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2018-19 INNOVATION GRANTS REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP s )

GUIDEBOOK

QUESTIONS?Commission on the Extended University (CEU) StaffEmail: commission@calstate.eduPhone: (562) 951-4372Web: ceucommission.net/innovation-grants

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Photo courtesy of Fresno State University.

C O N T E N T S2018-19 INNOVATION GRANTS

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP s ) GUIDEBOOK

SECTION ONEPurpose, Competition Authority, and Proposal Addressing.

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SECTION TWOGrant Awards, Eligibility, and Proposal Types.

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SECTION THREEProposal Requirements, and Permissions.

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SECTION FOURHow to Apply, Deadline, Timeline, and Reporting Requirements.

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SECTION FIVEInnovation Grants Competition Instructions.

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SECTION SIXGrant Checklist.

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E X E C U T I V E S U M M A RY

California’s economy is one of the largest in the world. A major contributor to the State’s rise to economic dominance has been the California State University (CSU) Continuing and Extended Education (CEE) enterprise. The campus CEE units perform a critical role in creating a workforce capable of change and transition. CEE instructional programs adapt rapidly to meet the shifting educational needs of the current and future California workforce in ways not available to traditional academe.

In the 21st century, perhaps more than at any previous time in history, meeting the educational needs across the life span is essential in helping individuals acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to fulfill dreams, reach potentials, and maximize contri-butions to the state and society. Providing educational opportunities to meet the chang-ing learning needs of local, state, regional, national, and international constituencies not served through traditional state-supported programs is an essential component of the multi-faceted CSU.

CEE on the University’s 23 campuses offer undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificate and workforce development programs, lifelong learning opportunities, and professional education activities. These educational opportunities are self-supporting programs and serve to complement those funded by the State.

The Commission on the Extended University (CEU) Innovation Grants Program was developed to assist campuses in responding rapidly to the regional and statewide needs for continuing and extended education. Today, these grants support innovative and ex-traordinary programs by our campuses that are meeting the workforce and educational needs of communities locally, regionally, nationally and abroad.

Karen S. HaynesChair, Commission on the Extended University (CEU)

Lynnette ZeleznyCommission on the Extended University (CEU)Chair, Innovation Grants Request for Proposals (RFP)Oversight and Selection Committee

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Photo courtesy of CSU Chico. Photo courtesy of CSU Communications.

SECTION ONE

COMPETITION TITLEInnovation Grants Request for Proposals (RFPs)

PURPOSEThe purpose of the grants competition is to encourage collaborative and innovative programs and projects that improve and expand the ability of CEE in support of the CSU’s mission and strategic initiatives. CEU innovation grants competition aligns with the systemwide mission, initiatives and policies through the CEU planning document, Creating Tomorrow’s Future: A New Framework for Action.

COMPETITION AUTHORITYFunding for this grant competition is de-rived from the local trust funds designated for CEE use. The Commission requires that funded proposals either: (1) initiate new programs or projects; or (2) im-prove existing programs or projects. These programs must be supported by non-state funds upon completion.

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Photo courtesy of CSU Monterey Bay.

SECTION ONE

PROPOSALS WILL ADDRESS: A. New Framework for Action - At least two of the objectives and how the project will address data collection and reporting components.

1. Meet California’s economic and workforce development needs;

2. Increase access to educational op-portunities by serving broader con-stituencies;

3. Develop alternative instructional de-livery systems;

4. Creatively develop new programs;

5. Provide personal and lifelong learn-ing opportunities; or

6. Support international educational experiences.

OR

B. Graduation Initiative (GI) 2025 - At least one of the New Framework for Ac-tion objectives above (See Section One A; 1-6) and at least one of the GI 2025 pillars below (See Section One B; 1-6) and how the project will address data col-lection and reporting components.

Graduation Initiative 2025 Pillars

(Proposals addressing Graduation Initiative 2025 can earn up to 10 additional points!)

1. Academic Preparation

2. Enrollment Management

3. Student Engagement and Well-Being

4. Financial Aid

5. Data-Driven Decision Making

6. Administrative Barriers

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SECTION TWO

GRANT AWARDSApproximately $400,000 in grants funds will be available to campuses. Pending the avail-ability of funding, the CEU will award:

• Up to eight Development Grants (Max-imum of $50k) for a minimum of 24 months/2 years with market analysis and timeline for completion required. Evidence of partner engagement (at least one letter of commitment from your partner) and market analysis required.

