IPTD-346
Federal Grants: screen, promote, coordinate & track
Description
See also the attached GRT 2.0
An idealized new system would:
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Help CEIR rapidly and timely screen existing weekly lists (and/or other sources) of available Federal Grants and keep track of those with potential relevance to NJDEP programs, expediting the opportunities to act on those desired. This would automate most of the data transfer from existing sources to some new tracking.
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Leverage existing info or create or capture new values as needed for grants to be matched/marketed to or found by particular programs. This should include features for automated notices for certain initial criteria, as well as notices for updates, changes and other expressed program interest.
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Allow for fast and efficient review/consideration by programs with ability to readily indicate interest, including conditional interest with open questions or checking needed to proceed.
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Ensure quick identification and rapid resolution of joint or competing interest by programs.
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Ensure ongoing timely notices to anyone (programs, CEIR, M&B, etc.) from a menu of specific update types or for any update to a record (status change, new comment, questions, note, meeting, attachment, etc.)
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Enable scheduling of future check-in/reminder notices based on saved date values or custom entered dates with options for customizing timing, number and the recipients. (ie, do you still have interest?, did you answer the open questions? the app dealine is 2 weeks, opportunity is closed. etc.)
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Capture a full history (what and when) of any grant opportunity, including changes to it from the funding source, program interest, questions and answers, meeting info, supplemental attachments, drafts of applications and other supporting documents. The history should enable at least forward tracking of multiple years of each repeated grant whether annual, other period or varied availability. Past one-off grants should also remain in the searchable record.
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Include a robust integrated calendar with features to allow all roles to filter a calendar view to fit the needs of their role, including to show dates of selectable types (i.e. all application or reporting deadlines, etc.) or for specific grants or groups of related grants.
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Enable analytics on all tracking
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Enable either transfer to existing tracking upon application, or replace all features of existing tracking using Access and designated file locations used by Federal Funds group.
Late August 2023 presentation given to programs of an option from Carrolton.
An existing system was shared as something to leverage which manages grant info from the point of awareness, through promotion, interest, application, acceptance and execution. This would cover all phases of management already happening in M&B, under Matt Parsons.
After the presentation (mid- Sept 2023), Matt Parsons from M&B Fed Funds did not see/value the advantages compared to the costs (effort) to move off his existing system. Progress forward is dependent on CIER to either enroll M&B or approach DOIT with higher priority and funding to move on a possibly limited solution addressing the initial steps of managing Fed grant opportunities, promotion, interest and collaboration.
DOIT working with Carrollton to put together some Proof-of-Concept thoughts on whether this can be built in Pega. Once we have some more gelled products, we can discuss with program if this is something they want to undertake.
Notes on current process from 6/28/23 meeting:
Starting at http://Grants.gov and also some other sources are where the set of opportunities originally lives. The program seeks to pull records from diverse sources. There is a comprehensive weekly email of all opportunities that comes to Matt which replicates the daily efforts of Jody. Jody pre-screens or curates the opportunities for programs. Most grants are annual and revolving or formula for Matt's attention. Abbie is more focused on the competitive. Letter of intent is submitted via email sometimes direct to grantor. Some forms are available on http://grants.gov (or one of 5 different systems) with multiple parties able to access, fill and sign on probably 3 of them. The approval process in DEP is generally 4 levels, Director, AC, Federal Funds, M&B.