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Grants

The grants office advances the mission and strategic direction of the college through pre- and post-award grant development support. Grant funding from private and public sources is important to Central as a way to test and implement innovations that serve students as we diversify our sources of financial support. This work is housed within the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, providing a framework for planning, supporting and measuring educational excellence through qualitative and quantitative analysis.

Central students and employees interested in our institutional grant processes are encouraged to attend one of our quarterly grants introduction presentations hosted over Zoom. Participants can expect to increase their familiarity with our office, ability to navigate grant approval processes, practice with developing funding cases, and understanding of grant development and management at large.

Contact the grants office with inquiries:

Ignacio/Nacho Alarcón
Director of Grants & Strategic Initiatives
ignacio.alarcon@seattlecolleges.edu 

Public reporting of Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).

Our office supports grant development in the stages prior to receiving an award. This includes research on funding opportunities of interest, navigation of case statement approval by the President’s cabinet, support for grant writing processes, assistance with Fiscal Services’ grant budget approvals, and more.

Members of the Central community interested in pursuing grant funds are required to complete the Case Statement Approval form. These processes help to ensure requisite resources and support to achieve the goals of the grant and alignment with the college's mission and vision. Successful case statement approval provides the requisite go-ahead to pursue specific grant funds.

Pre-Award Files

Congratulations on being successfully awarded a grant. To ensure successful grant management, please review the following post-award process. Questions can be directed to the Director of Grants & Strategic Initiatives.

Receiving Award

  • Review District Procedure 670 Appendix C Grant/Contract Checklist (pdf) for roles and responsibilities of the Project Director, the Business Office, and the Director of Grants & Strategic Initiatives 
  • Coordinate with the Director of Grants & Strategic Initiatives for approval of contract paperwork by the Business Office, Vice President of the applicable department, and the President’s signature
  • Provide fully executed copy of grant contract and award notification to the Business Office and request a new ChartString (budget number) to be created in ctcLink. The request should include:
    • Short description of the grant 
    • Funder 
    • CFDA number, if applicable (for federal grants) 
    • Start and end dates 
    • Total project budget and detailed breakdown by activity (e.g. salary, benefits, goods/services, etc.) 
    • Indirect rate and/or amount
    • Type of grant/contract (e.g. cost reimbursement, fixed price, etc.) 
  • Email the Business Office and Financial Aid Office to request Item Types for grants/contracts that include student aid (e.g. tuition, fees, etc.) 
  • Email the Business Office to request Combination (Combo) codes (pdf) for grants/contracts that include salaries/wages. Combo codes are used for payroll-related transactions. The request should include:
    • Chartstring (budget number) including Fund, Appropriation (if applicable), Class, Account, Department, Project ID, and Project Activity 
    • Personnel position type (e.g., Exempt, Faculty, Classified, Student, etc.) 
    • Percent effort (to be funded by the grant) 
  • Review contract documents and applicable rules/regulations/guidance (e.g. Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200) and Compliance Supplement for federal awards) 
  • Complete applicable ctcLink training, and email ctclinksecurity@seattlecolleges.edu to request access to ctcLink and Report Queries and schedule training if necessary 
  • Ensure the Business Office entered budget details correctly in ctcLink by navigating to NavBar > Navigator > Grants > Awards > Project Budget Inquiry. Alert the Business Office if anything needs to be adjusted 
  • Create filing/recordkeeping systems in your department as necessary for grant maintenance During 

Grant Activity Period

  • Complete Time & Effort reports at least monthly if applicable (for federal funds) and maintain in department files 
  • Carry out project activities and spend funds in a timely manner, keeping in mind that certain transactions (e.g. procurement, equipment, etc.) may require multiple steps and/or coordination with various departments, etc. 
  • Review monthly budget and expenditure reports in detail and reconcile the grant budget monthly, alongside any internal budget monitoring
  • Initiate billing requests to the campus Business Office at the intervals established by the funder and by internal policy, as applicable 
  • Alert the Business Office and the Director of Grants & Strategic Initiatives of any budget revisions throughout the life of the grant 
  • Complete performance reports for grant maintenance with support as necessary from the Business Office and the Director of Grants & Strategic Initiatives  

Closing Out the Grant

  • Close-out the grant by completing final performance reports and receiving assistance as necessary from the Business Office and the Director of Grants & Strategic Initiatives 
  • Business Office completes financial closing procedures for the grant at the end of the activity period 

The following links may be helpful for your grant implementation:  

Seattle Central/Seattle District

Time and Effort

Records required to ensure that the percentage of time worked is reconciled with the percentage of time charged against the federal budget.

State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

Federal

Post-Award Support