• Up to four Collaborative Grants (Max-imum of $100k) for a minimum of 24 months/2 years. Evidence of partner engagement (two letters of commitment-from your partners) and market analysis required.

• Proposals require letters of commitment from internal or external partners. Let-ters of commitment will clearly outline and inform the grants committee about the specific strategies, roles and respon-sibilities of partners, over the life of the proposal, if funded. Letters from part-ners that simply support or endorse a proposal, as opposed to outlining strate-gies and serious commitment will not be considered.

ELIGIBILITYFor each category, principal investigators (proposal/applicant leaders) will be individu-als at a CSU campus. All proposals must be coordinated within CEE at the campus level. Grants in each category may not be awarded in years in which no proposal ful-ly meets the standards and criteria of CEU funding requirements.

PROPOSAL TYPESDevelopment GrantsThere are two types of proposals funded by the CEU: Development grants up to $50,000 each. The purpose of this category is to support the development of new pro-grams and pathways and/or the modification of existing program/pathways that expand opportunities for student success.

Collaboration GrantsCollaboration grants up to $100,000 each. The purpose of this category is to identify an existing campus program or project that, with additional funding and collaborative partners, addresses a local, county, regional, and/or international need. The lead campus serves as the fiscal agent. Projects or programs can meet the collaboration requirement in one of several ways:

1. Two or more campuses collaborate on a new program or project.

2. Two or more campuses replicate a suc-cessful project or program initiated at another campus, with the “lead” campus serving as the training and technical advisor.

3. A campus or campuses seeks to enrich and strengthen existing campus-com-munity programs, projects and rela-tionships via public-public and/or pub-lic-private partnerships (e.g. Multiversity programs, K12 schools and districts, County Offices of Education, Work-force Boards, Chambers of Commerce, Industry Partners, Economic and Em-ployment Development Partners). The aforementioned list is not exhaustive, but represents examples of possible partnerships.

IMPORTANT NOTE: New courses that grow directly from faculty research and regular course updates are considered part of the regular work of the University faculty and are normally not eligible for support.

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SECTION THREE

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS/LIMITATIONS1. Degree programs offered must be listed

on the campus academic master plan or evidence of submission for approval must be provided. See Campus Academic Master Plan http://www.calstate.edu/app/programs/amp/index.shtml, and New Pro-gram Development http://www.calstate.edu/app/program_dev.shtml websites respectively for details.

2. Prior to implementation, all CEE cred-it degree instruction must be approved under procedures in place for state-sup-ported instruction, and academic policies governing self-support instruction will be identical to or establish under the same procedures as those governing state-sup-ported instruction, which includes faculty consultation. Please refer to Executive Order 1099 for guidance.

3. Proposals must be confined to CEE proj-ects or programs, which do not subsidize General Fund programs. (Grant/enterprise funds may be used to reimburse General Fund purchases, personnel, administra-tion, or programs).

4. Grant/enterprise funds must be assigned to a campus trust account and adminis-tered through normal campus accounting procedures.

5. Multiversity/Multi-campus proposals (col-laboration grants) must identify a single CSU campus as the proposal “lead” that will serve as the fiscal agent and provide oversight and responsibility for the life of the proposal, if funded.

6. Minimum 25% campus match required. The CEU defines the minimum 25% cam-pus match as:

• $50,000 development grant requires a $12,500 minimum campus match

• $100,000 collaboration grant requires a $25,000 minimum campus match.

Multi-campus proposals with a single campus serving as the lead is respon-sible for demonstrating the match in the initial proposal and subsequently if funded, in the progress reports and/or other requests.

7. No more than two proposals may be considered from one campus, regardless of category. If more than two proposals are received from any campus, only the first two received by the CEU will be considered. However, in multi-campus proposals, only the lead campus will be considered as the applicant.

8. Letters of commitment will clearly outline and inform the grants committee about the specific strategies, roles and respon-sibilities of partners, over the life of the proposal, if funded. Letters from partners that simply support or endorse a proposal, as opposed to outlining strategies and se-rious commitment will not be considered.

9. For certificates, refer to Executive Orders 806 and 1099.

PERMISSIONS1. Grant/enterprise funds may be used to

subsidize employees’ salaries primarily involved in the project and may be used for faculty stipends.

