Importance of Communication:

The Grant Development office serves as a communication link within BISD and collaborative entities working on grant proposals. Increased communication can reduce duplication of efforts (e.g., two overlapping or competing proposals) and increase the chances of a grant being funded.

Criteria for Communicating with the Grant Development office:

Those interested in submitting grant proposals must consult the Grant Development office if the proposal meets one or more of the following criteria:

• Proposal requires Board and/or Superintendent endorsement
• Proposal duplicates or competes with other proposals from BISD
• Proposal requires additional personnel or changes in current personnel
• Proposal requires a match in funding from BISD Proposal is for an amount of $50,000 or more per funding year

The Grant Development office can best support the grant process when information about grants is communicated early in the proposal writing stage.

Grant Development Process:

The Grant Development office searches, identifies, and screens available grants for eligibility and suitability. After a careful review of each RFP (timelines, required fund matching, academic, legal, and political requirements and implications, etc.) a grant synopsis is prepared and e-mailed to appropriate district personnel including central office and/or campus administrative staff.

Once notified of a potential opportunity, those interested in pursuing the grant contact the Grant Development office. A meeting is then scheduled among the interested applicants to further examine the available grant and its relation to district/campus needs.

Depending on the grant requirements, a decision is made either not to pursue the grant or to apply as a collaborative, individually, or both. If the grant is pursued, district/campus administrators identify key staff to help develop and submit the grant proposal. The Grant Development office then provides three levels of assistance in developing and submitting the grant.