Resources for Designing the Application Form

The application form is a key tool in helping you collect the information you need to make funding decisions. It also has a big impact on the applicant's experience as they apply for funding. Fortunately, there are many resources available to help as you design your application. We've collected several below. 

• Foundant
  • The Client Success Team can review your application form to ensure you're using best practices for form building in the system. For example, they can discuss adjustments to the question types you've chosen if there could be a better option for reporting down the road.  
  • Compass, Foundant's online community, is a great place to ask other funders for ideas and examples.
  • Foundant's Resources page contains a wide variety of blogs, webinars, and coffee talks that include topics related to designing your grant and scholarship cycles. 
• Candid's Philanthropy Classification System
  • For grantmakers, Candid's resource on taxonomy provides information on categorizing and classifying commonly collected information. 
• Your Grantees and Scholarship Recipients
  
  • When speaking with your award recipients, ask about their application experience, and consider any adjustments you might make for the next cycle. 
  • Some administrators choose to build a few optional survey questions at the end of the application form to collect feedback. This could include questions about how long the application took to complete, any areas that were confusing, etc.