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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
Cycle Pages – Conditional Logic
Utilize conditional logic on your custom narrative pages to show or hide questions based on an applicant’s responses to previous questions. When to use conditional logic Definitions Using conditional logic What to know before using conditional logic When to use Conditional Logic Conditional logic, sometimes referred to as form logic, allows you to tailor your […]
Interim and Final Reports
After offering your application form and funding your grantees, you may want to invite applicants back to the system to complete interim or final reports. Create these reports by doing the following: Navigate to the Grant Editor tab > Cycle Pages subtab. Select your program and cycle from the drop-down menus at the top of […]
Allow Applicants to Submit or Resubmit an Application After the Deadline
After your application deadline has passed, you will likely receive a couple of applicant requests to submit, or modify and resubmit, their applications. Rather than changing the deadline date, which would allow every applicant to apply and submit an application after the deadline, you can simply change the status of selected application(s) to “Exception.” Doing […]
Testing and Previewing Your New Cycle
If you are a newer admin user of GO Smart or you have created a new program and cycle, we recommend that you access and review it as an applicant would before inviting them to apply. This helps you to better understand what your applicants will experience and will better position you to answer questions […]