Grants Management Quality Improvement Project

Summary

Impact Statement: 
Lake Cumberland District Health Department (LCDHD) in Kentucky receives grant funding for several program activities, and staff realized that it was not unusual for different divisions to apply for the same grant. A QI committee used QI tools to address this issue. New policies and procedures have resulted in a near-lack of multiple grant applications for a single grant. Moreover, the database established through this effort is serving as a platform to make additional enhancements to the grants management process.
Summary: 

Lake Cumberland District Health Department (LCDHD) in Kentucky has received grant funding for many years. However, no written policies or procedures were in place for grants management, and the lack of structure and communication left the potential for duplicate grant application. The QI committee used QI tools to address this problem. Committee members consisted of the director of administrative services, a grant writer, and program administrators. The committee discussed the process for developing and tracking a grant award and created a flowchart detailing the procedure. They reviewed many grant policies from other agencies and completed a self-assessment checklist from the Grantsmanship Center. This process helped LCDHD develop new policies and procedures.

As a result of the committee’s efforts, a written policy with procedures was developed and approved by the District Board of Health, a grants management database was developed to track grants throughout their lifecycle (pre-award through closeout), and a calendar of upcoming and anticipated grant opportunities is maintained.

The grants management database has been helpful. LCDHD now generates a quarterly report that is shared with the District Board of Health, so the Board is informed about the types of funding that LCDHD is pursuing and can track success rates. The calendar is used to help the program administrators and the grant writer plan their schedules and avoid any duplication. LCDHD is close to 1 year post-project and will review the policy to ensure that it continues to meet any needs. LCDHD plans to further improve the grants management process by ensuring that grant proposals are always developed and submitted on time. 

Citation: 

Tucker, J. Public Health Quality Improvement Exchange. Grants Management Quality Improvement Project. Mon, 08/21/2017 - 17:04. Available at http://www.phqix.org/content/grants-management-quality-improvement-project. Accessed March 29, 2024.

Submission Status: 
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