does the grant opportunity require matching funds?
- What other areas of the campus or College might be required to perform this project?
- Are there community partners who might be included on the proposal? (K-12, corporate, 4-year, nonprofits)
- What plan might be developed for the long-term sustainability of this project?
- Will anyone’s time be paid for by this grant?
- How much will this project realistically cost to complete? How might the proposal budget for costs beyond the basics? (e.g., indirect costs, fringe benefits, etc.)
Grants Contacts
Campus Development Office
The first point of content for grants is your local Executive Director of Development.
Grants Development Office (Ivy Tech Foundation/Ivy Tech Community College)
Brian Thomas, Exec. Director, Grants Development
bthomas164@ivytech.edu
317-916-7942
Lauren Rochester, Director – Grant Development
lrochester@ivytech.edu
317-968-1529
Sponsored Programs Office
Zach Whitesel, Executive Director, Sponsored Programs & Grants Compliance
zwhitesel@ivytech.edu
317-921-4800 ext. 084797
Jaclyn Roush, Grants Manager
jroush15@ivytech.edu
317-921-4841
Ryan Harkleroad, Grants Manager
rharkleroad2@ivytech.edu
(317) 921-4800 ext. 087824