May 1, 2017 – The Santa Fe College Grants Office has a new name and is starting a new workshop series to make more information available to faculty and staff about how to search for funding opportunities and apply for grants.
“We’re changing the name to Sponsored Projects Office because that better aligns us with how federal agencies view these funding programs,” explained Sponsored Projects Office Director Kathryn Lehman. “For example, the National Science Foundation does not recognize a ‘grants office’ but they do recognize ‘sponsored projects’ or ‘sponsored research.’”
Staff of the Sponsored Projects Office find and disseminate funding opportunities, coordinate the development of grant proposals, and collaborate with faculty and staff on research such as gathering information about agency backgrounds and funding histories.
The new workshop series, “Grants 101,” will be held monthly during lunch hour, with lunch provided to participants. The first workshop is scheduled for 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 23, 2017, and will feature Manager of Restricted Funds Dennis O’Hearn giving a presentation about “Time and Effort Reporting” in Building S, room 29/30.
“The purpose of these workshops is to help people get more comfortable with applying for grants,” Lehman said. “At the federal level, there has been a paradigm shift in how grants are sought and awarded. This shift is reflected here at the college, where our goal is to make it easier than ever for people to know what grants are available and how to apply for them.”
One new development that Lehman highlighted is the availability of a web-based Preliminary Grant Proposal Form that employees may complete and submit to the Sponsored Projects Office for consideration.
“It’s never too early to develop an idea and you need a good, solid concept before you look for funding opportunities,” Lehman said. “We want your ideas and this form makes it easy for you to submit them.” The form—which asks for information about the target population to be served, the identified problem or need, and potential funding sources—is available online at:
http://www.sfcollege.edu/Assets/sf/advancement/pdf/grant-proposal-form.pdf
Lehman mentioned that the National Science Foundation (NSF) is a federal agency that is particularly interested in innovative projects. “Santa Fe College has a long history of and commitment to innovation and because of that, NSF is one funding source that is a very good match for us,” she observed.
In addition to Lehman, other staff members of the Sponsored Projects Office are Yvonne Amundson, Anne Millard and Nancee Oftelie.
To sign up for the May 23 workshop on “Time and Effort Reporting,” contact Anne Millard at 352-395-5971 or email anne.millard@sfcollege.edu or Nancee Oftelie at 352-395-5051 or nancee.oftelie@sfcollege.edu.
For more information about the Sponsored Projects Office and Grants 101 workshop series, call Kathryn Lehman at 352-395-5496 or email kathryn.lehman@sfcollege.edu.