Project Start-up

During the implementation phase of a grant-funded project, it is important for the project director to meet with the Office of Grants and Resource Development staff. The objectives, activities, and expected outcomes of the grant project will be reviewed. The project budget will be initiated and activated through the Office of Grants. The project director will be orientated on college regulations and processes regarding procurement, personnel, and reporting requirements for the duration of the grant period. To expedite project initiation, the project director should meet with the Office of Grants and Resource Development before the start date of the grant project or as early as possible. The Office of Grants staff also conducts periodic training workshops to assist new project directors.

When a grant award is received, the Office of Grants staff will:
1. Inform grant project initiator/project director, Fiscal Operations, and other college stakeholders.
2. Facilitate budget negotiation with the funding agency if necessary.
3. Secure signatures on grant contract or contract agreement and submit to funding agency.
4. Request that Community Relations and Marketing Department publicize the award.
5. Generate a Board Action Contract Request.
6. Request Budget Program Code and develop an Internal Operating Budget.

If the grant proposal is not funded, the Office of Grants staff will:
1. Inform grant project initiator and other appropriate stakeholders.
2. Request proposal readers' comments/feedback from grant agency.
3. Discuss potential revisions for future submissions to other agencies.

You may contact Director of Grants Paul Creason at (562) 938-4546 or at pcreason@lbcc.edu. You can also contact Grant Specialist Jacquie Wilvers at (562) 938-4756 or at jwilvers@lbcc.edu.

The project director will receive his/her budget account numbers after meeting with the Office of Grants staff. These numbers are needed on nearly all college documentation in order to be processed. Until the project director receives the budget account numbers, no expenditures should be incurred on behalf of the project and no project personnel should be hired prior to final written authorization by Human Resources.

Duties of the Project Director
The project director's major responsibilities include managing the project budget within the terms of the grant, implementing the project plan effectively, complying with all college, state and federal regulations, and submitting all required reports to the state or federal funding agency on time when required. Project directors are encouraged to review and understand the published Budget Management, Project Compliance, and Project Completion requirements as stated by the state or federal funding agency.

Careful and realistic construction of the budget when the proposal was developed means that adequate funds should be available to cover project costs and personnel expenses. It is the project director's responsibility to monitor all project expenditures and to make certain that all funds are expended appropriately before the grant expires. A grant accountant is assigned to every project through Fiscal Operations and will assist the project director in managing the project budget.

To avoid the return of unexpended funds to the funding agency, expenditures should be reviewed on a monthly basis, with more comprehensive reviews at the mid-point and at the third-quarter point of the project budget period to ensure all budget changes are submitted on a timely basis prior to the end of the budget period. Last minute change requests are not acted upon favorably by funding officials.

How to Find the Right Form:
The process for approving all documentation at the college is designed to catch errors before they become a larger problem in the future. Most of the forms you will use during your project can be found on the college website. Since forms may be updated during the year, we recommend that you access them from the website each time they are needed, because out-of-date forms will be returned to you unprocessed. Check with your program or area secretary for any forms not accessible from the internet. They can also assist you with any questions about completing most college forms.

For your convenience, we have included examples below of how to correctly fill out forms mostly commonly used during grant projects. With each example, there is a brief explanation about the forms.

Where Does My Document go from Here?: To understand where each document goes during the approval process, click on this link. This information will assist those interested in tracking their documentation through the system.

Most college forms can be found on LBCC Forms.

Human Resource Forms: For most employees hired through a grant project, a supplemental form is required and must be attached to the request form. Requests for temporary classified employees (LTEs) funded by grants must be accompanied by an LTE Supplemental Form and all requests for presenters must be accompanied by an Presenter Supplemental Form.

It is important to remember that there is an approval process that must be followed, so submitting personnel requests as early as possible is essential. "Walking through" last minute requests is not advised and should be avoided when possible. Planning ahead will ensure that personnel are approved to work at the start of the grant project. Allow for at least three weeks to process a request. Approval to work is not official until the request is received and processed by Human Resources. Project staff who begin work before approvals have been secured run the risk of not being paid.

Some of the more commonly used personnel forms with grant projects include:

Links to Completed Examples of Commonly Used Forms:

*Buy-Out Requisition: This form is distributed by the Contracting & Procurement department. Any specific questions about this form should be addressed to this department. Once the project director has completed this form, it should be signed by the appropriate budget administrator. For VTEA grants, Director of Grants Paul Creason is the appropriate signatory.

*Late Buy-Out Requisition Payment Request: This form should be used if submission to Fiscal Operations will occur after the deadline has passed (usually in mid-spring semester). Missing the deadline should be avoided when possible.

*Human Resources: These forms are distributed by Human Resources. Any specific questions about them should be directed to Human Resources. The Economic & Resource Development personnel form is included as an example. All HR forms can be accessed at HR Forms and Documents.

*Conference: These forms are distributed by Fiscal Operations. Any questions regarding these forms should be directed to Pat Hicks at the Pacific Coast Campus. Included in the example are conference instructions, request for an advance, conference request prior to attendance, and a completed conference form after attendance. Please note that all VTEA sponsored conferences will require a summary report before reimbursement can be completed. For more information about this report, contact Jacquie Wilvers in the Office of Grants.

*C Account Number Request: This form is distributed by Fiscal Operations. Any questions regarding this form should be addressed to Fiscal Operations.

*Reimbursement: The Revolving Cash Form is distributed by Fiscal Operations. Any questions about it should be directed to the Cashier's Office. This form can be used for reimbursement of personal expenses. Please be sure to know the spending restrictions prior to making purchases on behalf of your project. There is an expenditure ceiling limit within a 24-hour period. If you violate the restrictions, you will be required to submit a report to the Vice President of Administrative Services, who will review each reimbursement request on a case-by-case basis. This option should be avoided when possible.

*Appropriation Transfer & Expense Transfer Forms: These forms are distributed by Fiscal Operations. All questions about them should be directed to Fiscal Operations. Please note that the dollar amounts on the AT are rounded up and the amounts on the ET are exact numbers.

*Request for New Fiscal Program Code Number: This form is distributed by Fiscal Operations. All questions regarding this form should be directed to that department.