BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
OFFICE OF FEDERAL AND STATE GRANTS NEWSLETTER | Summer 2017
Welcome back to the Office of Federal and State Grants quarterly newsletter! You have received this because you are a Program Manager, work closely with grants, have entitlement dollars in your budget, oversee a department that manages grants, or work with grant funds. Please forward this to anyone who may be interested and have them "subscribe." 
Look for our next issue, coming out in the fall! For updates before the next issue, or to find any of this information, please visit our website. 
THE BPS GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS

Click for a listing of Grant Opportunities Click to access the online Intent to Apply Form Click for more information on the BPS Grant Review Team Click for key information in completing your grant application Click for information on submitting your grant
Did you know that BPS has a robust grant application process in place that provides support to applicants, assures there are not competing proposals, and provides resources for finding and applying to grants? Click through the above steps to learn more about the Grant Application Process. Please be sure to submit an online Intent to Apply Form at least 3 weeks before any grant is due!

IN THIS ISSUE
Action Item: F18 Projected Grants to School Committee
Action Item: School Committee
Outcomes reporting for FY17 grants due soon
Grants Management Process
New Business Services Website
 

RESOURCES
  provides an overview of policies and procedures. 

a detailed breakdown of how to do everything related to grants at BPS. This is a great document to bookmark and use as a "first step" for any grant question.

provides easy-to-find grant information. Resources, processes, forms, contacts, stories, and grant facts are organized here to allow you and the general public to find all grant-related information at BPS. 

If you do not have access to BAIS Financials (PeopleSoft), complete and return this form to sign up for training. 

provides a constantly-updated list of grant opportunities that you, your school, or department might be interested in applying to, as well as a list of helpful places to search for upcoming opportunities. 

the first step in applying to any grant. The online Intent to Apply form should be completed once you make the decision to apply for a grant and no less than 14 days before the grant is due.  

LETTER OF SUPPORT REQUEST FORM
if a Letter of Support is required from the Superintendent, please complete the Letter of Support Form. 

FISCAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
outlines the policies and procedures of how the Boston Public Schools fully complies with EDGAR 2 CFR 200 Federal Regulations.

HELPFUL HOW-TOS
Step-by-step instructions on how to do common grant actions. 









Check out the Grants Management Library for many more how-tos! 
 
ACTION ITEM: FY18 Projected Grants to School Committee

The below grants have been loaded into Future Force, based on a projection program managers provided in December, but have not yet obtained School Committee approval. If you manage any of these grants , please complete the School Committee form and return it to Bennett Griesmer ( [email protected] ) absolutely no later than August 24th. A delay in your grant appearing before School Committee will result in a delay in your grant being loaded and available to spend.
  • BPS18502 - CBHM Research and Data
  • BPS18272 - Title III
  • BPS18102 - School Lunch
  • BPS18151 - McKinney Homeless
  • BPS18145 - IDEA
  • BPS18146 - SPED Early Childhood
  • BPS18157 - Perkins
  • BPS18147 - SPED Program Improvement
  • BPS18492 - Childrens PILOT
  • BPS18398 - Early Intervention Literacy
  • BPS18494 - Inst. for Ed. Science ELT Rsrc
  • BPS18514S - 21st CCLC Summer Enhancement
  • BPS18347 - 21st Century Continuation
  • BPS18481 - 21st Century SPED Enhancement
 
Reminder: School Committee Approval needed for All Grants
 
No funds may be accepted into the district, programming started, or dollars expended until the grant has received School Committee Approval. Your grant must go to School Committee in order for spending to begin.

You can find the School Committee calendar and more information on our website .

Submitting a grant for School Committee Approval:
1. Intent to Apply
If you have not yet complete the Intent to Apply , complete this form first.

2. Submit
A. School Committee Acceptance form ( please note: due to feedback from the School Committee, the template has changed slightly. Please download and complete the new template. ) Please submit this form to Bennett Griesmer ( [email protected] ) at least 8 days prior to the School Committee meeting you wish to attend.
** Additional guidance on writing strong SMART goals can be found here .
B. Grant application with budget details
C. Award notification or signed contract, if available

3. Confirm
Please send the name of the individual who will attend the School Committee Meeting to represent your grant and to answer any questions that may arise. There is no formal presentation, but one representative needs to be present to answer questions that arise. This individual should have working knowledge of the grant.
Image_ How to submit a grant for SC approval
Outcomes Reporting for FY17 Grants Due Soon


You will soon receive an email asking you to complete your SMART goals outcomes reporting. The report is our way of reporting back to the School Committee the outcomes that each grant achieved by the end of fiscal year.

Please be on the lookout for an email regarding Outcomes Reporting and complete in a timely manner.

For your reference, here is the 2016 SMART Goals Outcome Report that was presented to School Committee.
Do You Know The Whole Grants Management Process?

Check your understanding of the grants management process/life cycle by walking through our Grants Management Overview. This helps orient you to the process of setting up your grant, managing spend down and successfully closing it out.

This is a great tool for anyone working with grant funds. This not only walks through the grants life cycle from start to finish, but also highlights all new policies and procedures and key dates. 
Image_ View the Grant Management lifecycle
NEW: Business Services Website

The Business Services Office has a new website and Purchasing manual. These new resources provide you with helpful tools like 'How to' videos and step-by-step instructions on a variety of Business processes (putting on a requisition, putting on a budget transfer, looking up your budget, etc.), contact information and more. Please check it out here.
BPS Fiscal Policies and Procedures  


In collaboration with the State, the Office of Federal and State Grants has created a Fiscal Policies and Procedures manual, which contains the internal controls and grant management standards used by the District to ensure that all federal funds are lawfully expended. 

The manual describes in detail the District's financial management system, including: cash management procedures; procurement policies; inventory management protocols; procedures for determining the allow-ability of expenditures; time and effort reporting; record retention; and, sub-recipient monitoring responsibilities. 

New employees of the District, as well as incumbent employees, are expected to review this manual to gain familiarity and understanding of the District's rules and practices.

Image_ View the Policies and Procedures Manual
ContactUs
CONTACT US!

ANU MEDAPPA JAYANTH
BENNETT GRIESMER
CARLOS MARTINEZ
Director of Federal and State Grants
Manager  of Federal and State Grants
Coordinator  of Federal and State Grants
(617)635-6995
(617)635-8582
(617)635-9084

HOW ARE WE DOING?
We would love to hear from you! We would love your thoughts on our newsletter, our department, what works well, and what our department can do to better assist you. Please take a moment to leave feedback here .