General
Question: What function does the Kirkwood Grants Services Office Serve?
Answer: The Kirkwood Grants office was established to assist the College in pursuit of funding opportunities available through federal, state and private foundation grants. The staff research and assist in proposal preparation of sponsored programs for College departments. The Grants office focuses on meeting financial needs not covered by state or college budgets.
Question: Can you help me find funding for a grant?
Answer: The Kirkwood Grants Services office is available to assist faculty and staff with College-related funding. We are not able to assist the general public in pursuing funding sources, as we are responsible for securing funding for Kirkwood Community College sponsored programs.
Question: How can I locate funding sources for my project?
Answer: A good place to start is to perform a search on the Information Superhighway. A suggested search engine is www.dogpile.com that has the capability to search multiple search engines simultaneously. Other funding information is available at http://www.grants.gov/ and www.foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp. Just type in your keywords you would like to research. If you are interested in a particular funding agency, visit their site independently and check under the "Grants" section to see what types of programs are currently accepting applications. Good luck!
Question: Do you handle financial aid?
Answer: No, our office is not involved in processing financial aid requests for Kirkwood students (e.g., PELL grants, FAFSA, student loans). Please give Financial Aid a call at 319-398-5485 or 1-800-332-2055, Ext. 5485. If you prefer, visit them at www.kirkwood.edu/financialaid.
Kirkwood Community College Faculty and Staff
Question: How do I submit an idea for a grant project?
Answer: If you have a solid program concept for which you would like to seek funds, write a one-page white paper that explains the program concept, from start to finish. Once you have prepared this white paper, please submit it to the Grants office for review. One of the team members will contact you to further discuss the idea after it has been reviewed.
Question: What is my role in the grants proposal process?
Answer: You will take a very active role in the grants proposal process. You are the "resident expert" and will be responsible for writing your proposal. In addition, you need to receive approval from your immediate supervisor for the project, as many grants require matching funds from Kirkwood Community College. The grants staff is available to assist you in the review and editing of your proposal. The grants office will submit the final proposal to the funding source. Once the proposal is submitted, and we receive word the program has been funded, that's when the real work will begin! You will be an important member of the team to ensure the program meets or exceeds the stated goals and objectives, and that he required reports are submitted so the grants team can review them prior to submission to the agency, before the deadline date.
Question: How do I find a funding source?
Answer: Since you are interested in a specific area of study, you can go directly to the funding source websites to see what grants are accepting applications at that time. A Request for Proposal (RFP) will be available for your information. Once you review the RFP and if you think your program concept is a match, then you can submit your white paper to the grants office for consideration.
Question: My project just got funded, what are my next steps?
Answer: Congratulations!!! As soon as you receive your official letter of award from the funding agency you must provide a copy of the notice to the Grants Department. Once we receive the official notice we will review and help you take the next steps, which could include negotiating terms of the letter of award agreement, ensuring that the correct Kirkwood Administrator signs the letter of award as the "Authorized Representative" of the college, and set-up the Budget Review Meeting. We will also need to review the Kirkwood Sponsored Program Policies and Procedures Manual with the Project Director or Principle Investigator and the Department Executive.
