Pasadena City College is an equity-minded learning community dedicated to enriching students’ academic, personal, and professional lives through an array of degree and certificate programs, campus engagement, and customized student support. To help accomplish this mission, PCC’s institutional resource development often requires revenue sources beyond state funding. Identifying, applying for, and being awarded grants can be a critical financial resource for PCC, but not all projects are suitable for grant funding and not all grants are designed for community colleges.

Grant Inquiry Form
Sample Form
Budget Form

Grants Frequently Asked Questions

What Can Grants Do?

  • They can fund both small and large projects.
  • They can fund projects that are beyond the scope of one division or program.
  • They can support campus-wide innovation in instruction or student services.
  • They can augment services for specific student populations.
  • They can pilot new strategies or programs that may be institutionalized at the end of the grant.
  • They can purchase specialized equipment to update labs and classrooms.

What Can Grants NOT Do?

  • They cannot support regular activities of the college.
  • They cannot pay the college’s operating expenses.
  • They cannot pay salaries other than those associated with grant activities.
  • They cannot provide a permanent funding source for a project or program.
  • They cannot support costs associated with preparing grant applications.

Yes. There are two main types of grants:

Government grants (federal, state, and local) specify the characteristics of projects they want to fund. They may require specific objectives, activities, strategies, target populations, or a minimum number of students to be served. Many offer multi-year awards, and applications usually are accepted at the end of the funding cycle. Awards may range from $100,000 to more than $1 million annually. Most competitions allow 30-45 days from release of the Request for Applications (RFA) until the submission deadline. Applicants for federal opportunities can expect to wait from six to nine months after submission before awards are announced, while review of State-funded grants may be completed and awards announced in one to three months.

Grants from private sources, such as charitable and community foundations or corporate giving programs, generally describe funding priorities broadly, giving applicants more freedom to define a proposed project. Most grants are for one year only and most awards are less than $25,000. Some funders hold annual competitions, while others accept proposals year-round. Awards are usually announced within six months from the date of submission.

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE) is your campus resource for developing grant applications to external funding sources, including both public agencies and private sources. All external grant applications are submitted by OIE. Applications to public sources require prior approval by the College’s Executive Committee based upon alignment with PCC’s Mission and Strategic Plan. OIE reviews all potential applications to private sources with the PCC Foundation before developing a proposal.

OIE supports development of grant proposals through its expertise in data collection and analysis, as well as program review. If a grant requires PCC data, such as demographics or student outcomes, a submission process exists to ensure submission of grants in a timely manner, well before posted deadlines. When a grant requires data tracking and evaluation, OIE must be contacted for guidance in developing an evaluation plan.

The Grant Inquiry Form is a short, upfront notice to Fiscal and Administration that you're considering applying for a grant. It's not a proposal review or an approval gate meant to slow you down. It is how the College catches potential problems (indirect cost restrictions, matching requirements, unrealistic deliverables, staffing capacity, e.g.) before anyone invests hours into writing a full proposal.

Submitting the inquiry early means:

  • Fiscal can flag cost issues immediately. If a funder caps or disallows indirect costs, or requires a cost-share/match, Fiscal can provide you that information up front rather than after the proposal is drafted.
  • The College avoids applying for grants it can't deliver on. It is not fiscally responsible to accept a grant whose terms are unrealistic. The inquiry form is the first checkpoint for that conversation.
  • Your time is protected. Writing a competitive proposal takes real effort. It is better to identify a dealbreaker in a 10-minute form than after a week of writing.

The Inquiry Form tells the College you're planning to apply and gives the basic shape of the opportunity (funder, purpose, amount, deadline). The Budget Information Sheet goes one level deeper by laying out the anticipated costs: salaries/stipends, benefits, supplies, equipment, travel, subawards, and how indirect costs and any required match would be calculated against the funder's rules.

This information is important before proposal writing begins because indirect costs, staffing costs, and any cost-share commitments must be built into the budget from the start, rather than added after the narrative is written and the numbers may no longer accurately support it.

The proposal narrative, the scope of work, staffing plan, and deliverables, should be written in conjunction with the budget as issues may arise (indirect costs are capped lower than expected, a required match can't be met, the timeline doesn't support the promised outcomes, etc.) that cause the proposal to be reworked or withdrawn entirely. Submitting the Inquiry Form and Budget Information Sheet first lets Fiscal and the Principal Investigator(s) (PI(s)) build the budget and scope together, resulting in a strongly written and executable proposal once funded.

