Grant management: Applying for and managing funding

Grant management is important for every organization that receives or awards grant funding. This includes, for example, universities, churches, or non-profits. Clearly defined processes help to ensure that organizations submit grant applications on time. They also keep an overview of the grant projects currently in progress. 

In this article, learn about grant management, the challenges faced by grant funding providers and recipients, and how software can support you in the process.

The job of grant management is to arrange for grant funding. Local governments get grant funding, for example, in the form of subsidies and loans. They use this money to expand transport infrastructure, modernize schools, and drive digitalization projects. 

Arranging for grant funding means searching for, processing, tracking, and verifying grant funding. The goal of grant management is thus to optimize workflows across the entire life cycle of a grant funding project. Processes are designed so that the grant applications and documentation are sorted, stored in standardized structures, and information is easy to find. This also makes it easier to prioritize some grants over others and meet deadlines.

Who is the grant funding provider? 

The grant funding provider is the organization that awards the grant funding. In addition to the federal and state governments, these include foundations and business organizations, such as the Chamber of Industry & Commerce and NGOs. They create grant funding and set the requirements for receiving grants or loans. They evaluate incoming applications by comparing the data with the requirements. If all conditions are met, they award the funding. 

Who is the grant funding recipient? 

The grant funding recipient is the organization that applies for and receives the grant funding. The ultimate recipient of the funding is therefore the company or institution that receives the funding. At a more granular level, this is the person who manages grant funding in the organization. They identify needs, look for grant funding, apply for it, and coordinate it. 

Grant management is a challenge for organizations. There is a long process until grant funding is approved. And even after that, considerable administrative effort is required: every step has to be documented, all documents must be available, and long-term requirements have to be met. 

Hey Doxi, what are the biggest challenges faced by grant funding recipients?

Grant management can be divided into three stages: 

1. Identification and analysis of grant funding opportunities 

In the first stage, you identify needs in the business. If these are found, check whether these are eligible for funding. If yes, research all the grant funding programs that are relevant. Then determine the financing needs of the entire project and decide on the preferred program. 

2. Application: Preparation, submission, and requirements  

In the second stage, you collect all the information you need to apply for grant funding. The conditions of the grant funding program show what information is necessary. In grant management, you keep track of things by summarizing the conditions as qualification points on a checklist. 

Whenever you have information, you can cross the item off the checklist. Once you have the complete data for all qualification points, you can process and submit the application. 

3. Project management and documentation 

The third stage begins as soon as grant funding is approved. Then the project starts. From this point onward, your job is to document all the steps in detail. This is because the funding used is tied to certain framework conditions. You can use the documentation to prove that you have met all the conditions throughout the funding process. 

Additionally: With a system you can efficiently manage documents such as documentation, applications, and supporting documents. Ideally, you should use a document management system (DMS) as a software to support all the process steps in grant management: create, edit, manage, and archive documents. 

In Doxis, you manage grant funding and projects in a workspace designed for grant management – from creating a grant application to archiving all the funding-related documents. In the workspace, there are ready-made electronic files that help you keep the funding documents organized. These eFiles are divided into projects, documentation, data on grant funding providers, and grant funding applications. As an alternative, you can set up these eFiles manually using your own preferred structure. 

Doxis is more than just a filing system. Features help you create applications and manage documents: 

This has two benefits: you can manage your funding applications more efficiently and you will no longer miss deadlines. 

Grant management for funding providers 

Doxis also makes it possible for grant funding providers to store grant management documents. You manage the applications of potential funding recipients in Doxis. The software categorizes the applications either by funding cycle or type of funding. All in a workspace designed especially for this activity. 

Doxis then also retains all documents from approved projects. So you can check at any time whether the grant funding agreements are being met.

Doxis is not the only software that provides solutions for grant management. Salesforce also offers tools for managing grant funding. Its strength lies in preparing the data. Salesforce can show you, for example, a budget overview or monitor the funding process for you. 

However, when it comes to managing grant funding documents, Salesforce tends to be too weak as a standalone solution. If you integrate Doxis in Salesforce, on the other hand, you can benefit from the advantages of both software programs: the data processing expertise of Salesforce and the document management know-how of Doxis.

Organizations only receive grant funding if they fill out the applications correctly and demonstrably meet all the grant conditions throughout the entire funding process. The aim of grant management is to document all the information and manage it securely and in a way that is easy to find for verification purposes. 

Document management software is important, at the latest, at the time of application in order to process, manage, and archive all the documents in one place. This also reduces bureaucratic obstacles and controlling effort. With Doxis you can manage grant funding in an organized way through streamlined processes.