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Our office serves as a resource at each step of the funding process and can assist with connections, strategy, and outreach. We can share additional institutional information from our donor database, provide background information about the college’s relationship with the prospective funder, review prospective proposal ideas through a CFR lens, copy-edit applications for accuracy, and assist in securing administrative letters and required institutional documents for submission.

All philanthropic fundraising for any purpose must be done in coordination with the office of development. .

The steps to request funding support for a specific project are as follows:

1. Define your needs from actual costs/expenses and a clear and specific fundraising goal to meet those needs.
2. Once a funding request has been approved by the appropriate vice president, Development conducts a preliminary feasibility assessment of the potential prospect pool and the likelihood of fundraising success.
3. The fundraising request will be given final approval or denial based on the collective decision of the appropriate vice president, the vice president for college advancement, and the president. Approved fundraising requests are assigned a priority level and development liaison.

We ask that you contact us before seeking funding from corporations and foundations, as the college has many contacts, relationships, fundraising activity and grants in progress. Part of our role is to coordinate outreach efforts and serve as a primary point of contact for many of our philanthropic partners. Contacting us first will help ensure that we present a consistent and coherent message, which benefits the entire Agnes Scott community.

We work with the vice president for college advancement and the Office of the President to procure signatures on letters of support for funders. Please notify us as soon as possible when a letter or signature is required from the president and/or the vice president for college advancement.

The vice president for college advancement is the college’s authorized organizational representative. Deans, directors, faculty members, staff, etc. do not have the authority to sign grant agreements on behalf of the college.

This varies greatly among funders. Many funders provide the notification date for when awards will be announced. However, with some entities, particularly corporations, the review and approval process can depend on the availability of funding within a given quarter or fiscal year, so there is no clear notification date.

The Office of Sponsored Programs can help faculty and the respective non-academic division leader (i.e. vice president for student affairs, vice president for equity and inclusion, etc.) can help answer staff questions about the college’s process for accessing grant funds and complying with related administrative and reporting processes.

Requirements differ depending on the funder and the nature of the grant. Reporting requirements are detailed in the grant agreement and typically consist of narrative and financial reports. Corporate in-kind donations and grants from foundations and corporations may not require reporting. Regardless of whether a report is compulsory, it is always a good idea to keep your funder informed of the impact of their funds, as stewardship is a critical component of the fundraising process that ensures a continued, thriving partnership between the college and the funder. It is expected to work closely with CFR to review draft narrative reports before submission and can help with questions about financial reports. 

Most foundations will permit an extension for a set period of time, often three to six months, to complete the project and expend unused funds. We can help contact the program officer on your behalf to discuss an extension, approval for which will need to be received in writing. If your project was completed and funds are remaining, we can also discuss with the program officer other related work that could be conducted with the remaining funds. Also, please monitor all expenses closely to avoid situations in which very small amounts of funds are remaining from a closed grant. If you have any questions, please reach out to us for guidance.

These offices work together and coordinate when appropriate on fundraising for academic purposes. The CFR office is a part of the office of development within the division of advancement and works with faculty and staff to help facilitate strong relationships and broaden engagement with corporate and foundation funders. We have a donor-centric approach to fundraising and are committed to making sure the donor has a good experience with the college. OSP supports the college’s research mission by providing oversight of externally sponsored research, which is primarily for non-philanthropic awards, but may involve philanthropic grants as well. The OSP team works closely with faculty and administrators across campus to provide grant management and compliance services.

Philanthropic grants often have more terms and conditions than philanthropic gifts. For instance, grant funding usually has conditions such as detailed financial reporting requirements and return of unused funds language. Gifts are often less restrictive in nature and typically do not require detailed financial reporting. Gifts and grants are administered differently, and we can assist with both gifts and grants from corporations and foundations.

Foundations and corporations very rarely allow grants to cover indirect costs or administrative fees. The best way to determine what grantors will cover is to read their budget guidelines in the RFP or grant application. If it is still unclear, our office can contact the funder to inquire whether such costs are permitted and at what rate.