A grant is an award of funds from an external source, federal or state agency, foundation, corporation, or other outside organization, given for a specific purpose, with defined deliverables, a performance period, and reporting or compliance requirements attached. If money is coming in from outside the institution and comes with strings (a scope of work, a budget you're expected to follow, reports you have to file, rules about how it can be spent, etc.), it's a grant for purposes of this process, regardless of the dollar amount or which agency or foundation is issuing it.

This is different from:

  • A gift or donation given with no specific deliverables, reporting requirements, or performance conditions attached.
  • A contract or fee-for-service agreement: payment for a defined product or service, typically without the same indirect cost/compliance framework as a grant.
  • A sponsorship: support tied to an event or activity rather than a scope of work with reporting obligations.

Submit both any time you intend to apply for external funding on the institution's behalf, including:

  • Applying for a new federal, state, or foundation grant
  • Submitting a Letter of Intent (LOI) or pre-application that, if invited to submit a full proposal, would commit the institution to a budget, match, or scope of work
  • Applying for a continuation, renewal, or supplemental funding on an existing grant that changes the scope or budget
  • Agreeing to serve as a subrecipient on another organization's grant (i.e., someone else is the primary awardee, but we'd PCC would receive a subaward)
  • Any situation where you'd be committing institutional resources, staff time, facilities, or matching funds as part of the application
As early as possible, ideally as soon as you've identified a funding opportunity you're seriously considering, and before you begin drafting the narrative or detailed budget. Even a preliminary or "I'm thinking about this" submission is better than waiting, since it gives Fiscal Services time to flag issues without creating a bottleneck  before a deadline and putting submission in jeopardy.
When a Grant Inquiry Form and Budget Information Sheet are submitted, they are sent directly to Purchasing, Fiscal Services, and the appropriate Area Vice President for vetting and approvals. Once it has cleared those steps, it returns to OIE for final approval. Once it is approved, you will be notified to proceed with the grant application process, and OIE will set up the appropriate workspace (if applicable) and provide support as needed. Fiscal Services will also be notified that they will need to set up the Fund-Organization-Account-Program codes (FOAP) once the Board of Trustees accepts the grant, if awarded.

Indirect costs (sometimes called "overhead" or "F&A (facilities and administrative) costs” cover the real expenses the College incurs to support a grant that aren't tied to one specific project line item, for example, grant accountants, compliance reporting, contract review, insurance and liability coverage, and the administrative infrastructure that keeps a grant compliant and audit ready.

The College does not request indirect cost recovery to pad a budget. Rather, it is requested because those costs are real, and if they are not recouped, the institution absorbs them out of funds that would otherwise go to our core mission, including funding classes and support services for students.

The current rate is 25.8%, and it comes from our federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA). This isn't a number we choose or adjust project by project, it is calculated according to a fixed federal methodology, and we don't have discretion over what gets included or excluded.  The rate reflects actual overhead costs for the College.
Waiving indirect costs is not fiscally responsible. If a grant does not cover the overhead required to administer it, the institution ends up subsidizing that gap from other funds that support students and core operations. Recovering indirect costs the College is eligible for sustains the infrastructure (accounting, compliance, contracts, risk management) that makes it possible to pursue grant funding.
Some funders cap or restrict indirect costs by policy (for example, certain foundation or de minimis-rate awards). In those cases, Fiscal Services will work with program staff to understand the actual cost impact before submission. The principle stays the same either way: the College makes an informed, fiscally responsible decision at the beginning, rather than treating indirect costs as optional or negotiable.
Fiscal Services considers whether the College can realistically meet the grant's terms and deliverables.  As it is not responsible for waiving indirect costs, it is not responsible for accepting a grant whose terms and reporting/deliverable requirements cannot be fulfilled or achieved. Both checks (cost recovery and deliverability) are part of the same fiscal responsibility standard applied to every application.

In most cases involving federal or state grants, a workspace will need to be created in the grantors webpage/portal, (i.e. grants.gov). OIE will set up the workspace and may also help you create an account and associate your account with the College so that you have the ability to access the workspace.