2. Grant/enterprise funds may be used for student internships or to subsidize paid work experience for students.

3. Multiversity/Multi-campus proposals may be considered (A three-year maximum to complete a project is provided).

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SECTION FOUR

HOW TO APPLYProposals are submitted by the campus CEE dean’s office. Subsequent to review by the campus CEE dean’s office, completed pro-posals are reviewed and rated by the CEU Innovation Grants Committee for funding con-sideration.

DEADLINEProposal submissions are due to the campus CEE dean’s office Wednesday, January 31, 2018 @ 4:00 p.m. (Pacific Time).

TIMELINETypically, proposals are selected and ap-proved for funding by the April CEU business meeting. Notification regarding the status of funding is provided to campus leads following the CEU business meeting.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTSFunded project recipients receive detailed reporting instructions and are required to report on the progress of funded projects. In addition, all reports/requests to the committee must include budget-to-year actuals and are required to report on the progress of funded projects (e.g. extensions related to circumstances of any kind).

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SECTION FIVE

INNOVATION GRANTS COMPETITION REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFPs) NARRATIVE QUESTIONS INSTRUCTIONS

Please respond to the following questions, ordering your response by using the subject headings provided below.

1. Proposal Abstract (10 points)Clear and concise summary of your proposal and goals.

2. Evidence the proposal fulfills an unmet need (10 points)Demonstrate, using local or regional data, the need for this project, degree, or program. A successful proposal/applicant will demonstrate not only a clear and compelling case for the need, but why CEE is positioned to address it.

A. New Framework for Action - At least two of the objectives and how the project will address data collection and reporting components.

1. Meet California’s economic and workforce development needs2. Increase access to educational opportunities by serving broader constituencies3. Develop alternative instructional delivery systems4. Creatively develop new programs5. Provide personal and lifelong learning opportunities6. Support international educational experiences

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B. Graduation Initiative (GI) 2025 -At least one of the New Framework for Action objectives above (See Section One A; 1-6) and at least one of the GI 2025 pillars below (See Section One B; 1-6) and how the project will address data collection and reporting components.

GI 2025 (+10 bonus points) (Proposals addressing Graduation Initiative 2025 can earn up to 10 additional points!)

1. Academic Preparation2. Enrollment Management3. Student Engagement and Well-Being4. Financial Aid5. Data-Driven Decision Making6. Administrative Barriers

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SECTION FIVE

3. Detailed Proposal Description (20 points)Include population served, geographic area, and numbers served, curriculum (if applica-ble), goals and objectives of the program/project, and methods/strategies for implemen-tation. Proposals/applicants should indicate which New Framework for Action objec-tives the proposal will meet.

A. ObjectivesPlease list and describe 4-5 specific objectives that the organization will accom-plish over the grant period.

B. OutcomesWhat data will the organization gather to measure outcomes and results? How will the data be used to measure the success your proposal?

4. Development Grant (10 points)Clearly describe the program or project goals, objectives, and target population details. In addition, provide two letters of commitment that clearly outline strategies, and the roles and responsibilities of partners.

5. Collaboration Grant (10 points)Description of collaborating partners and their role in the project, include two letters of support. In addition, provide two letters of commitment that clearly outline strategies, and the roles and responsibilities of partners.

6. Proposal Value and Viability Proposition (10 points)What unique benefits will students/partners/community members leave with as a result of their experience? Describe your implementation plan: timelines, organization, roles and responsibilities, and accountability measures.

7. Completed budget sheet (10 points)CEU defined 25% campus match. Budget is reasonable and demonstrates the 25% minimum campus match requirement.

8. Sustainability (10 points)What is the likelihood of the proposal’s endurance and scalability once funding from the Commission ends? How will success be measured (qualitative/quantitative)?

9. Project administration and qualifications of key personnel (10 points)Clearly identify the principal investigator (proposal leader). Also, clearly identify 2-3 individuals involved in the proposal; include roles and responsibilities over the life of the proposal (internal and/or external).

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GRANT CHECKLIST

Each application must be submitted to the campus CEE dean’s office via the Commis-sion on the Extended University Innovation Grants RFPs SharePoint site.

1. Application Cover and with required signatures;

2. Proposal Abstract (10 points). Maximum 250 word count;

3. Narrative & Budget (80 points). Maximum 1500 word count;

Proposals addressing Graduation Initiative 2025 can earn up to 10 additional points!

SECTION SIX

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QUESTIONS?Commission on the Extended University (CEU) Staff

Email: commission@calstate.eduPhone: (562) 951-4372