Grants / Grant Funding Guidelines

Funding Guidelines

If you have received notification that your project has been funded, congratulations! The project must be administered in accordance with District policies and state and federal statutes and regulations.

Often, the funding agency may wish to negotiate the budget because the agency is funding the project for less that the amount requested in the proposal. The changes in the budget must be approved by the District administration.

Key items to consider:

Preparing and Submitting the District Budget
Revisions/Amendments to the Project Budget
Expenditures
Detailed Object Code Definitions
Preparing and Submitting the District Budget

Once the budget for the grant is finalized and you receive the grant award notification, your project will be assigned to a Project Accountant in the Financial Services Department. The accountant will work with you to assign District budget codes to your project’s line items. Your total grant broken down into the District’s budget codes (Organization Codes and Object Codes) is known as the Budget Detail, and this should be submitted to the District’s Budget Office. The Budget Detail is what the Budget Office uses to load your budget into MUNIS so that funds can be expended.

The Budget Office will also require a short narrative of the project to include: total budget by categories, how long the project will run, who is the project director and a brief description of the purpose and expected outcomes of the project. This narrative and budget outline will be used to present your project to the School Board Finance Committee and the full School Board for approval. As the grant writer, you and/or the project director may be asked to attend these meetings.

Revisions/Amendments to the Project Budget

Sometimes an awardee wishes to expend funds in categories other than those in the approved budget. Most funding sources do have provisions for amendments during the project-funding period. The grant writer is responsible for seeing that the amendments are submitted according to the grant regulations/procedures and timelines. Amendments should also be approved before they are submitted to the funding source by the District’s Office of Planning and Grants and the accountant assigned to your grant. If your amendment is approved by the funding source and District entities, you will then need to submit the new Budget Detail and narrative to the Budget Office.

Expenditures

Any expenditure of funds must follow the procurement code of the District as is required by statute. This code ensures competition and value pricing.

Generally, the code requires:

Expenditures up to $1,499	No quotes or bids required
$1,500-4,9993	Verbal quotes
$5,000-10,0003	Written quotes
$10,000-24,999	Advertised in South Carolina Business Opportunities for a quote
Over $24,999	Formal bid is required

The need for supplies and equipment should be anticipated sufficiently in advance to allow for timely delivery and for maximum use of project materials by the intended population. The grant writer or project director should be familiar with the requisition procedures in the school or department. As the project closing date approaches, every effort should be made to see that all purchase orders are closed and paid in time for the project accountant to file the final claim with the funding source by the project close date

