"Applying for grants like these requires ensuring that you can align your promises and goals with the measurable outcomes the funder wants, within a short timeframe, without overtaxing your resources, within confines of federal and state law ("supplement, not supplant") and collective bargaining agreements, and hiring highly qualified people who don't mind that the clock is ticking on their jobs."
"When grant timelines are unreasonably tight, colleges are left with two unappealing options: either slap something together quickly and hope for the best, or skip it. The former doesn't really lend itself to shared governance, which requires time, and the latter isn't helpful. In a more perfect world, of course, public colleges would be sufficiently well-funded, with sufficient autonomy, that they could be more thoughtful about which grants to pursue and which to skip."
Roughly half of recent FIPSE Workforce Pell grants went to four-year colleges despite community colleges' longstanding workforce program experience; none of the civil discourse grants went to community colleges. Extremely tight application timelines force hurried decisions and complicate alignment with measurable funder outcomes while complying with federal and state "supplement, not supplant" rules and collective bargaining agreements. Grant proposals require hiring qualified short-term staff and experienced grant writers, which most community colleges lack. When timelines are unreasonable, institutions either rush applications—undermining shared governance—or skip opportunities. Flat public funding and rising costs make grants essential for many projects.
Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs
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