Whereas, the Sixth Judicial Circuit has obtained a grant writer for purposes of obtaining funding to enhance the operation of the Sixth Judicial Circuit, and

Whereas, the Court desires to coordinate the process of grant development and management, it is hereby

ORDERED:

            1.  All grant proposals for grants administered by the Sixth Judicial Circuit must be developed in conjunction with the grant writer. 

            2.  All concepts for grant proposals in the Sixth Judicial Circuit shall be brought before the Administrative Judges for review prior to final application.  The chief judge may in exigent circumstances waive this provision.

            3.  The Grant Policies and Procedures attached to this order are hereby adopted and may be amended from time to time at the discretion of the chief judge without further modification of this order.

            DONE AND ORDERED in Chambers at St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida, this 23rd day of July 2002.

                                                  _____________________________________________

                                                            David A. Demers, Chief Judge

            The Honorable Bernie McCabe, State Attorney

            The Honorable Robert H. Dillinger, Public Defender

            The Honorable Jed Pittman, Clerk of Court, Pasco County

            H. Sandra Combee, Director, Court Services Division, Pinellas County Clerk’s Office

            Jeff Gates, Manager, Clerk’s Office, St. Petersburg Branch

            Betty Henderson, Assistant Court Services Director, Pasco County Clerk’s Office

            J. William Lockhart, Court’s Administrator

            Kerry L. Rice, Deputy Courts Administrator, Pasco County

            Bar Associations, Pasco and Pinellas Counties

            Law Libraries, Pasco and Pinellas Counties

All Court Reporters

GRANT DEADLINES

Grant concepts must be approved by the Courts Administrator, Administrative Judges and Chief Judge prior to development. As administrative judges meet only once monthly, generating approval will require some lead time. Once concepts have been approved, the following time requirements should be allocated in preparation of a grant application.

Grants greater than $100,000 and single or multiple year auplications (2 years or more)

•      Such efforts deserve a minimum of 4 weeks preparation time once the concept has been properly approved. Usually they are more involved than grants for less funds and require partnerships and collaborations and more documentation.

•      Taking into consideration that postings of grant programs generally have a short turn around time, this still is about the least amount of time necessary to complete a grant that is fundable.

•      Consideration will be given to less notice if 1) there are no other grants in progress prior to the deadline, and 2) staff is committed to providing more extensive assistance than usual.

•      Can apply to grants for less than $100,000 that ARE multiple years.

Grants less than $100,000 but $50,000 or more, and NOT multiDle years

•      Three weeks notice is generally enough preparation time.

•      Little or no other priority grant applications are in process already.

•      Includes “Form” grants — applications that basically answer questions on a form.

Grants for less than $50,000 and NOT multiple years

•      These for the most part should be department generated, but with the approval of administration and coordination with the grant writer.

•      Consultation and Editing would be provided by the grant wnter

and financial reports with proof of mailing, evaluation reports, and documentation on the location of all project inventory items.

10. The Grant Writer shall notify the Project Director of project continuation funding opportunities and deadlines. If the Project Director directly receives such information, this information should be sent to the Grant Writer for coordination. Continuation proposal development shall be handled following the same procedures as original proposals.

11. The Grant Writer will review and coordinate with the Fiscal Office and Court Counsel the approval and signing of intergovernmental agreements. Proposals involving contractual arrangements for professional services shall also be coordinated through both the Sr. Deputy Court Administrator for Planning and Development and the Court Counsel.

GRANT MANAGEMENT

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

1.   Award Negotiation and Acceptance: The Grant Writer shall:

•      Negotiate, in collaboration with the Project Director, the award amount with the funding agency when applicable.

•      Advise the Courts Administrator, the Project Director and Fiscal Office of the grant award offer.

•      Coordinate legal review prior to execution of grant agreements.

•      Only the Courts Administrator or the Chief Judge may accept a grant on behalf of the organization.

•      Hold a “post awardipre-project” meeting with the Courts Administrator and/or Sr. Deputy Court Administrator for Planning and Development, the appropriate Fiscal Officer, Project Director, Project Supervisor, and contractual parties (as appropriate) at the time the funding contract is offered. This meeting shall serve the purpose of reviewing necessary implementation steps and agree on workload distribution.