311000	Instructional Services - Hiring a teacher who is not on District payroll to teach our students.
323000	Repairs & Maintenance - Covers repair and maintenance of equipment not covered under a warranty contract.
325000	Rentals - Renting a facility (renting a room, not on District property, for a meeting.)
325200	Equipment/Vehicle Rentals - Rental, on a short-term basis, of equipment that will be used in conjunction with a project or program; i.e., renting a large movie screen for an assembly program.
312000	Instructional Programs Improved Services - Hiring a teacher to teach certified teachers.
332150	Staff Development - In State When District-classified employees attend a District-approved seminar or job-related training, etc., in the state of S. C. travel. Budgeting for such expenses is to be done in accordance with District regulations.
332160	Staff Development - Out of State When District-classified employees attend a District-approved seminar or job-related training, etc., out-of-State travel. Budgeting for such expenses is to be done in accordance with District regulations.
332200	Professional Development - In State When Certified employees attend a District-approved seminar, etc., in state travel. Budgeting for such expenses is to be done in accordance with District regulations.
332210	Professional Development - Out of State When Certified employees attend a District-approved seminar, etc., out of state travel. Budgeting for such expenses is to be done in accordance with District regulations.
332230	Professional Development - Out of USA When Certified employees attend a District-approved seminar, etc., out of USA travel. Budgeting for such expenses is to be done in accordance with District regulations. (For ALL travel outside USA.)
332250	In-District Travel - Payment for approved in-district mileage for District employees. Mileage reimbursement rate will be per District Policy.
340000	Telecommunication Services - Beepers
350100	Promotional Items - Anything purchased with a school logo that will be given as prizes or gifts; i.e., mugs, engraved pencils, carry bags, clocks, etc.
360000	Printing & Binding - Expenses for actual printing of materials; i.e., stationery, note pads, programs, business cards, forms, reports, etc., printed and/or bound by either the District’s or a commercial print shop. 09 items (from the District’s Printing Services) are considered 410200 (office supplies) or 410100 (instructional supplies) because they are items that do not have a special logo or name.
390200	Miscellaneous Purchased Services - When a location is paying individuals to perform a service, i.e., individual security guards, (Columbia Police working a ball game); a caterer to serve a meal; warehouse furniture movement, etc.
410100	Instructional Supplies - For our students. Please do not use 410100 with 2918 function. Bulk issues for classroom use, such as the “Weekly Reader” should be charged to 410100.
410120	Instructional Supplies Developmenta— - Supplies used for developmental activities for first grade students who evidence a lack of readiness for first grade work and for remedial activities in reading and mathematics for second through eighth grades.
410150	Instructional Supplies, Food - To teach cooking. Food purchased for a Consumer & Family Science Class.
410200	Office Supplies - General Supplies, paper clips, clip boards, pencils, pens, etc. See 445000 for computer supplies.
410400	Custodial Supplies - Supplies required by the location’s custodial staff - bathroom paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, etc.
410500	Health Supplies - Miscellaneous medical supplies for the school nurse.
410800	Postage - Miscellaneous mail as well as large mailings. This could include return packages.
430100	Library Books - Purchase of library books, globes, and maps available for general use by students, including reference books, even if the reference book will be used in the classroom. This includes the costs of binding or other repairs to school library books. Books on audio tape, diskette or CD-ROM are charged here.
440100	Periodicals - Expenditures for materials the principal believes will provide support for the school’s instructional and/or non-instructional programs and that are housed in the school’s “professional” library. See 410100 for bulk issues for classrooms.
440200	Professional Materials - Books, manuals and resource materials that will be used by certified staff and administrators.
445000	Technology Supplies - Expenditures for supplies used to support technology equipment. Included are expenditures for software (when not purchased as a part of an initial computer purchase), video tapes, surge protectors, printer cartridges, and printer ribbons.
460000	Food - To purchase, from an outside vendor, meals and/or refreshments for meetings.
470600	Gasoline - For Driver’s Ed vehicles.
540300	Furniture - New Furniture and Fixtures with a unit cost of $300 or more. Fixtures; i.e., desks, mirror, expensive lamps, etc. If under $300, a teacher’s chair; a clerical chair should be coded to 410200, office supplies.
540800	Sensitive Equipment Other Equipment - This is a "catch-all" code. Take into consideration the cost of the item. Examples: Small office refrigerators, dry and wet vacuum cleaners, leaf blowers, athletic mats, art drying racks, large electric coffee urns.
540900	NOTE: If you purchase 30 folding tables at $30 each, you have $900 invested in folding tables. The 30 tables should be coded to 540900. They would not be property tagged but the 540900 code would place them in a category to be picked up by District insurance in case of theft or fire/storm damage.
545000	Technology Equipment - Expenditures for the initial, additional, and replacement costs for technology items such as computers and the software already installed on the computer at purchase, LANs, WANs, CD ROMs, satellites, modems, FAX machines, digital cameras, graphing calculators, shop computerized sewing machines, Winnabago automated circulation equipment for Media Centers, inventory bar code readers, scanners, title makers, and similar equipment items used for the development and implementation of technology.
640000	Dues and Fees - A membership in a professional organization that is District approved. Athletic fees for participation. The membership must not be in the name of an individual.