How Technology Can Improve the Grantee Experience

Sponsored by Temelio

As someone deeply immersed in the grants management technology space, I’ve witnessed firsthand how technology can revolutionize the grantee experience. By streamlining processes, enhancing efficiency, and fostering stronger relationships between funders and grantees, technological advancements are transforming the landscape of grants management. However, knowing where to start can feel overwhelming. Here are a few practical ways to integrate technology into your process to enhance the grantee experience.

Implement industry-leading #FixTheForm recommendations

Grantees often spend significant time completing similar information across multiple grant proposals. Unfortunately, inefficient data collection methods can further contribute to frustration and wasted effort. One way to address this is by reviewing your application process to ensure your application form content and technology align with #FixTheForm recommendations. This industry-led initiative identifies specific opportunities to reduce the application burden for nonprofits.
For organizations that have already adopted #FixTheForm recommendations and are seeking advanced solutions, consider grants management systems that utilize artificial intelligence (AI). AI-powered systems can automatically suggest answers to frequently asked questions by leveraging previously submitted information or data from completed proposals for other funders, significantly reducing grantee application time.

Integrate with external databases

To further alleviate repetitive data entry, consider integrating your technology systems with external databases like Candid. This allows grantees to populate organizational profile fields—such as mission, vision, address, and IRS Form 990 filings—directly from their Candid profiles. By streamlining data input, this approach enhances both efficiency and accuracy in the application process.

Enhance post-award management

The grantee experience extends beyond the application process into post-award management. Implementing a central portal that consolidates tasks, deliverables, reports, and payment transactions across all grants—regardless of the funder—can significantly improve efficiency. Prioritize a grants management solution that offers centralized grantee portals or work with your current system provider to establish this setup. A central portal allows grantees to manage their commitments in one place, reducing the need to navigate multiple systems and enabling them to leverage information submitted to previous funders.

Encourage AI tools for grant writing assistance

AI-driven tools—which include ChatGPT, Grant Assistant, Grant Orb, Grantable, and GrantBoost—can support applicants in crafting compelling proposals by analyzing their successful grant applications and offering insights to enhance proposal quality. These tools ensure proposals align with funders’ priorities and increase the likelihood of the nonprofit being awarded a grant. While AI should complement, not replace, the human element in grant writing, encouraging grantees to use such tools demonstrates an understanding of their time constraints and a commitment to their success.

The industry is already moving in this direction. A Temelio report published in 2024 found that funders are significantly more comfortable with grantees using AI tools compared to internal teams.

Incorporating technology into grants management isn’t just about staying current with digital trends—it’s about fundamentally improving the quality of how grantees engage with you. To help you put the guidance above into practice, here is a checklist for creating a seamless grantee technology experience.

• Implement recommendations from #FixTheForm.
• Use AI-based smart form features like autofill and answer suggestions in collaboration with your grants management system.
• Allow grantees to reuse previously submitted data.
• Integrate with nonprofit database systems like Candid to enable easy data imports and avoid duplication of effort.
• Create a central portal for grantees to track deliverables, payments, and compliance requirements.
• Encourage grantees to use AI tools for grant-writing suggestions and insights.
• Set up regularly scheduled processes to gather grantee feedback on your systems and update your technology based on their needs.
• Provide training and resources to grantees so they can navigate your systems effectively.
• Ensure your technology systems offer responsive technical support to address issues promptly.

By reducing administrative burdens, grantees can focus more on their mission-driven work. As we continue to innovate and embrace technological advancements, the future of grants management promises greater efficiency, effectiveness, and impact for all stakeholders.

Image by Alexander Suhorucov, courtesy of Pexels