Excitement fills the office as your nonprofit receives its largest grant to date. Your staff and volunteers are thrilled about the news. However, deadlines, compliance issues and reporting requirements dampen leadership’s joy.
Excellent grant management software can alleviate the stress of managing grants. Understanding what the most customizable grant management tools are can ease your fears. With numerous options available, it is essential to find a solution that aligns with your organization’s workflow and compliance requirements.
What You Need in Customizable Grant Management Software
Out of the nonprofits that receive government grants, 60% to 80% would operate at a loss without the grants. Before examining individual platforms, it is helpful to understand the distinction between a standard system and a customizable one. The following aspects make a system effective for organizations with multiple funding streams and regulatory obligations.
- Choose a system that enables workflow, form and dashboard configuration to meet organizational requirements.
- Prioritize built-in audit trails and reporting functions to facilitate compliance with federal or state regulations.
- Find software that works with your accounting system, customer relationship management (CRM) or enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.
- Consider how the solution applies to both small grants and multi-year grants, which are often funded by multiple agencies.
- Seek a solution that provides technical support when needed and offers easily accessible training resources, simplifying implementation and user adoption.
The most customizable grant management tools consider all the factors that make your situation unique and provide a personalized solution to meet your needs. Ask questions of any grant software provider to see how it would handle your unique needs.
Methodology
Finding the best platform requires examining the features that best meet organizations’ needs. The following list focuses on platforms providing transparency, compliance and reduced administrative burden.
To assess each solution, this list considered customizability, user experience, grant compliance support, report versatility and value. Information was gathered from product pages, independent reviews and discussions among grant professionals in online forums. Each option was assigned a score of one to five for each point, with an additional point awarded for solutions that worked particularly well in complex funding cycles.
What Are the Most Customizable Grant Management Tools?
Each organization’s needs are unique. Funding can also change from one year to the next, so your management software must allow you to pivot as needed. Below are the most highly configurable platforms available.
1. IGX Solutions
IGX Solutions is a leader in the market for its modular, fully configurable, cloud-based product, which is sold to government agencies and other agencies, such as education and nonprofits. It supports the pre-award planning and solicitation stages as well as submission tracking, reporting and compliance management after the award. It also enables users to create dashboards and workflows for modeling internal business processes and integrating with accounting or enterprise resource planning software.
IGX Solutions’s biggest differentiator is its compliance-focused features. These features include built-in audit trails and real-time reporting. It enables organizations to stay ahead of regulatory requirements without excessive administrative work. With implementation support and frequent upgrades to an architecture that scales with your grant portfolio, IGX Solutions makes juggling grants easier. For organizations with multiple grants or complex budgets, it offers unrivaled efficiency and control.
2. Sage Intacct
Sage Intacct is a grant management solution for nonprofit grantmakers. The software enables organizations to manage grant funding processes from the perspective of the grantee. It stores grant documents and data and manages funding sources, budgets, billing and compliance within a single cloud-based software solution with secure access for all teams.
The software is helpful for organizations that have numerous grants to track or that require extensive financial tracking in relation to their mission work. It also provides a centralized platform for finances, documents and compliance information, making it easy to demonstrate to funders how their dollars are being spent.
3. Submittable
Submittable is designed for users who want the structure, control and simplicity of a customizable platform. Without coding experience, administrators can manage application forms and review processes and communications. Real-time reporting is available to reviewers, and reminders, submissions and reports are automated.
For remote or hybrid teams, Submittable’s cloud-based system is a practical solution. The system offers automation and electronic communication, saving nonprofits hours per week that staff would otherwise spend on manual submission processes. Instead of searching through spreadsheets or multiple email accounts, teams can track progress and communicate with funders in one shared space. Submittable is a highly configurable growth platform for mission-driven organizations with small and agile teams who want to increase efficiency and broaden their impact.
4. Fluxx Grantmaker
Fluxx Grantmaker offers the ideal balance of flexibility and transparency in funding data management. It supports all steps in the funding process, with administrators able to map the entire life cycle using customizable dashboards and workflows.
With built-in role-based security and analytics, the solution gives leadership teams visibility into data governance and a comprehensive view of each grant’s progress. The integrated finance and CRM systems eliminate data silos, creating alignment between finance functions, development teams and program leaders. Fluxx Grantmaker is ideal for organizations that fall somewhere between those with simple grant management needs and those with advanced technical capabilities.
5. SmartSimple Cloud
SmartSimple Cloud offers a platform to build configurable approval workflows, data forms and report automation without needing to code. It is designed to align with the user’s organizational structure and workflow requirements. This is particularly helpful for large nonprofit enterprises or coalitions with multiple partners or programs spanning various regions.
SmartSimple Cloud enables teams to customize dashboards and track their performance against outcomes, budgets and compliance targets. Built-in analytics provide visual insights for leadership, giving instant understanding to measure success and report progress. The platform’s scalability is appealing for organizations with long-term growth goals or those whose funding needs fluctuate.
Comparison Table for Top Grant Management Platform Providers
Choosing which software best matches your organization’s needs can be complex. The table below clarifies which option offers the integration and customization options you desire.
| Platform | Customization | Best For | Compliance | Integration | Support |
| IGX Solutions | High | Government agencies, education and nonprofits | Advanced audit trail | ERP, CRM and accounting systems | Dedicated onboarding and ongoing support |
| Sage Intacct | Medium | Nonprofits | Audit-ready expense tracking | Accounting and donor systems | Live training and online help |
| Submittable | Medium | Nonprofits with small teams | Deadline automation and document tracking | Accounting and email systems | Live chat and tutorials |
| Fluxx Grantmaker | Medium | Foundations and large grantees | Audit protection and role-based access | ERP and CRM systems | Training modules and account liaison |
| SmartSimple Cloud | High | Complex, multi-tiered organizations | Compliance tracking and data visualization | Data and analytics tools | Dedicated account support |
Why a Customizable Solution Excels
In addition to organizing grants, customizable grant management software can also offer the following benefits:
- Improved collaboration: Accountants, program leads and other stakeholders use the same updated information.
- Stronger compliance: Automated workflows and audit logs reduce compliance risks associated with human error.
- Scalable growth: Your platform grows as your funding sources grow.
- Informed decisions: Configurable dashboards offer outcome visualization, impact sharing and distribution.
Rarely will an out-of-the-box solution meet all the needs of a nonprofit organization in managing grants. A personalized solution offers more flexibility, especially as a not-for-profit company grows.
How to Evaluate Vendors Before Buying
To narrow your options, thoroughly examine each platform, requesting demos or trial accounts to assess how easily you can customize workflows and whether integrations are possible. Ask pertinent questions and note how quickly support responds and the accuracy of their replies. Consider whether they understand the unique needs of your organization.
Note how each one updates and supports customers. You can learn about system performance by reading case studies and customer testimonials from people with similar profiles.
Simplifying Grant Success
The right customizable grant management software simplifies the route from vision to measurable impact. Flexible software platforms enable nonprofits and agencies to manage grants with clarity, confidence and compliance throughout the funding cycle. Your team can save hours of troubleshooting software and systems that fail to grow along with you. The result is a straightforward process that feels carefully designed to support your mission.
