When a grant is awarded, the funder sends the College notification of the award. Depending on the funder, this notification can be a simple award letter, email, formal Notice of Grant Award (NGA), or Grant Award Notification (GAN). Regardless of the form, the award notification certifies that funds have been awarded to the College. The notification of award typically includes the following:
- Applicable terms and conditions of the award, either by reference or inclusion;
- Names of important contacts at the funding agency and the names of the Project Director or principal investigator at the College;
- Programmatic and financial reporting requirements;
- Payment procedures;
- Inclusion by reference of the application and proposal submitted by the College; and
- Grant award agreement requiring the signature of the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR).
Upon receipt of the award notification, the Project Director will forward a copy of all documents received to the SPO. The SPO will contact the Project Director to schedule a Kick-Off meeting. This meeting is intended to:
- Provide the Project Director with the basic information needed to implement the grant successfully.
- Analyze the grant documents and required training in detail.
- Communicate a shared understanding of project objectives, deliverables, budget, and timeline
- Review College grant implementation procedures and applicable regulations
- Address all concerns or questions the Project Director may have.
- Sign the Project Director Commitment form.
Suppose the funder requires acknowledgment or acceptance of a grant award by executing a contract or agreement. In that case, the documents must be forwarded to the College Office for Advancement for signature. The College President and the Vice President for Advancement are the only college employees who are authorized to sign grant-related documents. The College President has authorized the Vice President for Advancement to sign such documents as the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) for Santa Fe College. No one else is allowed to sign grant documents for the College.
Documents requiring the signature of the AOR should be sent directly to the Office for Advancement. Once the papers are signed, SPO will send a copy or copies to the Project Director for their files. Sponsored Projects Office cannot review the contract or agreement for legal sufficiency. Only the Santa Fe College Office of the General Counsel can make that determination.
