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Saint Paul Public Schools, District 625
360 Colborne Street
Saint Paul
MN
55102

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Grant Manager Best Practices

Grant Management Best Practices

Program Management

  • Understand legislation and regulations that support the grant project
  • Understand project outcomes and focus on strategies that directly lead to these outcomes
  • Understand how activities support SPPS goals and/or school improvement plans
  • Adhere to district and funder guidelines
    • Understand how project activities may or may not be modified
    • Maintain familiarity with terms of all contracts, agreements and/or grant notifications
    • Meet SPPS liability insurance requirements
  • Develop and adhere to a project timeline that reflects the proposed activities
  • Adjust the timeline as needed and share with project team and other staff
  • Modify activities achieve project outcomes efficiently and cost-effectively
    • Avoid duplication of services
    • Maximize resources
  • Plan for project sustainability

Communication/Team Building

  • Communicate with staff at all levels of the project
    • Goals and outcomes of the project and its impact on students
    • Allowable and unallowable activities and costs
  • Ensure principals, supervisors and staff are aware of and supportive of the project
    • Provide regular updates on progress
    • Plan collaboratively to integrate activities with other schools/programs
    • Coordinate activities with other schools/programs
    • Participate on school committees and in school/program activities
    • Provide school displays highlighting successes
    • Present project information in school newsletters
    • Engage principal and administration in project activities
  • Demonstrate and document a working relationship
    • With project funder
    • With project team
      • Discuss activities and resolve issues together
      • Evaluator is a critical member of the team, not a visitor
  • Document the successful participation of partners and develop new partnerships
    • Collaborate with the program/school on business partnerships
    • Establish clearly defined and realistic goals for the partnership
    • Determine mutual needs and expectations of the project and the partners
    • Clearly define partner and project expectations, roles and responsibilities
    • Identify services and available resources
    • Create on-going monitoring and evaluation of the partnership

Budget Management

  • Provide up-to-date information on encumbered and expended funds
  • Document non-federal match budget
  • Document budget and purchasing records
  • Compare budget-to-actual monthly, confirming expenses for reimbursement requests
  • Understand budget categories to properly code expenditures
  • Understand which expenses are allowable for the project
  • Process procurement requests in an efficient and timely manner
  • Process payroll and stipends in a timely and accurate manner
  • Work with the grants management coordinator on budget modification requests

Record-keeping and Documentation

  • Maintain project records in an easily accessible location
    • Use a logical file structure
    • Use a standard naming pattern
  • Ensure student records are secure, and access is limited according to regulations
  • Maintain a database or other tool recording progress toward project outcomes
    • Update regularly
    • Efficiently provide data related to progress toward outcomes
    • Provide project evaluator with timely and accurate data
  • Prepare and submit all required reports on time

General Management

  • Document regular monitoring of project personnel activities
  • Locate information and access support services within the school system as needed
  • Access technical support services of the Grants Office as needed
  • Provide timely and regular feedback to the project evaluator

Additional Resources