Holmes Community College

1. Establish an environment for continuous improvement of the quality of instruction.
2. Acquire and support appropriate emerging technologies for curricular, instructional and administrative enhancement.
3. Improve college personnel / student interaction to achieve a higher rate of student success.
4. Expand and improve the college's infrastructure in support of student services, instructional programs, administrative processes and community service.
5. Improve the college's image by enhancing communication through public relations.
6. Expand and improve educational partnerships with business / industry and community agencies.

Funds may be used for supplies, equipment, consultants, technical assistance, registration fees and travel.


All proposals should:

• Be cost effective
• Not duplicate other projects and proposals that address the same objectives
• Be self-contained so that the one-time award leads to a completed project, or there are enough institutional resources matching the grant to make completion possible.
• Result in enhancing the quality of education at Holmes Community College.
• Not involve work that would interfere with the faculty, staff, or administrator's normal workload.

All recipients should: Be prepared following the completion of the project to verbally share the experience in a 5 to 10 minute overview at a faculty meeting and submit a one to two-page follow-up report describing the outcome of the project.


Proposal Format: A mini-grant application can be obtainted from either the Holmes Community College Development Foundation Office, Goodman Campus (662-472-9118), or by clicking here to download a copy. Proposals will be evaluated and prioritized based on the following criteria:

1. Statement of need:  Who will the project serve? Why is the project needed? What problem is to be solved? Use data to support your stament if appropriate.
2. Objectives: What will be achieved? What are the benefits to students, faculty and college? These are measurables and should be stated in terms of expected outcomes, end results or observable behavior.
3. Methods and Procedures: How and when will it be done? This is a clear, detailed description of the activity and the process to be used to reach the objective(s). Include time line or dates for completion.
4. Personnel: Who will be involved? What time commitments will be expected? Will the project require outside consultants? Why?
5. Budget: What will it cost? Include a narrative explanation plus a clear statement of costs and basis for computation. If requesting materials and equipment, models and brand names, etc. should be inluded. Can it be funded in part? Why isn't it being funded by the general fund budget?
6. Dissemination: How do you plan to share information ganed from this project with others on campus
7. Evalutaion: How will you know the objectives are met? Outline the procedures used to measure attainment of the objective(s).

Mini-grant resources are to be used to address strategic iniatives and will not be used for the exclusive use of upgrading in one's discipline. Guidelines have been developed to use in evaluating proposals requesting travel funds. If the following points have not already been covered in your proposal, please take time to address the following:

1. Clearly and fully identify the value of the conference, seminar, workshop, etc. in preparing you to address one of the College's Strategic Planning Initiatives. Attach a copy of the conference agenda to your application.
2. If you plan to attend a conference which has been attended by other Holmes Community College faculty and staff, clearly state what unique benefits will result from your attendance.
3. Develop a method to share your conference experiences in a way which will benefit other members of your division or the college community.
4. Seek partial funding from your division, unit, or others to help reduce the amount requested. Clearly describe your efforts to obtain funds from other college units prior to requesting mini-grant funds.
5. Be certain that the conference will not be offered at a nearby location at a future date.
6. Do not submit a request in a subsequent year to attend the same organization's conference for a second time unless topics to be addressed are directly linked to a new mini-grant proposal. If you feel a conference, seminar, workshop, etc. is valuable enough to attend on an annual basis, this should become a part of your department's operational budget.