Submittable

Improvements, simplifications, and equity have resulted from our use of Submittable. Applicants can create Submittable accounts that allow for repeat applications every year (or more frequently if eligible) and easy reference to past submissions. It helps to make it easier to keep messaging and expectations more consistent. For example, suppose we tell applicants we expect them to achieve specific metrics (e.g., Program Spend Ratios over 65%). They have failed to meet these metrics for multiple years without good reason. In that case, it is easier to justify grant decisions like partial or rejections.

We are the ones responsible for building relationships with our scholarship awardees and grantees. Submittable has been a great tool to help us simplify communication and ease of applying for funding from our organization, ensuring accessibility and access to our applicants. When we made the switch a few years ago, several regular applicants shared with us how much easier and user-friendly this platform is.

We've only been using it for a year now so I'm not sure. I know it's a simpler process than in the past, so there could be more trust built via an online submission process versus a manual one.

Submittable allows us to communicate in the app and set up a progress route that the submitters can see.

Our Foundation is built on the strong relationships we have established. However, if applicants and grantees cannot easily access or apply for grant programs, they may hesitate to use them again. Submittable has ensured an easy process for our partners, resulting in increased applications and organizations returning.

It does simplify the process for applicants. The new feature where applicants can send requests for recommendations before submission of the application has really helped.

Most of the people who use Submittable for our programs give us positive feedback on how the process works. Occasionally, people reach out for help, but it’s usually to clarify a detail in our submission process, not the process itself. I am not sure whether our audience sees it as a plus or minus that we use Submittable. To them, it’s just a system that works for the most part.

Yes it has helped me to build stronger relationships with the writing community through the messaging systems and ability to easily communicate at all stages of the process.

I think Submittable is the tool and the application is the end of us building stronger relationships with our grantees. The tool can make it more or less accessible depending on how you access, design and share out the application. I do like that we can message each other with questions and those answers become part of their application.

I would say so. Due to Submittable having functionalities that allows us to keep applications anonymous it provides the grantees the ability to keep the process equitable and fair. In addition, the grantees know that everyone has to go through the same process, which transparency is always appreciated. Submittable can be daunting for those who are not regular grant writers but the platform is user-friendly.

Yes, I think our grantees have appreciated the easier and more uniform grant application and reporting platform compared to the paper forms and separate data files that they had to send us in the past. We can communicate quickly and easily with grantees/applicants about their submissions.

The communication feature is perfect and the ability to email from the form is useful - please make the links more visible as we work with non-english speakers who often don't see the "VIEW FORM" as a link and just text. Make it a button!

I feel neutral about this, mostly because we do much work on the front end to build strong relationships. In addition to Submittable - we are hosting grantee information sessions and meeting with grantees one-on-one after they have been awarded. I wish there were an easier way to keep notes on grantee meetings inside the Submittable portal. We've not figured this part out yet... everything is tracked based on a grant-by-grant basis vs. the grantee/client having their folder of information.

The shared experience of using this platform increases the relationship, honestly. Applicants know what to expect after a few seasons of applying.

By streamlining the application process and reducing administrative tasks, we are minimizing errors and obstacles, leading applicants to have greater confidence in the process and continue applying.

Because of our approach to the questions in our latest project, we have received more authentic answers from applicants. We also have included directions that require the applicant to take extra steps to consider before applying. Outside of using the platform, we take an extra step to meet with each organization prior to applying, so ultimately I do not believe the program has helped build stronger relationships with grantees - it primarily helps us gather and store the information we need to continue our relationship.

The Submittable portal is easy to talk to grantees on, which makes it more likely that I'll keep up with them on a regular basis. I also appreciate that when they email you in the portal, it send a message to your work email, which you can reply to directly. That way I don't have to be constantly going back and forth between the platform and my work email.

I don't know that it's affected our relationships with our scholarship and internship recipients. That relationship is largely built through communication outside of the application process.

While we have a more closed process when it comes to scholarship recipients, it allows us to create a positive and meaningful feedback session when those applying have questions. This means they have a more likely chance to use it again in the future and trust that, as an organization, their forms won't be lost in the process. This is huge for those who want to spend multiple days filling out their applications.

The end-user experience is great. Submittable looks good. Our users report that it is easy to use. There is increased functionality in terms of notification of funding, for instance. Users can go into the site and see when funds have been transferred. This takes a load off of both of us (the organization and the grant awardee) so we can focus on the work of the grant project, not where the funds are.

Submittable has allowed us to get a better picture of what our grantees are working on using progress reports and customizable forms.

It's nice that I can download submissions and store them elsewhere to be read- this supports a truly blind reading process. The annoying thing has been that Submittable sends grant applicants emails which they then complain about to us.

Overall our grantees are pleased with the processes we have created with all of our grant programs and we know this is largely due to our adoption of Submittable.

This is not applicable to my account.

Our partners appreciated the efficiency and effectiveness of Submittable. It didn’t affect how many partners we had, but Submittable did allow us to create and collect more applications, which created more opportunities for our students and alumni.