Responsive and Considerate Grantmaking for Hardship Relief

Grants that can be awarded quickly are leading to an increase in organizations adding emergency relief programs to their offerings as necessary. However, these crisis programs require different processes than traditional grants. Additionally, it’s imperative for organizations to modify their typical processes to be more supportive during difficult times.

When responding to a crisis, disaster, or emergency situation, funding needs may require a temporary pivot. To facilitate this pivot, relief grant programs should be added to your philanthropic portfolio so funding can be delivered in a timely manner.

In times of critical urgency, it is important that grantmakers who are often focused on long-term missions and programs have an established system in place to quickly provide aid. Such a system requires staff members to stay alert and attentive, as well as having the right resources at hand. Let’s explore some of the ways that grant management software can help your team pivot quickly to a more responsive and considerate grantmaking model:

Create a simple application process

Make the application process simple for your applicants who are busy with emergency-response work or in desperate need and free up valuable time for your staff by bypassing wordy instructions and lengthy data entry.

Some ways to ensure your application process is accessible include:

• Divide the application into smaller, more logical parts to help orient your applicant to the process overview and include section details that indicate important info like materials and time needed to complete that section.
• Write clear instructions by clarifying your grant application questions, providing explanations on why you’re asking, providing example answers to the more ambiguous questions, defining the length of the answers, and avoiding any insider jargon that might not be familiar to them.
• Consider removing questions you may typically ask for more traditional grant applications. Request only the bare minimum that your team needs to qualify an applicant. Ancillary and background questions can be asked later in the process once the grantee’s pressing needs have been addressed.

Implementing these changes will open up opportunities for qualified applicants to utilize your services, as well as take the guesswork out of the process.

Fast-track your application process

If your organization is offering relief grant programs, you may need to update your systems to be able to expedite applications, providing grantees with much-needed funds quickly.

A qualifying quiz at the beginning of the application can save both time and effort by informing the applicant of their eligibility before taking any action toward it. An organization can also have any post-application questions answered on the final screen by including confirmation of receipt, the expected timeline for your decision, and any explanations needed for further action.

A reliable hardship and relief grant management platform can help your team sync up online to review applications rapidly and efficiently. With an intuitive grant management system, you can not only collect applications quicker but automatically assign reviewers or even have the system score and approve applications and move along processes to get checks cut and sent faster.

Ensure clear and open communications

Remember, your grantees are busy dealing with a crisis and will need to know you appreciate the urgency of the situation and are able to offer quick updates. It’s best to have a grantee communication plan in place to let them know exactly how it is you’ll be communicating, whether it is online, via email, or via text.

Take action and deliver aid quickly during times of crisis with our all-in-one hardship and relief grants management platform.