Create and Process an External Grant

External grants send money from funds to grantees.

1. Navigate to the Grants page and click Create in the left-side menu. 
2. Enter the grantee name in the External Grant-Choose Grantee field and select the grantee you want from the drop-down list. Click Create.
   • Alternatively, click [show list] to view a list of all grantees. Click the grantee name. 
     
     
     
3. Enter the applicable Create Grant information, and then click Create. 
   • Grant Date, Amount, and Granting Fund are required fields.
     • Grant Date - The date of the General Ledger transaction or posting date. The grant date has to be in an open financial period in CommunitySuite, meaning the books cannot be closed. This field cannot be edited in GLM/SLM once the request is synced. You can update this field in CommunitySuite.
     • Decision Date - This field is typically used as the date the grant was approved after evaluation, but you can choose any date that is helpful for your organization. This field can be edited in GLM/SLM and CommunitySuite.
     • Description - Grant description. This is available as a merge field in grant letters.
     • Grant Type - The grant type defaults to the Default Grant Type on the grantee. If that field is blank on the grantee, it defaults to the Default Grant Type on the granting fund but can be edited.
     • Service Area - The service area defaults to the Service Area on the grantee. If that field is blank on the grantee, it defaults to the Service Area on the granting fund but can be edited.
     • Amount - Grant amount.
     • Conditional - If checked, the recipient must do something in order to receive the next installment. Installments that are marked as conditional will have the expense and the payable reversed when the books are closed at year end. The reversal is made in a separate fund, so your fund statements aren't changing throughout the year. This fund can be set in Conditional Payment Fund in Grants Settings. The balance sheet will show a negative grants payable number for the Conditional Payment Fund, and the income statement will show a negative grant expense for the Conditional Payment Fund. This reversal is done when the books are closed on the last day of the year, and it is reversed on the first day of the following year.
     • Expense Account - The account that will recognize the grant expense. Unless changed, it will be the assigned default expense account for grants. 
     • Public Donations - If checked, the public can donate to your grant from the grant catalog.
     • Summary - Summary of the grant that will appear in the grant catalog.
     • Granting Fund - Fund distributing the grant.
     • Grant Advisor - The grant advisor defaults to the primary fund advisor on the granting fund but can be edited.
     • Anonymous Grant - If checked, the fund name will be Anonymous on the check and grant letter.
     • Award Letter Needed - If checked, an award letter will be generated. It can be printed from the Grants Award Letter bucket .
     • Award Letter Template - If an award letter template has been added in System Data, then it can be selected for use. 
       
        
   • If Add Funding is highlighted in the left-side menu, the granting fund does not have enough funds to cover the grant. You will need to click Add Funding to continue. Fund the grant from the open assets of the granting fund, an internal grant from a different fund at your foundation, or from an individual donation.
4. Edit the pay schedule to create multiple installments or edit the grant if needed, and then click Post & Get Approval in the left-side menu.
   • If Post & Get Approval is not an available option, you may need to run a charity check on the grantee.
   • The grant is now in the approval bucket.
   • To approve a grant, you must be listed as a grant approver on the source fund.
5. Click I Approve in the left-side menu.
   • The grant is now in the voucher bucket.
   • If you don't see I Approve and I Reject and you think you should have these options, speak with your system administrator about your user permissions.
6. Click [approve payment] in the Grant Payment Schedule window.
   
   • If Auto Approve Grant Payments is enabled in Grants Settings, skip this step.
     
     
     
7. Click [create] in the Grant Payment Schedule window to create the voucher.
   
   
   
8. Click [pay] in the Grant Payment Schedule window to create the check.
   
   
   
9. Enter the applicable Pay Voucher information, and then click Create Check.
   

External Grant Process Video