Before launching your project, it’s important to fully understand your award. This checklist helps you review and document key details – such as reporting requirements, budget limitations, and allowable activities – so there are no surprises later.

Grant Documentation Review Checklist

The Grant Handbook is your comprehensive guide to managing your award. It outlines each phase of the grant lifecycle and offers practical tools for compliance, budgeting, and reporting. Keep it handy as your go-to reference for institutional processes, roles, and expectations.

Palomar College Grant Handbook

This checklist helps you launch your grant-funded project with confidence. While not every task applies to every award, it ensures you’ve covered the essential steps for successful implementation. Staying organized and proactive – especially around fiscal management, communication, and compliance – sets your project up for success.

Grant Launch Checklist: Setting Up for Success

GrantNavigator (GN) is Palomar College’s centralized system for managing competitive grants across their full lifecycle—from award setup to final reporting. Managed by the Office of Institutional Research, Planning & Grants (IRP&G), GrantNavigator strengthens institutional oversight, ensures compliance, and keeps projects audit-ready.

• Automated Notifications: Receive reminders for reporting deadlines, documentation requests, and required actions.
• Award Setup: IRP&G configures project details, assigns roles, and schedules tasks aligned with sponsor requirements.
• Task Fulfillment: Submit required materials through designated reporting channels.
• Compliance Monitoring: Key fiscal and performance indicators are tracked for accuracy and alignment.
• Audit Readiness: Essential documents are archived to support institutional oversight and audits.Automated Notifications: Receive email reminders for reporting deadlines, documentation requests, and other required actions.
• Award Setup: During grant launch, IRP&G configures key project details, assigns responsible staff, and activates reminder schedules aligned with sponsor requirements.
• Task Fulfillment: Submit copies of required materials via email or designated reporting tools, ensuring timely and complete submissions.
• Compliance Monitoring: GrantNavigator tracks key performance and fiscal compliance indicators, helping project leads stay aligned with grant requirements.
• Audit Readiness: The system serves to support the archive of essential documents, supporting audit preparation and institutional oversight.

Why it matters:

GrantNavigator promotes transparency, accountability, and effective compliance management by:

• Enhancing internal controls
• Supporting timely and accurate reporting
• Maintaining a complete institutional record of grant activity

Together, these practices uphold compliance with Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200), Board Policy 3280, Administrative Procedure 3280, and institutional reporting standards.

Understanding time and effort reporting is key to compliance. This guide explains how to document time worked on grant-funded activities. Proper documentation ensures accuracy, transparency, and compliance with 2 CFR § 200.430.

[Time & Effort Reporting Guide – Coming Soon]

All grant expenditures must comply with sponsor rules, approved budgets, and applicable regulations. Costs must be reasonable, necessary, allocable, and allowable—and must supplement, not supplant existing funding.

Remember: grant dollars come with accountability. Adhering to funding rules protects both the project and the institution.

Allowable Costs Overview

Palomar College uses a proactive Competitive Grant Lifecycle Monitoring Framework to strengthen grant oversight and ensure successful project outcomes. The framework spans all four phases – Pre-Award, Award, Implementation, and Closeout – helping ensure consistent compliance, timely reporting, and measurable impact for students.

Competitive Grant Lifecycle Monitoring Framework