Albuquerque Public Schools
Process for Grant Applications
Pre-Approval of Grant Applications
APS schools and departments may apply for grants to enhance instruction and learning. These grants may be from federal, state or local agencies, foundations or private donors. All grant applications must be pre-approved and coordinated through the district administration to ensure that they are consistent with district goals and policies, and are not competitive with APS grant applications to the same agencies or donors. This process applies to grant applications that involve one or more of the following:
- Award amounts in excess of $5,000.
- Reporting requirements to the funding agency that require detailed financial and/or evaluative information.
- Expense reimbursement requests to the funding agency.
- Allocation of grant funds to multiple district sites and/or full/partial FTE.
Following is the procedure required prior to submitting any grant application on behalf of the district:
The applicant is to complete and submit the Grant Concept Form advising of the applicant’s interest and requesting permission to apply for the proposed grant. Commitments of current or future APS staffing, resources, space, or financial requirements must be fully disclosed and will be carefully reviewed before approval is granted.
- A review team will review the Grant Concept Form and the Superintendent will grant or deny permission for the Grants Manager to proceed with submission of the grant application to the funding agency.
- If the Grant Concept Form is approved, the applicant must work with the Grants Manager to submit draft copies of the application including a complete budget with sufficient time for all documents to be reviewed thoroughly.
- The Grants Manager will coordinate with Grants Management to review the application budget for legality, completeness, district obligations, and any additional commitment of district resources.*
- After finalizing the application and budget, the Grants Manager will coordinate and steward the application and submit it to the appropriate funder.
* Unless specifically disallowed by the funding agency, all grants must include a budget item for audit fees and indirect costs, if applicable, if the grant is to be administered by the Grants Management Office.
Process for Grants: Post-Award Phase
Only awards that have gone through the pre-approval process will be presented to the Board of Education for final funding.
After approval by the funding agency, the following process is required in order to meet NM Public Education Department (PED) regulations and legally establish a district budget for the grant. The letter of award must be shared with Grants Management and the Grants Manager before the process begins. Please keep in mind that this process may take 30-45 days and plan accordingly.
For APS Authorized Charter Schools
APS Authorized Charter Schools may apply for outside funding without going through the district pre-approval process. However, APS Authorized Charter Schools wanting to apply for federal or state funding must check with Roberta Velasquez, Charter School Business Manager, by emailing roberta.velasquez@aps.edu or by calling (505) 830-0220. Government funding opportunities may flow through the district and some may require a joint application with Albuquerque Public Schools. Charter Schools will review on a case by case basis.