5 Tips for Simplifying Your Grantmaking Process
Grants management can be a complex and time-consuming process, but it doesn’t have to be! We’ve put together a list of five tips for simplifying your grantmaking process — let’s dive right in The key to successfully managing grants is organization, and technology can be your best friend here. Utilizing GO Smart can help you […]
UI and Accessibility Updates – March 2023
We’ve made enhancements to the GO Smart applicant and admin portals. Read on for a comprehensive list of these changes and some recommended actions. We suggest that you log in to your applicant portal and review the contents of your site as well as the contents of your applications and forms so that you can […]
Launch of the National Leaders of Color Fellowship Program
Earlier this year, the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) partnered with its five U.S. regional arts organization partners (USRAOs) (Arts Midwest, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Mid Atlantic Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, and South Arts) to support an exciting expansion of WESTAF’s Emerging Leaders of Color (ELC) program. A leadership development program specifically for […]
GO Smart’s New Multiple Submission Tool
Are you looking to further streamline your grants management processes? Look no further than GO Smart’s new multiple submission tool! This innovative enhancement will save you time and stress during your next grant cycle. Applying for and managing grants can be time-consuming and cumbersome for grantmakers and applicants. But a new tool from GO Smart […]
Draft Review
Use the Draft Review feature to allow applicants to submit a draft version of their application. Setting Draft Review to Yes and providing a draft review deadline for this cycle, will display a draft review deadline date on their Current Programs & Applications tab. Applicants will see an additional option on their Application Submit page […]
Equity Resources for Grantmakers
As natural relationship cultivators, grantmakers explore equity and inclusion practices every day. Working within a system created to benefit some, but not all, creates challenges in the grantmaking field and slows the ability of nonprofits and other organizations to create greater impact in their communities. Folding equity into our daily actions is crucial not only […]
Preview Your Page
Clicking this button atop any page of your cycles will open a new window in your browser that mimics what your applicants will see and how they will interact with this page. In the new window you will see a header in the top right that displays the Create New Account and Login buttons, but […]
Client Spotlight: South Arts’ Joy Young
A dollar spent on the arts goes farther in the rural or BIPOC South than it might New York or Boston—and it often pays dividends in enriching the social fabric of small communities.” — Susie Surkamer & Joy Young, Artnet News, November 3, 2021 GO Smart, in collaboration with WESTAF’s Social Responsibility & Inclusion team, […]
Introduction to the Multiple Submission Tool
GO Smart has added an enhanced feature that you may have seen on your Custom Narrative page editors in the last few weeks. Read on to learn more about this feature and how it will save you time, decrease applicant confusion, and create a clean review experience for your panelists. Watch the webinar that was […]
Flex Forms
A single GO Smart cycle has the capacity to offer the following forms: one application and an optional intent to apply, interim report, and final report. If you need to offer alternative forms such as reimbursement requests, invoice requests, a stand-alone interim or final report, etc. you will likely need to create a flexible form […]
Dates and Deadlines
From the Grant Editor > Program Cycles > Applicant Access & Dates tab, you will determine all the settings that make a cycle visible to your applicants. After selecting Show to ensure that your cycle appears on the applicant’s Current Programs & Applications tab (unless you have an invitation code in place), you will see […]
Grantmaking Best Practices
In November, GO Smart teamed up with ZAPPlication, an art fair and festival application management and jurying system (powered by regional arts nonprofit WESTAF), to conduct a webinar on grantmaking best practices. Watch the webinar here! Before diving into these best practices, we should start with the essential players in any funding project and the […]
Exploring Disability Culture with DisArt
GO Smart is one of five innovative web services for arts, culture, and the creative economy developed and managed by the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF). Recently, the GO Smart team as well as all WESTAF staff, participated in a professional development session led by DisArt on the many ways that the disability community intersects […]
Incorporating Equity into Your Grantmaking Strategy
Incorporating equity into your grantmaking strategy is most valuable when weaving the consideration of diverse experiences and perspectives through every step of the grantmaking process. What are some practical approaches to centering equity in your grantmaking practice and development? Here are GO Smart’s four favorite tips: Ensure BIPOC-led organizations are part of your funding. This […]
How can data impact your grantmaking?
As the world of traditional grantmaking continues to evolve, organizations and grantmakers are paying more attention to utilizing data. The impact of data on grantmaking has grown considerably in recent years, and grantmakers are relying on this data to not only inform their grantmaking and organizational strategies around funding but also to share the knowledge […]
WESTAF’s 2021 Creative Vitality™ Summit
Powered by the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF), GO Smart is one program in a suite of products that aims to amplify impact and enrich the lives of artists, arts administrators, arts organizations, and communities. In that spirit, GO Smart is excited to share that WESTAF will kick off its first Creative Vitality™ Summit virtually, […]
Arts, Culture, and the American Rescue Plan
How systemic change revitalizes communities through arts and culture In March 2021, the National Endowment for the Arts received $135 million through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act to preserve and support organizations adversely affected by the pandemic. As one of the nation’s six regional arts organizations (RAOs), the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) was […]
Client Spotlight: Arts Council of Anne Arundel County
Here at GO Smart, we love being a part of what helps our clients accomplish their grantmaking goals. In an effort to showcase a few of the organizations that utilize GO, we wanted to begin with a spotlight on the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County, and specifically, Senior Program Manager Tricia Sanborn, who was […]
5 Steps for Creating a Strong Grant Proposal
Strategies to help your next grant proposal stand out When creating a strong grant proposal, there are a few things to keep in mind. Putting together a grant proposal can be time-consuming and even frustrating if you do not have a strong concept around the key points you want to emphasize. With a solid game […]
Sequence – Determine the Order of Your Active Cycles
Cycles are visible to your applicants on their Current Programs & Applications (CP&A) tab when you set the Display setting to Show from the Grant Editor > Program Cycles > Applicant Access & Dates section. A shown cycle is also referred to as an “active” cycle. You can determine the order of all active cycles […]
