Overview of Grants Process

Prof. James Machoki M’ImunyaPrincipal Investigator, IEARDAUniversity of Nairobi, Kenya

Presentation Plan• Institutional research and grants culture• Identification of grant opportunities• Evaluation of grant feasibility• Grant application process• Grant decision-making (award/decline)• Grant compliance• Performance measurement and reporting • Closeout• Sustainability

Grants Management

Cycle

Closeout Institutional Research and Grants Culture

Sustainability

Institutional Research/Grants Culture• Top leadership’s role• Centralized office of research and grants support• Coordinated grants writing, submission, and award

management

Institutional Research/Grants Culture (cont.)• Policies and guidelines• Human capacity building• Databases for donor agencies• Linkages and partnerships

Identify Grant Opportunities• Efficient support systems for grants identification and writing • Research and grant opportunities dissemination to faculty and

students• Support for grants proposal writing

Evaluate Grant Feasibility• Identify appropriate institutional team and relevant

collaborating institutions• Match the goals and objectives of the grant with the national

needs and institutional core mandates• Provide relevant support to the grant writing team

Grant Application Process• Prepare the grant application proposal and other required

documents• Submit in line with funding agency requirements and

institutional guidelines/policies

Grant Decision: Award Granted• Based on peer reviewers guided by a set donor agency’s

evaluation criteria and the quality of the grant application submitted

• Celebrate success!

Grant Decision: Award Declined• Mechanisms of addressing possible negative effects to grant

writing team• Lessons learned: reviewers’ comments• If applicable, reapply

Grant Compliance• Familiarization with donor and recipient institutional financial

policies and guidelines• Adherence to project implementation strategy

Performance Measuring and Reporting• Monitoring and evaluation• Tracking, documenting, and reporting on project performance• Information-based decision-making to improve performance

Closeout DocumentationDue within 90 days of project end date: • Final progress report • Final Federal Financial report• Final inventions statement and certification (if applicable)

Closeout Documentation (cont.)Retention of records:• 6 years for official files • If open audit, litigation, and/or administrative proceeding are

possible, the retention period may be longer

Sustainability• Strategies and mechanisms to be integral components of the

project implementation strategy• Short- and long-term impact• Continuation of funding