Modernizing Your Foundation: How Technology Is Revolutionizing Strategic Grant-Making

The grant application process can be long and intricate, requiring precision and number-crunching. Traditionally, it has been a manual process. However, in today’s tech-driven age, it has transformed into a digital-first job, embracing the value of data and remote collaboration. Discover the benefits of grant-making software and the best providers.

What Are the Benefits of Grant-Making Software?

Grant-making software has transformed the labor-intensive task of creating a proposal into something more streamlined and accessible. Experts are adopting these programs because of their many advantages.

The most apparent efficiency gains are automating tedious tasks, such as entering default information or finding a helpful template to get started. Everything from intake to budget reporting is centralized, making data easier to plug in without trouble.

Software also enforces an inherent organization to all grant documentation. Every data byte regarding the prospective budget or mission is protected, making cross-referencing to monitor progress or track application statuses easier.

Grant management solutions also promote collaboration. Many programs provide dashboards of opportunities for applicants, reducing research time. This allows people within the team to have live visibility over an active project, observing all activities related to in-progress proposals without spending time catching each other up on the minutiae. The improved communications increase transparency within and outside the organization because compliance is simpler to track.

Finally, grant-making software makes it easier to visualize impact. The data also makes judging grant outcomes and the budget’s effectiveness easier. Handling the aftermath of receiving funds has never been more data-driven and accurate, helping everyone involved feel more confident about their ability to make an impact.

What Is the Best Grant Management Software for Foundations?

These organizations are the best in the space, thanks to their contribution to revolutionizing the grant-application landscape.

1. IGX Solutions

IGX Solutions is the top provider of grant-making software for many reasons. Modernization has always driven it to maximize impact, eliminating the need to hold on to legacy products. This is why the platform is cloud-based and one of the most customizable on the market. From compliance checks to performance measurement and reporting tools, IGX covers the gamut of grant-making needs in a single, focused hub.

The tools are some of the best for integrating into existing workflows and every step of the process, including end-to-end grant management and real-time analytics. IGX’s user-centric design is interoperable with third-party tools, making its potential to facilitate collaboration within the industry feel seemingly endless. This is possible because of its ongoing support and security-focused approach, making it one of the top competitors.

2. Fluxx

Fluxx is a cloud-native grant-making management platform perfect for widespread and security-focused organizations. The interface is one of the most approachable on the market. The program’s navigation flows naturally and enhances transparency, thanks to how visible and up-front data appears.

Fluxx’s platform can help foundations, governments and other organizations with grant management. Its features include integration of application programming interfaces and grant life cycle management. Over its history, Fluxx has helped over 400 foundations and 150,000 nonprofits, opening the door for over $22 billion in rewards.

3. Blackbaud

One of the biggest names in grant-making software is Blackbaud. It is also one of the most experienced, having helped foundations for over four decades. This tenure is crucial and visible in the company’s products because they have competitive scalability and integration considerations. Blackbaud is determined to boost grant accessibility and has a presence in over 100 countries with millions of users.

Blackbaud has perfected the basics of grant application and compliance. It has spent years refining its complementary nonprofit tools to raise the value of its products. There are fundraising tools, fund accounting and educational resources to get foundations upskilled and clear on their goals. It has always been 100% dedicated to empowering social impact, distributing and raising over $100 billion yearly for foundations.

4. Submittable

Submittable has become one of the most user-friendly platforms for applying for almost anything, including grants. It features a robust marketplace of opportunities for foundations of all shapes and sizes, offering one of the most comprehensive oversights into the industry. Its flexible yet in-depth platform has services including workflow automation and payment disbursement tools.

It is one of the simplest grant-making software to deploy. It requires minimal startup, so workers can start exploring immediately. The drag-and-drop builder allows foundations to customize features to suit their needs. The advantage of using a simpler service like Submittable for grant management is that it prevents extensive conversations with customer support to learn how to navigate heavy code to customize software. Numerous organizations have praised the platform, which has supported over 165,000 programs and handled $10 billion in funds.

5. Bonterra

CyberGrants, a product of Bonterra, has been open for business for over 20 years, earning itself Fortune 500 status because of its impact. Its offerings enable customers to manage grants and donations with supplementary tools to upskill workers during digital transformation. Its products manage higher volumes than most, even with the most complex specs.

Its unique value proposition is its corporate social responsibility and employee giving programs, which work seamlessly to improve the grant-making experience. It strives to engage employees as much as it helps them communicate with grant organizations. Simply request pricing to see what its various program levels offer. Bonterra also has a table for transparency that distinguishes its features for more informed decision-making.

Comparing Grant-Making Software

Here are the most important criteria when determining which program to partner with.

Customers may also consider other factors more important than experience or personalization. Grant-making software specs buyers may want to consider include pricing, accessibility, international resources and portability.

Strategic Grant-Making in the Digital Age

Grant-making has never felt more fluid and intuitive for organizations of all sizes and goals. Whether you are working for a foundation or as a community manager, software is the best way to access more opportunities and information than ever while improving communication between gifters and applicants. Customers who adopt one of these options can get the funds they need to make an impact.

Devin Partida writes about investor technologies, big data and apps. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of ReHack.com.