NOTE: This page is for grants with external funding sources only.  Please direct any institutional grant inquiries to the VPAA (Vice President for Academic Affairs) Office.  All grants awarded to Chadron State College must adhere to all State of Nebraska, Nebraska State College System (NSCS) and Chadron State College policies.  CSC employees or any person who receives reimbursement through CSC may not, at any time, receive funds directly from a grant.

GRANT CONSIDERATION

Board Policies for Review:


GRANT APPLICATION & INTERNAL REVIEW PROCESS

Workflow and Requirements

  • All grant applications and award agreements/contracts must use Board of Trustees of the Nebraska State Colleges dba Chadron State College as the applicants name. 
  • The Grant Application Form must be completed on ALL external grants regardless of the deadline date. Ideally, it should be completed at least two weeks prior to the deadline.  Grant application details, specifications and estimated budget are required to be submitted with the Grant Application. If the grant allows for any type of technology, please contact IT prior to applying.  The workflow form is automatically routed to obtain all required signatures necessary for approval, including IT if applicable.  A copy is also automatically sent to the Accountant for Grants.
  • The Accountant for Grants creates and submits a Board Report of the grant application to the Chancellor for approval and to add to the next Board meeting agenda.
  • Some grants may require approval from the full Broad of Trustees before being accepted.

AWARD NOTIFICATION

Grant Acceptance

  • Award notifications, acceptance letters, agreements and any additional documents related to the grant are forwarded to the Accountant for Grants and the VPAF Office to obtain the CSC Authorized Official
  • A partially executed agreement is sent to the Grant Author and Accountant for Grants to forward on to the Grantor for its authorized official signature(s).
  • A copy of the fully executed agreement is sent to the Grant Author, Accountant for Grants, the Dean and the VPAF Office.
  • The Accountant for Grants creates and submits a Board Report of the grant award to the Chancellor for approval and added to the agenda for next full Board meeting.
  • Some grants may require approval from the full Board prior to acceptance of any funds.

Grant Application Denials

  • In the event the grant was not awarded, documentation of the denial is sent to the Accountant for Grants for tracking purposes.

 POST FULLY EXECUTED AGREEMENT

Fund account (WBS)

  • Federally funded grants require an ALN - Assistance Listing Number, formerly known as the CFDA (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance) number prior to setting up the fund account.
  • The fund account for revenue and expenses is created by the Comptroller once the grant agreement is fully executed.
  • Notification of the new fund account number and ready for use is distributed to the Grant Author, PD/PI, Dean, and other necessary personnel. Generally, these fund accounts are WBS accounts.

Fund Exchange

  • Requests for reimbursement and deposits are completed by the Accountant for Grants. Fund account details and Invoice with grant budget, cumulative and current expenditures is created and sent to the Project Director/Principal Investigator for review on a quarterly basis.  The Accountant for Grants submits the Invoice or IBT for reimbursement to the Grantor and notifies the PD/PI and Dean when funds are received.

Final Report and Closing of fund account

  • All expenses that occurred within the funding period’s end date are recorded in the fund account. The last invoice indicates it is the Final Invoice and may require the PD/PI signature. At this point, the fund account is no longer available for use.
  • The Accountant for Grants will notify the PD/PI and the Dean when the final reimbursement has been received.
  • A final progress report is sent to the Dean, the VPAA office and Accountant for Grants.

 OTHER THINGS TO NOTE ONCE A GRANT HAS BEEN AWARDED:

Grants will not cover any expenses that occur before the grant period or before the agreement has been fully executed or any expense that occurs after the end of the grant period. 

If a grant provides wages for faculty, staff or students, contact Human Resources prior to beginning any work to be reimbursed by the grant.  Most grants cover benefits but will not cover health or life insurance.  This requires a journal entry to move these expenses to a different fund account.

If a grant provides student scholarships (tuition, books or fees), contact the Business Office and Financial Aid to ensure payments are properly applied to the student’s account.

Please contact the Accountant for Grants with any questions.

Revised 08/01/2025

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who is the Grant Applicant? - Board of Trustees of the Nebraska State College dba Chadron State College. 

If faculty or staff is paid as part of the grant agreement, do payroll benefits need to be part of the budget? – Yes, the recommended fringe rate is 16% (FICA, LTD and retirement). Health & life insurance is not included and will need to be paid out of a different fund account.  

If a grant allows, can students be paid?  – Yes, on-campus students can be paid at an hourly rate. Stipends are not allowed for students or staff. Contact Human Resources (HR) with any student employment concerns.

If indirect cost funds are available as part of the grant, how much should be included in the application budget? – CSC does not have a negotiated indirect cost rate agreement, therefore, the federal de minimis is 10%. Indirect cost funds are used to offset administrative costs and are not approved for any other use.

