The Eligibility Review Process
The third primary component of the grant development process
The third primary components of the grant development process is the Eligibility Review Process, also referred to as the Qualification Review Process.
The workflow for the Eligibility Review process is below. You can click on the image to see a larger version.
Once the project’s status transitions from the “Supervisor Approved” status, it enters the “Eligibility Under Review” status.
An automatic “Action Required” notification is sent to the pre-award grants team in the Department of Grants, Research, Accountability, & Data (GRAD) regarding the Intent to Apply. A member of the team will review the information in the Intent to Apply to determine whether the school/district is eligible to apply for the specific grant. This step in the process is critical for a variety of reasons. Sometimes only one proposal per district can be submitted. If there are matching requirements or positions created, the Board of Education must approve prior to submission.
The schools and/or the district are not eligible to apply for some grants. If the grant guidelines specify that the applicant must have 501 (c) 3 status (a very specific IRS designation) to be eligible, the Seeker will need to contact the grant agency to determine if they also allow public education entities to apply also. Sometimes the answer is yes, other times, it is no. The FCPS district and schools do NOT have 501 (c) 3 status even though they are tax-exempt organizations.
If the pre-award grant team determines that the school/district is not eligible to apply for the specific grant, the team will deny the request. At that time the ticket is closed and the Seeker and the principal/supervisor will receive notification of denial. The Seeker will have to restart the Intent to Apply Process to pursue another grant.
If the pre-award grant team determines that the school/district is eligible, the request is approved. Upon approval, automatic email notifications are sent to the Seeker and the principal/supervisor. The process then transitions to “Proposal Development Part 1” status.
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