Successful grant proposals require preparation and attention to detail. Government grants generally specify acceptable formatting (fonts, margins, line spacing) and almost every competition from public or private sources sets a limit on the number of pages in the narrative. Proposals not formatted correctly, or that exceed the page limit, will be disqualified. Beyond these basic requirements, competitive proposals incorporate the following strategies:

  •  Make it easy for the reader. Write in the third person and the active voice. Be clear and concise and avoid lengthy sentences and paragraphs.
  • Follow the application instructions exactly. Use the language and proposal structure laid out in the instructions. For example, if the funder requests a narrative that addresses points A through G, organize the proposal starting with the response to A and proceeding through your response to G.
  • Add visual interest such as bullet points, boldface, or tables. Visuals can summarize points discussed in text and help the reader distinguish between key points and those of lesser significance.
  • Avoid jargon or any other references that might be unknown to the reader, and do not include acronyms that are not explained.
  • Do NOT wait until the last minute to complete your assigned tasks. Meet all deadlines set by OIE so that application package can be submitted at least one day ahead of the deadline. Most submissions are electronic and technical difficulties may jeopardize a last-minute submission.

Work with OIE to prepare all required parts of the application.

OIE will assist with writing, editing, and preparation of the application package. However, ultimate responsibility for providing all required content rests with the proposer. If deadlines are not met, or the minimum content has not been provided, OIE may determine that a proposal is not suitable for submission. Only applications that are complete and competitive will be submitted. OIE assembles, reviews, and submits the final application.

Grant applications feature many common components that require narratives. Below is a list of common components and their significance.

Need for the Project (or Problem Statement) identifies the target populations the project will serve and describes their unmet needs using recent statistical data. This section is the foundation for the proposal and should provide sufficient detail to make a convincing argument that a need exists and is consistent with the funder’s priorities.

Goals and Objectives articulate your proposed solutions to the problems described in the Need section. Project goals are broad statements of purpose and should be consistent with the funder’s priorities. Objectives should be specific and measurable and should be realistic when compared to the baseline data presented in the Need section.

Plan of Operation, Management Plan, or Work Plan describes the project activities that support each objective. Timelines must be included, along with project staff who will be responsible for each activity. Narratives will include descriptions of how the project will be organized and managed, including record-keeping procedures and fiscal management. Where applicable, you may describe how activities were chosen, and why they represent proven best practices to accomplish the goal.

Evaluation Plan is commonly requested for projects of all sizes. Funders want grantees to monitor project activity regularly and adjust the plan if selected strategies are not working. The Evaluation Plan identifies the types of data to be collected, when it will be collected, the instruments or methods used to collect data, and how the data will be used. Data may be quantitative (measurable), such as a percentage increase in a particular outcome, or qualitative, such as results of a survey of participants to assess their satisfaction with services they have received. The plan should include both formative evaluation conducted throughout the project and summative evaluation reporting outcomes when the project has been completed. Large government grants may require an outside evaluator paid with a portion of the grant dollars.

Budget Narrative documents each line item in your grant budget. The funder wants applicants to demonstrate that costs are both reasonable and sufficient to accomplish the project objectives. Rough estimates will not be accepted. Be prepared to show how expenses were calculated. OIE will assist with special calculations such as fringe benefits and indirect costs.

Sustainability or Institutionalization is becoming a requisite feature of successful grant proposals. Most funding agencies view their grants as seed money to develop a project and they expect some aspect or aspects of the project to continue beyond the grant period. This reinforces the need to pursue grant projects that align with PCC’s Mission and Strategic Plan and are focused on revising curriculum or student services in a manner that can be continued in post-grant years.

Dissemination Plan or Project Impact addresses the funder’s preference for projects that can be replicated at other institutions using tested best practices. If the project serves 200 students but has the potential to impact thousands more on other campuses, the funder has received a tangible return on their investment. Specific plans must be provided to collaborate with other institutions during the project or to inform those institutions about the methods and practices developed in the project to promote student success.

Abstract or Summary is a clear and concise synopsis of the grant request. Usually limited to one page, it may include a statement of the need and the project purpose, the number of persons to be served, and a list of project objectives and proposed activities. While the Abstract is often positioned at the beginning of the application package, it will be one of the last sections to be written.

If your grant is awarded by the grantor, you and the College will be notified and OIE will prepare a consent item to submit to the Board of Trustees for official acceptance. Once the Board approves acceptance, Fiscal Services will create an account string and assign an accountant to communicate with the PI regarding fund distribution and management. 

The PI will stay in communication with OIE for the duration of the grant and prepare Annual Performance Reports (APRs) as required based on the terms of the grant.