FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions
o CFDA : Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
o LOI : Letter of Intent or Letter of Inquiry
o NOFA : Notice of Funding Availability
o NOFO : Notice of Funding Opportunity
o RFA : Request For Application
o RFI : Request for Information
o RFP : Request For Proposal
o SGA : Solicitation for Grant Applications
o AID : U.S. Agency for International Development
o DHHS : U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
o DOC : U.S. Department of Commerce
o DOD : U.S. Department of Defense
o DOE : U.S. Department of Energy
o DOL : U.S. Department of Labor
o DOS : U.S. Department of State
o DOT : U.S. Department of Transportation
o ED or Dept. of Ed : U.S. Department of Education
o HUD : U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
o NEA : National Endowment for the Arts
o NEH : National Endowment for the Humanities
o NSF : National Science Foundation
o SBA : Small Business Administration
o USDA : U.S. Department of Agriculture
o VA : U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
o CDE : California Department of Education
o CEC : California Energy Commission
o GO-Biz : Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development
o OPR : Governor's Office of Planning and Research
In the context of the Kern CCD Grants Office, a grant is an externally funded financial award for a specific amount and a specific period for a predetermined purpose. Grants generally come from federal, state, or local agencies or private funders (foundations).
Grant funds may support both small and large projects, and typically including the following expenses:
- Student Support and Services
- Curriculum Development
- Salaries and Benefits
- Programming
- Equipment
- Supplies
- Marketing
Grant funds do not support the following requests:
- Supplanting regular activities and operating expenses of the district or college
- Paying salaries other than those associated with grant activities
- Providing a permanent funding source for a project or program
- Supporting individual students
Existing grant funding is already allocated and dedicated to the particular purposes of the grant as approved by the funder. Thus, those grant funds must be used for approved purposes of the awarded grant. Programs seeking external funding are welcome to work with the Kern CCD Grants Office to identify opportunities relevant to their areas.
- Competitive grants, by definition, require an application that is critically reviewed and scored by a funding agency through a process under which not all applicants receive funding. Funding agencies may be federal, state, and/or local. Grants are delimited to a specific award period and specific approved use.
- Categorical funds, by contrast, are allocated to a district, college or college program without competitive application by the California Community College’s Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) and/or at the behest of the legislature. Categorical funds have specific criteria for their use, similar to a grant, and operate according to state programmatic direction.
- Use of grant or categorical funds requires adherence to designated program criteria. College areas with questions about competitive grants can contact the Kern CCD Grants Office and direct questions about categorical funding to Accounting.
When considering whether a project is suitable for a grant, here are some helpful questions to ask yourself:
- Does the proposed project align with district and college goals?
- Who is involved or could be involved in this project?
- How has this need been shared? Through Program Review? With your supervisor? Other venues?
- Is there capacity to manage the grant award once received?
These are just a few of the many important questions to consider when looking at a new grant idea. The Kern CCD Grants Office team is here to assist and guide you through the development process and assist you in the prospective identification of appropriate, eligible funding for your program needs.
The Kern CCD requires anyone submitting a grant on behalf of the district or one of our three colleges to work with the Grants Office on any/all submissions, even those on which we are ‘only’ a partner. Having one point of contact prevents duplication of efforts (e.g. two departments pursuing the same grant opportunity when only one proposal is allowed by the funder).
Whether a partner, or the lead/applicant, employees of the Kern CCD and its Colleges must complete a Grant Transmittal Form for all grants that are being pursued:
Grant Procedures and Routing Form - Instructions (pg1)
- Grant Routing Sheet Notice of Intent to Apply Form (pg2), and
- Grant Routing Sheet Approval to Submit Form (pg3)
- Definitions of terms (pg4)
- Note: This form is still used, but was constructed quite a number of years ago, so please contact the Kern CCD Grants Office staff for clarification on how to complete the form prior to submission.
In addition, The Kern CCD Chancellor or the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) are the only two individuals who can legally commit the district/college to any contractual agreement.
The Kern CCD Grants Office staff has specific expertise that can increase the competitiveness of grant applications, and working with the Grants Office can make the process easier and increase the likelihood of a proposal being awarded funding.
Yes. If you’ve been asked to partner on a grant proposal or provide a letter of support, please contact the Kern CCD Grants Office so we can advise you on how to proceed.
The Kern CCD Grants Office is guided by the District’s mission and values and Strategic Plan. Grant opportunities are vetted with Kern CCD and individual College leadership, taking several factors into consideration, such as alignment with the College’s mission, benefit to students, the viability of the project, and the capacity of stakeholders to contribute to the proposal development process within the funder’s timeframe.
Indirect costs are District-wide, general management costs such as accounting, budgeting, facilities, payroll preparation, personnel services, and purchasing. Without budgeting for indirect costs the district/college could not afford to offer the services provided by grant programs.
The Kern CCD Grants Office works with departments, faculty, and staff to obtain grants for district and college programs and operations. All Student Aid, including individual grants, is handled through the individual Financial Aid Offices for Bakersfield College, Cerro Coso Community College, and Porterville College.
A Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) is a unique number assigned to entities (public and private companies, individuals, institutions, or organizations) who register to do business with the federal government and are obtained from www.sam.gov. This number is used to apply for grants via Grants.gov, and the Kern Community College District is the entity which has an assigned UEI (not the separate colleges) and who is allowed to apply for funding for Bakersfield, Cerro Coso, and Portville Colleges.
Please contact either your College Accounting or KCCD Grants Office staff for the most up-to-date indirect cost rate to be used in your grant application(s).
Please contact the Kern CCD Grants Office at grantsoffice@kccd.edu.