When managing grant awards that span multiple years in Grant Lifecycle Manager (GLM), the recommended workflow depends on whether the grant is a true multi-year grant or a renewal grant.
User Role: Administrator, Grants Manager
Multi-Year Grant Types:
- True Multi-Year Grant - A grant in which multiple years of funding are awarded at the initial decision date.
- Renewal Grant - A grant in which one year of funding is initially awarded. The grantee then has the opportunity to receive additional funding, but will be evaluated in some way to determine approval or denial of the additional funds at that time.
True Multi-Year Grant Workflow
A true multi-year grant exists as a single request in GLM. When approving a true multi-year grant, use installment forms to set up each annual payment and follow-up forms to check in with the grantee throughout the award period.
Installment Forms
- Add Installments to an Approved Request contains instructions.
- Installments can also be auto configured in the process to save time.
Follow Up Forms
- For example, if an annual progress report is required for a five year award, build five progress report follow up forms so that one can be assigned each year.
- When configuring follow up forms, attach them to specific installments as needed.
- Use a consistent naming convention for follow up forms to avoid confusion.
- For example, (Process Name) Year 1 Report, (Process Name) Year 2 Report, etc.
Renewal Grant Workflow
Renewal grants require a separate request for each funding period so that the evaluation and decision stages can be used to approve or deny each renewal.
Depending on license level and specific needs, there are two options for structuring this workflow in GLM.
Copy Functionality
- In many cases, the Copy Functionality can be useful, as it allows applicants and/or administrators to copy the original request into a renewal process.
Separate Processes
- If you will accept applications from both new and renewing applicants at the same time, it is often advisable to create two separate processes: one for new applicants and one for renewals.
- The renewal process can also be made restricted so that it is not accessible by new applicants.
To ensure that your due diligence and reporting requirements are best met, contact Support to discuss renewal grant workflow options in more detail.
Considerations Before Setting Up a Multi-Year Grant Workflow
Before setting up a workflow for multi-year grants, it is also important to consider the following:
- Your GLM license level determines the number of processes that can be active at one time.
- Contact Support with any questions regarding your license level.
- Copying processes is recommended when setting up these workflows.
If you are considering awarding multi-year grants and would like more general information on this practice, the resources below provide additional context on multi-year funding strategies and where foundations currently stand on this approach.