Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
a) In a given
fiscal year, the Program appropriations shall be allocated for projects based
on the following order of priority:
1) Funding
for baccalaureate completion programs to facilitate student articulation from
an ADN program offered by a community college to a BSN or RN-BSN
program;
2) Funding for
continuation of a grant previously awarded under this Part; or
3) Funding for a new grant to expand or
improve an eligible nursing program.
b) Grant applications under this Part shall
include, but need not be limited to, the following items:
1) Comprehensive description of the proposed
use of funds, including evidence of current research and best practices, to
support proposed strategies.
2)
Budget by line items, including personnel services, fringe benefits, travel,
equipment, supplies, contractual services, consultant (professional services),
training and education, and direct administrative costs, submitted on the
uniform grant budget template provided by GATU (see GATA Rule Section
7000.330
). Acceptable expenditures may include, but are not limited to, the following
direct costs:
A) Hiring additional qualified
nursing faculty and staff;
B)
Developing or expanding instructional programs (e.g., online, weekend,
evening);
C) Developing or
expanding academic support services or programs;
D) Securing additional clinical instruction
sites;
E) Improving or increasing
spaces for classrooms or laboratories; and
F) Purchasing equipment and other
program-related instructional materials.
3) Project objectives and performance goals,
including, but not limited to, the following:
A) Number of degrees conferred (3-year
trend);
B) First-year retention
rate (3-year trend based on 30 semester hours or equivalent);
C) NCLEX-RN pass rate for first-time test
takers in comparison to the national average for the previous calendar year as
reported by DFPR; and
D) Job
placement within 6 months after degree completion (3-year trend).
4) Statement of institutional
support and sustainability of grant-funded activities.
5) Uniform grant application provided by GATU
and signed by authorized representative (see GATA Rule Section
7000.330).
d) The grant
awards for eligible nursing programs shall be determined using a competitive
process to review applications. The Board's standards for approval include, but
are not limited to, the following criteria, considerations and weightings:
1) Evidence of effective project objectives
and performance goals (25%);
2)
Proposed use of funds and budget justification demonstrating an effective use
of program resources (25%);
3)
Evidence of institutional support and sustainability of grant-funded activities
(10%);
4) Evidence of an effective
plan to evaluate progress (15%); and
5) Other Board considerations
(25%).
e) For a grant
applicant who is a prior recipient of an award under this Part, the Board shall
review available information on the awardee's prior performance and consider
that information when assessing grantee risk. This is part of the grantee risk
assessment provided by GATU (see GATA Rule Section
7000.340
).
f) Grant funding is subject to
Program appropriations.
