The transformative grant guide: leading innovation in the community college

This product dissertation draws on the literature and the author’s professional journey
from knowing little-to-nothing about grants to helping secure $10 million in grant awards
advancing the strategic objectives of his home institution in central Illinois. To develop the
Transformative Grant Guide, the author drew on research into why students chose and
persisted at a higher education institution, how community college leaders can build diverse
coalitions to drive innovation, how they can meet stakeholder needs, and how they can achieve
the institution’s strategic objectives, as well as his professional experience facilitating grant
proposals and managing major grant awards. The Guide outlines the Five Cs of the
Transformative Grant Cycle (TGC)—Conceive, Connect, Create, Comply, and Continue—and
identifies the critical components of each item that must be addressed in order to harness the
opportunity presented by grants. Successful implementation of the TGC creates stakeholder
coalitions invested in and committed to achieving shared outcomes (e.g., strong grant
proposals, successful projects, distributed effort, and leveraged resources). The Guide identifies
concerns and red flags related to each subcomponent of the Five Cs that proposals and project
teams must overcome in order to secure funding and position for successful implementation.
The Guide outlines how to get from “no” on each subcomponent to a “yes,” where the
potential concern is overcome, and the institution and project are in a strong position to
receive funding and achieve results. The Guide utilizes a transformative leadership theoretical
framework to assist community college leaders and grant teams in the development of
institutionally significant grant project proposals that are well positioned to be awarded funding
and be successfully implemented. The Guide is a big-picture strategy, not a technical manual.
The Guide is designed to help community college leaders advance innovation, promote
institutional responsiveness to stakeholder needs, and achieve the strategic objectives of the
institution.