Award Notification
The President of the College and/or the project director generally receives a letter or e-mail informing him/her that a grant has been awarded. This communication should be copied and sent to FGG where it will then be routed, as appropriate, to the department chairperson, Dean, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Institutional Advancement Office, and the President’s Office.

Project directors are not authorized to negotiate awards without institutional approval. All budget matters are referred to FGG and to the Grants Accountant for the College. FGG will coordinate the internal review and signing of contract documents as well as their timely return to the issuing agency.

Acknowledgement
A letter of acknowledgement will be prepared by FGG for the President’s signature upon two days of notification of a grant. The President is the signatory on grant agreement forms; although project directors may sign agreements in the case of federal research grants.

Public Announcement
Most grants are publicized internally through the weekly Saint Vincent College Bulletin and Grantsline, the FGG newsletter. FGG provides basic information to the Public Relations Office, which prepares press releases and arranges photographs.

Project directors must be attentive to grantmaker policies regarding publicity. Many state and federal agencies require a credit line in all public announcements, while some foundations prefer anonymity or have guidelines regarding prior approval of press material.

Evaluation
Foundations and grantmaking agencies require accountability of grant recipients. All projects/programs must be able to justify their existence and the good faith of the grantmaker by assessing outcomes in a very deliberate way. The evaluation plan is part of the proposal and must be carried out precisely as described. As appropriate, outcome measures, empirical data, observations, pre- and post-test results must be compiled and submitted as part of the grant report.

Reporting
In the spirit of accountability and good stewardship, Saint Vincent College reports on all grants.  Grant reports include narrative and budget components, and multi-year grants have interim and final report deadlines. Reports serve the purpose of informing the grantmaker of progress toward the goals and objectives outlined in the proposal. Reports can also serve as a formative evaluation tool that helps the project director make adjustments to project methodology or program activities. 

Conscientious grant stewardship is the best method of establishing credibility and attracting future support. Non-compliance with federal regulations or delinquency in submitting federal grant reports jeopardizes the College’s ability to compete for future grants. 

Accounting and Budget Oversight
All checks received by project directors should be forwarded to FGG which will ensure necessary processing through the College Business Office and the Office of Institutional Advancement, as needed. Copies will be made of all original grant documents including the check. The Grants Accountant will create a discrete account for each grant and assign a project account number. The project director will be instructed on how to access funds. For each grant, one person is designated to authorize expenditures and sign requisitions.

In cases in which grants provide staff salaries and wages, the procedures for grant-related compensation of personnel are outlined in the Grant Management Checklist in accordance with the original proposal budget and all policies governing the grant. The Grants Accountant produces a bi-monthly report, which is reviewed by the project director. In the case of matching funds, records of all gifts and grants to meet the match also are maintained by the Grants Accountant. The project director is responsible for ensuring that all grant funds are expended according to the original grant budget and timeline.

Interim Meetings
For multi-year grants or programs involving external partners and any instances in which the FGG staff determines it is necessary, interim grants management meetings will be scheduled to insure that program benchmarks are being met, evaluation is underway, and that the project director is adhering to all reporting deadlines. The Grants Accountant also will review the project budget to insure that grant funds are being spent in accordance with the proposal budget and project timeline.

A final meeting is held to "close out" the grant when the final report has been prepared for submission. At that time, the budget will be reviewed to insure that all grant funds have been expended. All parties involved in the grant project sign off on a final version of the Grants Management Checklist.

Program Modifications
Most funding sources discourage changing a project once a grant has been approved; however, they will permit deviations from the original plan and budget, if the changes are properly justified and as long as they don’t materially alter the nature or purpose of the grant program. If circumstances require a new approach or modifications to the timeframe of the project, the project director must provide a written explanation. This document is submitted to the grantor for approval.

Because most grantmakers encourage innovation and the piloting of new programs, many grant-funded projects have an experimental aspect and therefore require alterations to their original design. Provided that the original intent of the project/program remains intact and that the needs of the population served by the project/program are still being met, granting agencies are generally amenable to modest project alterations.

Special Circumstances
Occasionally, grants will include special conditions, such as attendance at grantee meetings, participation in an evaluation study, or a matching requirement. In those instances, FGG will make note of the special conditions or requirements on the Grants Management Checklist and will apprise all program/project personnel.

Grants Management Checklist
The Grants Management Checklist is a document developed by the FGG office that delineates project responsibilities and reporting requirements. The project/program director, grants accountant, and FGG staff discuss budget management, the process for program modification, report deadlines, and project evaluation.  All persons involved in the administration of the grant sign the Checklist and agree to attend interim meetings, if required.