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Plug-and-Play Grant Management Software


Today I received an email inquiry regarding InfoStrat's Grants Manager Plus solution. The customer was looking for a plug-and-play grant management system.  I assume this meant that the system would require little configuration or customization.

I am not aware of any grant management system which could be called plug-and-play.  The reason is that a grantor usually has a number of business rules that they want the grant management system to automate, such as these:

  • Eligibility determination for applicants.  Grant applications are often restricted to certain organizations or individuals, and the system should capture the eligibility rules and limit the number of applications which will not be eligible.
  • Application forms. Many grant application forms are lengthy and may include branching or conditional fields.  
  • Application review processes. The review process can vary from one program to another.  It may require multiple review steps and be handled by individuals or committees.
  • Payment request processes.  Payment requests usually require backup data and documents, and payments may be triggered by milestones such as those in infrastructure projects. 
  • Post-award reporting.  Grants often use metrics for grantees to measure their impact and accomplishments.  These metrics may be different for different programs or even different from one geographic area to another. 
Grants Manager Plus was designed to allow configuration rather than coding for many of these complexities in grant management, such as setting up programs, payment rules, and review processes.  Nonetheless, effort is required to analyze the grant programs and map the business rules to the software to automate where practical in order to streamline grant processing. 

For more information on Grants Manager Plus, see my blog posts including these:

5 Ways to Ensure Compliance with Your Grant Management System
6 Things to Look for in Grant Management Software
Estimating the Cost of a Microsoft Grants Manager Plus Implementation
Extending Grants Manager Plus
Flexible Grant Management Software: Long Term Considerations
Grant Management for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)
Grant Management Portal: What to Include
Grant Management with FedRAMP Certification: Microsoft Dynamics 365
Grants Manager Plus: Theme and Variations
InfoStrat Grants Manager Plus Review on FinanceOnline
InfoStrat Releases New Version of Grants Manager Plus
InfoStrat Releases New Videos on Grants Manager Plus
Microsoft Grants Manager Plus
Microsoft Grants Manager Plus Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Online Resources for Microsoft Grants Manager Plus
Portal Options for Microsoft Grants Manager
Statewide Grant Management Systems
The DATA Act Driving Grant Management Automation
The Story of InfoStrat and Grant Management
Usage Scenarios for Microsoft Grants Manager
User Stories for Grants Manager Plus
Understanding Budget, Payments and Milestones in Grants Manager Plus
Understanding Grant Management Data: CDBG-DR Programs
Understanding Programs in Grants Manager Plus

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