Why do I have to work with the Grants Office? Why can’t I just submit my own grants?
With multiple departments and programs spread out across campus, it isn’t unusual to have more than one area interested in pursuing the same grant. One of the primary roles of the Grants Office staff is to prevent this type of duplication, which can disqualify an applicant from a grant competition or put NDSCS programs in competition with one another. The President’s Office has charged the Grants Office with being the point of contact for all College grant-seeking efforts, to evaluate grant ideas and funding opportunities, to assess the likelihood of success, to coordinate proposal development, and to keep all official records in accordance with federal and state regulations. In addition, the Grants Office staff has specific expertise that will increase the competitiveness of grant proposals.

I have an idea for a grant, what do I do now?
Contact the Grants Office at (701) 671-2284.

What if my grant idea does not fit within the College’s grant-seeking priorities?
If your idea does not fit within the priorities, it doesn’t mean that you can’t pursue a grant. However, it does mean that the Grants Office won’t be able to spend as much time on your grant as one that does fit within the priorities. If you don’t think your idea fits within the priorities, you must still contact the Grants Office to discuss the grant. Grants that do not fit within the priorities still go through the grants approval process managed by the Grants Office. In addition, the Grants Office will review and edit your grant proposal and obtain the President’s signature on grant application documents.

The grants approval process seems very long and involved. Do I really have to do all those things?
Yes, but the Grants Office will help! The grants approval process was designed to ensure that we are aware of all grants to be developed and submitted by the College. A number of issues are considered during the approval process, including the likelihood of funding, ability to charge indirect costs, alignment with the College’s master plan, availability of matching funds, and requirements to continue the project after the funding ends. The Grants Office will help shepherd your grant through the approval process. Following this process helps to ensure that you don’t spend a lot of time developing a grant proposal that is not approved or submitted. At the recommendation of the College’s Grants Management Director, the grants process can occasionally be expedited. However, this is the exception rather than the rule.

I just found out about a grant that is due in a few weeks. Can we submit something?
If you have just learned of a grant opportunity with a quick deadline, call the Grants Office immediately to discuss the grant. If the grant application is short and simple, it may still be possible to submit a grant. However, a large federal grant usually requires at least three months of planning and development in order to produce a competitive proposal. Part of deciding whether the College will pursue a grant includes assessing whether we can develop a proposal that is likely to be funded within the time allotted.

My department has been asked to partner on a grant submitted by another agency and/or to provide a letter of support for another agency’s grant. Do I need to contact the Grants Office?
Yes. Depending on the level of NDSCS’s expected involvement in the grant project, you may or may not need to go through the full grants approval process. Generally, the greater the involvement of the College, the more likely it is that you will need to follow the process. It may also be the case that another NDSCS department has been asked to partner with a different agency on the same grant. Alternatively, NDSCS could be submitting its own grant proposal to the same competition. Some grant competitions allow this and others don’t. If you’ve been asked to partner on a grant or provide a letter of support, contact the Grants Office so we can advise you on how to proceed.

Who can sign grants and award documents?
As per NDSCS Policy, only the President (or in some cases the project director) can sign these documents for the College. As per the grants approval process, the Grants Office is responsible for obtaining signatures from the President for all grant application and award documents. If you have a grant document that needs to be signed, contact the Grants Office.

What are indirect costs and why do I have to budget for them?
Indirect costs are the costs to run a grant that are not directly attributable to project activities. Examples of indirect costs include those incurred by the physical plant (to provide space and utilities), human resources (to hire staff and address employee-relations issues), financial services (to pay invoices and ensure fiscal accountability), institutional research (to collect data), and the Grants Office itself. The College’s federally approved indirect rate is 45%. This means that it takes 45% of the direct costs of a grant to provide the services described above. Few grants allow the College to budget its full, approved indirect rate. In general, it is College policy to budget for the maximum indirect cost allowed by a grant (up to our negotiated rate). Without indirect costs, the College could not afford to offer the services provided by grant programs.

Can I write my own grant?
When you meet with the Grants Office staff to discuss your grant proposal, we’ll talk about the roles each of us will play in the grant development process. For large federal grants, the Grants Office is responsible for proposal coordination and writing, although other College staff may contribute drafts of program sections that will be edited by Grants Office staff. For smaller grants, program staff/faculty usually takes the lead in writing the proposal.

Can I pitch an idea to a program officer?
The Grants Office usually takes the lead in all pre-award conversations with program officers from government agencies, particularly for the large federal grants in which the Grants Office specializes. Having one point of contact between NDSCS and the agency limits confusion and decreases the likelihood of conflicting information during the proposal development process. Once a grant is awarded, the project director is responsible for communication with the program officer assigned to their project.

For assistance with your grant development efforts and/or questions about grants, please contact:

Rick Hendrickson
Grants Management Director
Phone: (701) 671-2337
Fax: (701) 671-2340
E-mail: Rick.Hendrickson@ndscs.edu

Heather Zilmer
Grants Management and Research Assistant
Phone: (701) 671-2284
Fax: (701) 671-2340
E-mail: Heather.Zilmer@ndscs.edu

Our office is located on the campus of NDSCS, Haverty Hall, Room 118.