Aspects of the grants system are examined, and information on ways to improve the structure of a grants office and sharpen staff skills are provided. Thirteen chapters deal with the following topics: the purpose of the office of grants and contract administration (e.g., the essentials of brainstorming); measuring the success of a grants system (e.g., analyzing and determining the grants potential); developing a preproposal review system; developing staff interest in proposal development; evaluating and improving the grant opportunity research system (e.g., use of newsletters, grants research tools, and the community grants office); the role of the grants office in contacting funding sources (e.g., developing linkages with private and public funding sources); the role of the grants office in promoting an organized proposal (e.g., the role of the project planner, the grants time line, and budget and cash forecasts); the role of the grants office in assurances, submission, and follow-up (including ethics in research and dealing with the decision of the funding source); the role of the grants office in the administration of private funds (e.g., official acceptance and budget modification); the role of the grants office in the administration of federal funds (e.g., cash requests and letters of credit); indirect cost recovery; the role of the grants office in the politics of the funding process (e.g., developing webbing and linkages to elected officials); and the grants administrator. (SM)