Meet Grantmaking

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

• Explain the key features and tools in Grantmaking.
  
• Define some objects used to track information with Grantmaking.
  
• Describe examples of how to use Grantmaking at public sector and nonprofit organizations.
  

Salesforce offers both integrated platform solutions and managed packages. This module covers Grantmaking, an integrated solution in Salesforce.

For more information about Grants Management, a managed package product that’s different from Grantmaking, complete the Grants Management Basics module.

If you’re unsure which solution your organization uses, check with your Salesforce administrator.

Goal: Grantmaking Greatness

If you work for a grantmaking organization, or a nonprofit that delivers funding, you’re in the business of progress. Sure, the way you achieve those outcomes is by processing applications and granting money to people and organizations working toward your shared goals—but you’re looking for results.

You need a solution that delivers, manages, and tracks funding programs to create stronger outcomes. A system that minimizes your time spent on process and compliance is key to success.

Meet Grantmaking, a Salesforce solution for foundations, nonprofits, government agencies, and other public sector organizations that provide funding for a specific purpose. It’s an end-to-end grantmaking solution that drives efficiency, creates positive experiences for grantees, and invests in better outcomes.

Grantmaking helps you manage the entire grantmaking process. It extends your Salesforce instance to give you a unified view of your funding programs throughout the planning, delivery, and evaluation stages. 

Plus, a site template for Experience Cloud helps you create an online portal to communicate and collaborate with your grantees. Here’s an example home page based on the site template.

The home page presents the imaginary foundation's mission statement with options to access funding opportunities, the application process, awards, and more.

In this Quick Look module, you gain an overview of Grantmaking and its features.

The Salesforce Framework for Managing Grants

Grantmaking adds to Salesforce’s relationship management tools with features designed to manage funding opportunities, set grant budgets, review grant applications, award grants, and manage disbursements on an ongoing basis.

Let’s explore some objects that help you do that.

Start by creating your funding programs in Salesforce using the Program object.

Use the Budget object to define program spending. Budgets enable you to set and track grantmaking budgets for each of your programs, projects, or departments. For example, create budgets for the amount of money available to a program each year. Applicants can also submit project budgets when they apply, based on templates you configure.

You manage available grant opportunities using the Funding Opportunity object. Funding opportunities can include descriptions of available grants, application instructions, and application start and end dates. You can display these opportunities through your Experience Cloud site, too.

Funding opportunities can be related to application forms you create using the Action Plan Template, Individual Application Task, and Application Stage Definition objects, along with Omniscript, Flexcard, and Flow Builder.

After an application is entered, you track it from start to finish with the Individual Application object.

After an application is in the system, capture feedback from your team using the Application Review object. Standardize how your team works using built-in Salesforce automation tools and other features like action plans, document checklists, and approval processes.

Then, manage your decisions using the Application Decision and Funding Award objects. Plus, track money sent to grantees using the Funding Disbursement object. Manage additional steps a grantee must take—like interim or annual reports—using the Funding Award Requirement object.

Then track spending against the budget to neatly close the cycle.

Grantmaking in Action

By now you can imagine how Grantmaking fits into your organization’s grantmaking lifecycle. It helps to explore some examples, though.

Let’s start by visiting the city of Cosville. Its small business administration focuses on boosting the municipality’s economy. However, it spends too much time on cumbersome administrative processes like collecting feedback and entering budget data. 

With Grantmaking and an Experience Cloud site, Cosville can track reviews in one place to speed up decision making and automate manual tasks. Then it can work with grantees to file their budget numbers directly into Salesforce through an Experience Cloud portal. The result: More time spent on outcomes, less on data entry and chasing down reviewers.

Now imagine the Mountain Rise Foundation (MRF), a private foundation. It has a small-but-mighty team that wants to build better relationships with grantees. By using Grantmaking and an Experience Cloud site, the foundation streamlines communications with applicants and grantees at every step of the grantmaking lifecycle. Grantmaking has transformed the grantee experience and optimized program outcomes.

Can you think of how Grantmaking could fit into your organization?

Resources

• Salesforce Website: Public Sector Solutions
• Salesforce Help: Grantmaking
• Trailhead: The Grantmaking Lifecycle in Salesforce
• Trailhead: Grantmaking Site Template for Experience Cloud
• Trailhead: Grants Management Basics