Innovative software for government grants is emerging to transform grants management and enhance processes for more complex pass-through grants. Here are five ways software for grantmaking and subrecipient management can benefit your agency: streamlined workflow, enhanced data organization, improved collaboration, error reduction and auditability, and comprehensive reporting.
Streamlined Workflow
Grants management workflows can be bogged down by inefficiencies in manual processes (such as paper applications and reports) and poor communication between grantors, grantees, and reviewers. With software for government grants, the entire pass-through funding operation and workflow can be streamlined through automated processes and cloud-based document management. For example, a grantmaker does not need to manually create and route applications and can instead spend time and resources providing tailored support to applicants. Key features that streamline workflow include:
- Online Document Management: Grantors no longer need to create paper applications, Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs), or Request for Applications/Proposals (RFAs/RFPs). A software solution can assist in creating online applications using pre-built templates, ultimately reducing the time needed to create documents while ensuring consistency across grant programs.
- Role-Based Workflow Routing: Automatic role-based routing of information can be created and tailored to match the unique sequential steps of each state and local government agency’s pre- and post-award process. This streamlines the grantmaking process by ensuring information is accurately routed to the appropriate party, reducing errors and administrative burden.
- Real-Time Tracking: Grants management software can track application progress and fund disbursement in real time, allowing for increased visibility of the flow of grant dollars and ensuring compliance.
Enhanced Data Organization
With the enhanced data organization provided by software for government grants, grants information is stored electronically in a central location, facilitating easy access and retrieval while also increasing transparency for all involved parties. For example, when analyzing a grant during post-award monitoring, grant administrators no longer have to search for grantee reports, site visit findings, or any other supporting documentation through multiple desktop folders or paper documentation to find the right information. This is especially important as more grantors and grantees are moving to hybrid/remote workplaces and require quick, virtual access to data. Important data organization features include:
- Centralized Platform: Software solutions allow for one secure, digital location for all grant applications, attachments, reviews, approvals, and reports. Effective grants management software also provides an intuitive user experience where data and documentation are always connected one click away without ever having to leave the current screen. This allows for a centralized view of all relevant data, aiding in faster decision-making across the grants lifecycle.
- Digitization: New technology solutions also allow for the digitization and aggregation of critical program, budget, and expenditure information often stored within document attachments. This leads to easier collection of necessary data without time spent manually searching through files.
- Historic Data: Grants management software can provide clear visibility to historical relationships with each grant recipient across various programs without needing to create a report or manually aggregate data from multiple sources.
Improved Collaboration
Software for government grants can facilitate communication and collaboration between grantors, reviewers, and grantees. For example, with grants management software, reviewers can collaborate and share feedback within the platform, fostering communication and a more efficient review process. Key features that improve collaboration are:
- Real-Time Communication: Grants management software allows for real-time communication, leading to the timely resolution of issues through instantaneous access to feedback, questions, updates, and documents. This leads to a streamlined process for grantors to assist grantees and fosters a sense of openness among stakeholders.
- Built-In Communication: Communication across stakeholders regarding application reviews, revisions, and decisions can be managed solely within the grants management platform. This leads to the decreased administrative burden of tracking communications outside the platform while reducing decision-making time.
- Shared Workspace: A shared workspace feature allows for collaborative co-creation of grant applications between grantors and grantees for non-competitive funding opportunities, allowing for a positive applicant experience.
Error Reduction and Auditability
Automated data capture and validation features within software for government grants minimize errors in applications and reporting while providing an important audit trail, which is crucial for state and local pass-through grants operations. For example, grants management software can automatically notify applicants and grantees of budget discrepancies within applications and reports, such as numbers that do not match or add up. Features that reduce errors and increase auditability are:
- Automatic Data Capture: Manual data entry is a prime culprit for errors in grants management. Software can automate tasks like transferring applicant information or budget figures, eliminating the chance of typos, inconsistencies, and issues with redundant data entry.
- Data Validation: Automatic data validation helps reduce errors and ensure compliance with grant program requirements during pre-award application intake and post-award reporting. Software can be configured with eligibility criteria to automatically screen applications. This ensures only qualified applicants move forward, saving time and preventing proposals from getting lost in the review process.
- Audit Trail: Grants management software contains audit trails to validate the integrity of every single data element and revert incorrect changes. It can create a detailed record of all actions taken within the system and provide a clear picture of the decision-making process to help identify potential errors or biases.
Comprehensive Reporting
Software for government grants can automatically generate comprehensive reports on grant applications, progress, and impact, allowing for better decision-making. These comprehensive reports can be created without the need for complex technical expertise, allowing quicker access to how funds are being used, the impact of grant programs, and targets for future grant programs. For example, it can compare budgets and expenditures across similar grant-funded projects across various geographies to identify learnings that can inform future program design. Reporting features can include:
- Automatic Report Creation: Self-service and user-friendly reports can be easily created across all interconnected grants data. These automatically generated reports allow less reliance on resource-heavy legacy systems and databases that require technical IT staff to write queries.
- Automatic Pattern Recognition: Grants management software can anticipate issues such as overdue or missing reporting requirements with higher risk or non-compliant grantees/subrecipients by visualizing trends in the grants management data. This allows grantmakers to take immediate action to rectify any issues.
Conclusion
Software for state and local government pass-through grants can greatly enhance processes by fostering efficiency and transparency and increasing overall impact. Contact Fluxx today to transform your grants management system.