What if there is a cash match required by CSC? –  The cash match must be disclosed on the Grant Application form along with the source of the State Matching Funds. The approval or disapproval of the application will inform you whether this is allowed by CSC Administration.

What if there is an in-kind funds requirement? – This must be disclosed the on the Grant Application form and the approval or disapproval of the application will inform you whether this is allowed by CSC Administration.

What if there is a commitment from CSC past the period of the grant? –  This type of grant must be approved by the full Board of Trustees prior to acceptance. See Board Policy 6704.

How soon can I get my application approved by the Board? – Most applications only require approval from the Chancellor. Once the Accountant for Grants receives notification of a Grant Application, a Board report is created and submitted to the Chancellor and is approved within a day or two. If the grant requires full Board approval, you may still submit the application after you have received the appropriate CSC approvals; however, if the Board does not approve of the grant, CSC may not accept the award. Board meetings happen five times per year with the requirement that all Board materials are due several weeks prior to the meeting date. Please see the NSCS website for the upcoming meeting dates.

How do I get the CSC tax identification number and/or the EUI number for my application? – These numbers can be obtained by contacting the Accountant for Grants.

Please contact the Accountant for Grants with any other questions.

Term Definitions

Applicant:  Board of Trustees of the Nebraska State Colleges dba Chadron State College.

Accountant for Grants: The person in the Administration and Finance / Accounting department that is responsible for the invoicing, deposits and fund monitoring of grants for audit and accounting purposes.

ALN Number: The Assistance Listing Number (ALN), previously known as the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number, is a five-digit number assigned to federal assistance award mechanisms like grants and cooperative agreements, used for governmental reporting and auditing. The first two digits identify the federal agency, and the last three digits indicate the specific program funding the project. 

Board Report: The documentation required to report grant applications and awards for approval by the Chancellor and/or the NSCS Board of Trustees created and submitted by the Accountant for Grants.

Cash Match: Any CSC cash contribution during the grant funding period required by a grantor to support the grant.

Cost Center/WBS: Cost centers and WBS are the budget accounts for accounting.  Depending on the funding source, most grants will have a WBS account. The difference is three digits at the end of the number. (Cost Center: 6#-####-####, WBS: 6#-####-####-###)

Dean of School or Unit Supervisor: This is the supervisor in charge of the grant for oversight and fund controller purposes. This will typically be the direct supervisor of the faculty or staff member serving as the Grant Author/Project Director/Principal Investigator.

Estimated Budget Request: The estimated budget requested within the grant application necessary to fulfill the grant requirements.

EUI Number: The "EUI number" refers to a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), a 12-character alphanumeric identifier used by the U.S. Federal Government to uniquely identify entities (businesses, organizations, etc.) that wish to do business with the government, replacing the older DUNS number.  Sometimes required for a grant application.

External Funding Source: A financing entity outside of the NSCS. This includes funding from other state entities such as Nebraska Game and Parks, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Dept of USDA, etc.

External Parties: Any entity that is not within the NSCS.

Fringe Rate: The payroll benefit percentage of salary offered by CSC.

Fully Executed Agreement: A contract or agreement that has been signed by all authorized officials from both entities.

Fund Controller: The person in charge of the approval of expense requests for a cost center/WBS as required by CSC procedure.

Funding Period: The beginning and ending dates the grant funding will be available for use.

Funding Source: The external entity that provides financing for the grant project.

Future Fiscal Responsibility: Refers to ensuring that the grant funded project remains in operation after the end of the funding period.  CSC has a future monetary responsibility to continue the project. Requires full Board approval.

Grantor: The external entity responsible for the distribution of grant funds to CSC.

Grant Author: The CSC faculty or staff member who completes the Grant Application process. This same person may also become the PD/PI for the grant.

IBT: Interagency Billing Invoice. Invoicing system with other State of Nebraska agencies.

Indirect Cost Funds: Funds available by the grantor for administrative costs of the grant, typically given as a percentage.

In-Kind Funds: Contribution of goods or services by CSC to support the grant.

Institutional Grant: A distribution of state funds by the VPAA office for research and/or projects for CSC.

Internal Review Process: The administrative process to obtain the appropriate approvals for a grant application. This is accomplished through the Grant Application workflow.

Project Director/Principal Investigator: The CSC faculty or staff member responsible for the project execution and reporting as required by the grantor.

State Maintenance of Effort: See Future Fiscal Responsibility.

State Matching Funds: See Cash Match.

Subaward: A distribution of grant funds from an entity that was awarded the original grant funds from another entity.

Tax Identification Number: The federal identification number assigned to CSC.

Revised 08/01/2025

Contacts

Accountant for Grants: Amy Richardson

Comptroller: Krista Nix

Human Resources

VPAA Office

VPAF Office: Tjaden Roenfeldt