2.   The Project Director shall be responsible for securing necessary personnel to implement grant projects through the Human Resources Office and for monitoring project expenditures. Budget concerns should be addressed with both the Grant Writer and Fiscal Officer.

3.   The Grant Writer will provide Project Directors with budget amendment guidelines and help develop and submit budget revision and amendments.

4.   The Grant Writer will provide technical assistance to Project Directors in preparation for an audit by the funder. Following the audit, the Grant Writer will review the report with the Project Director and identify any action to be taken.

5.   The Fiscal Office will produce necessary financial status reports.

6.   The Grant Writer will help Project Directors with reports by:

•      Developing a schedule of required reports (provided at the post-award meeting)

•      Reviewing financial and progress reports for completeness and compliance

•      Maintaining copies of all reports and proof of mailing in the official grant file.

7.   Project Directors shall be responsible for submitting reports to the funder and providing copies to the Grants Writer. Project Directors shall check with the Grants Writer two weeks prior to report due dates. The Project Director and Grants Writer shall meet 30 days prior to the submission of the final project report.

8.   The Grant Writer shall inform the Sr. Deputy Court Administrator for Planning and Development of any grant-funded project that is diverging from funder requirements or that appears to be failing to achieve promised objectives.

9.   The Grant Writer will establish and maintain the official files for all grant awards. Each file will include copies of the funder’s regulations, the approved application, the award notification document, all correspondence with the funder, documentation of intergovernmental agreements, project amendments, progress

ii.   The Grants Writer shall complete all required forms, including the SF 424, the SF 424A, etc. The Project Director shall be responsible for securing all signatures on for all certifications, assurances, and forms. The Court Counsel shall be consulted as necessary to ensure conformance with applicable law. The Chief Judge and Courts Administrator are the only authorized signatories for grant applications for the Sixth Judicial Circuit.

GRANT PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT AND SUBMISSION

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

1.   All new grant proposals requiring administration and grant management by the Sixth Judicial Circuit must be developed in consultation with the grant wnter.

2.   The Grant Writer shall respond, given adequate notice (see attached Grant Timelines), to management requests for assistance to seek funding sources for projects, coordinate with other necessary court staff, provide advice and assistance justifying project fit, writing proposals, editing proposals, and submitting proposals.

3.   Concepts for grant proposals must be submitted to the Courts Administrator through the Grant Writer. All Concepts must be reviewed by the Courts Administrator prior to full development for suitability given Circuit priorities and internal resources. All grant proposals should meet a critical need of the Court. This match must be clearly demonstrated to the Courts Administrator in attempting to secure approval. (A Project Concept Approval Form to assist in this process shall be made available by the Grants Writer.)

4.   All Concepts deemed justified by the Courts Administrator shall be brought before the Administrative Judges for review prior to final approval by the Chief Judge. The Administrative Judges shall be charged with advising the Chief Judge of the appropriateness of the concept in light of court objectives and other court projects, and with assigning, if appropriate, a level of priority. Administrative Judges meetings are held monthly.

5.   The Project Director shall hold primary responsibility for conducting necessary research to support the grant proposal. Assistance shall be provided by the Grants Writer and Sr. Deputy Court Administrator for Planning and Development, as requested.

6.   The Project Director shall acquire required Letters of Support or Letters of Commitment. The Project Director shall also be responsible for providing documentation to support methods, contractual services arrangements (such as evaluation components), and collaboration efforts.

7.   Position classification and pricing for grant proposals should be cleared through Human Resources. Human Resources shall provide all final position descriptions required for grant proposals. Associated benefits pricing should be cleared through the Fiscal Office once salary has been determined. All other budget estimates for travel, supplies, contractual costs, etc., should also be cleared by the Fiscal Office.

8.   The Project Director shall address plans for on-going sustainability of the project after the grant funds are gone with program administrators and the Courts Administrator. These plans are often required to strengthen a grant application.

9.   The final design and focus of the proposal shall require the approval of the Project Director, Grants Writer and Courts Administrator (as required).

10. The Grants Writer shall be responsible for submitting and tracking the status of all proposals for funding.