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Online Grant Help Center

The Community Foundation uses Foundant, an online grants management software, to promote, receive, and review grant applications.

How It Works

If an organization is applying for a Community Foundation grant for the first time, the grant applicant creates an organizational account in Foundant, and then logs on to that account to access the list of available grants and start a new grant application. Your application can be saved as a draft, and when you log on again it’s easy to return to that draft, make edits, and submit the application. Each account maintains a record of the application history that you can access at any time.

Once a grant is awarded, the Foundant system allows grantees an easy way to see the status of their grant, check due dates, and submit electronic grant reports right from their account.

We recommend that you carefully read the instructions and reference materials found on this page before registering and starting your first application.

Creating an Online Account

All applications are required to be submitted electronically through Foundant. We suggest creating your account well in advance of the grant deadline to avoid any last-minute issues. At the time of registration, you are required to enter the following information:

  • A username that is an email address
  • Your contact information
  • Your organization’s information, including the EIN/Tax ID number (required)
  • Contact information for the organization’s Executive Officer

For Organizations: Managing Your Online Account

The first person to register enters the organization’s information, which creates the organization’s profile. It’s important to enter this information accurately at registration because after this point the organization profile can only be edited by Community Foundation staff. For an organization to easily view its full history of grants and requests, all applications are consolidated into one organization record.
If you are unsure whether your organization already has an account or if you need to be added to an existing account, please contact Giving@CommunityFoundationHSV.org to discuss your options. Additional users can be added by Community Foundation staff. Additionally, if someone leaves your organization, please contact our staff to have that person made inactive and have any grant reports reassigned to the appropriate person.

For Users: Managing Your Online Account

If you are the first user from your organization, click “Create New Account” on the Log In page. Returning users log on to the system using their e-mail address and password. Please do not create a second, new user account. There is a system prompt to assist if you need a password reminder. Once your account is set up, your account dashboard is displayed on the screen every time you log in. From the dashboard, you can do the following:

  • Edit your contact information
  • Begin the application process
  • Access application drafts and submitted applications
  • View details and complete the report process for grant awards

A user account can only be connected to one organization at a time. If you are a grant writer for multiple organizations, please contact us to discuss your options.

Helpful Tips

  • For the best user experience when accessing our Online Grants Manager, we suggest using one of the following browsers: Google Chrome 14 or higher, Firefox 9 or higher, or Safari 4 or higher. It is fine to use Internet Explorer, but you may encounter some minor technical issues.
  • We encourage you to read the FAQs below before beginning the application process.
  • You may choose to prepare your response in a document outside of the online system (e.g. Microsoft Word) and then copy and paste the text into the online form. If you prepare your application in this way, be sure to keep track of character limits.
  • Please remember to regularly save your work. The system will autosave every 20 minutes. A user will be automatically logged out of the online system after 90 minutes of inactivity. The user will receive a warning message at 80 minutes of the pending time out.

  • Our grants must be paid to a registered 501(c)(3) public charity, school, religious institution, or government agency. Per IRS regulations, we cannot provide grants to individuals, for-profit businesses, or private foundations.

Ready? Click the login button to access Foundant and apply for a grant or create a new account.

Log In To Online Grant Center

Frequently Asked Questions

We can help you with answers to some of our most frequently asked questions regarding the online grant application portal.

Getting Started

Google Chrome 14 or higher, Firefox 9 or higher, or Safari 4 or higher. It is fine to use Internet Explorer, but you may encounter some minor technical issues.

Grant applications are only accepted through Foundant, our online grant management system. Please contact Giving@CommunityFoundationHSV.org if you have questions.

After you have logged into our online grants manager, click the “Apply” link at the top. This will take you to the list of grant opportunities currently accepting applications. You may need to scroll down the page to find the grant you are looking for.

If you can’t find an application here, its deadline may have already passed, or it might not have opened yet. Most of our applications appear online at least a month prior to the deadline. Please contact Giving@CommunityFoundationHSV.org if you have questions.

Your Application

No. At the bottom of the application is a “Save as Draft” button. We recommend you save your application often and before logging out. You can log in at a later time to continue working on your application. We recommend that you cut and paste your application answers after each question into a Word document to save as a backup. Additionally, you can download a pdf of your application by clicking the Application Packet button at the top of your online application.

Once logged in, click “Apply” in the menu at the top of the screen to start a new application. To manage a grant application, click the “Dashboard” icon at the top of the screen. The Application Dashboard Page provides information regarding the status of all of your grant applications. From this page, you can download completed application forms and see the status of an application form you have submitted. If you have saved but have not submitted an application form, you must access the form on this page to complete and submit the form.

No. We recommend that answers are copied and pasted from a Microsoft Word document.

There are limits on the amount of text you can submit. You are not required to reach the character limit but you cannot exceed this character limit. A character counter displayed below the entry field provides updates on how many characters you have entered and when you are approaching the limit. You will not be able to save a draft of your application if you exceed the character limit.

Yes. A Community Foundation team member will follow up with the contact provided on the application for any clarification on the application or attachments.

All applications must be submitted by 5:00 pm CST on the day of the deadline. You will not be able to submit your application after that.

Attachments

Files must be submitted in a PDF format (.pdf).

You should give each file a name that identifies your organization and the type of required document it represents. For example, a file representing your budget for the previous fiscal year could be named “OrgName-budget FY2020”. Do not use any symbols except for a period or a dash, as symbols can interfere with the upload process.

The maximum size for all attachments varies. If your attachment is larger than the allotted space, please contact us for assistance at Giving@CommunityFoundationHSV.org.

No. The online system will not allow you to submit your application unless you attach the required materials. If the document(s) that need to be attached to your form is not electronic or you need to combine multiple documents into a single file, our online system gives you the option to “Fax to File.” The easy-to-use tool will convert documents from hard copy to digital format as a PDF file.

Troubleshooting

There are a few common reasons why this can happen:

  • If you stay on one page for an extended period of time without saving, your account may “time out” without warning.
  • A weak internet connection may momentarily disconnect your computer while you are working on the application.

As a safeguard, we recommend that you:

  • Save your application often
  • Cut and paste your application answers after each question into a Word document to save as backup.

To restore your edits, try:

  • Re-loading your internet page, as sometimes the browser will cache an older version of your page.
  • Logging out, wait a few minutes, and then log back in and re-open your application.

Double check that there are no symbols in the file name, the file type and size are OK, then try one or more of these suggestions:

  • Sometimes the problem can be a corrupt file. Try saving a new, renamed version of the document.
  • Use a different computer to do the upload.

If you would like a paper copy of your application for your own records, log in to the application portal and choose the Application Packet link. This will create a PDF of your application. You can print or save this document. You will always have access to your application by logging back into the application portal, even after you submit it.

Grant Applicant Tutorial

Additional support information is available through Foundant.