One of the keys to sustainable grants management processes is an effective team, but it’s no secret that insufficient staffing is still a major issue for many public sector organizations. As many older workers retire and private sector positions get more enticing for younger applicants, grant-dependent organizations such as local governments and non-profits are feeling the staffing droughts.
The resulting issues of this problem aren’t difficult to imagine. While more federal grants than ever are up for grabs, many understaffed orgs can’t handle the workload necessary to take full advantage and manage grants. Team leaders and remaining staff are working beyond capacity to do what they can, but the lasting effects are missed opportunities and communities with under-funded critical services.
What’s the Solution for Overworked Grants Teams?
Gearing recruitment efforts and workplace culture towards millennial and Gen Z workers may help in the long run, but that’s not going to get your community more federal funding in the short term. While technology is great, older tech has been quickly outpaced by the evolving needs of today’s communities as well as those of the agencies themselves, making many legacy grants solutions irrelevant. When combined with the public sector’s tendency to avoid risk and stick with familiar systems, the result has been over-extended tech straining its limitations to meet demand. This has led to problems like inefficient processes, a lack of integration and compatibility, and an increase in security-related issues.
What’s needed is a modern, automated approach to finding, applying for, and managing grants that can fill in staffing gaps and pick up the slack. More agile, purpose-built grant management software for the public sector addresses those issues by taking on more of the heavy lifting so you don’t have to.
Let’s look at just a few of the ways grant management solutions like Euna Grants can optimize your entire grants process.
Find the Right Grants—Fast
Manually combing through a mountain of grants to find the right ones for you isn’t the best use of your time. A searchable database of grants makes it so much faster to find only the grants most relevant to your organization, and that’s key to building capacity in your grants team. With solutions like Euna Grants, you’re able to leverage our expertly curated grants network—one of the largest available— as you easily filter through results to quickly find ideal grant opportunities or get recommendations delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, utilize our vast Previously Funded Applications (PFA) library to get access to proven, winning application templates that will set you up for success.
Centralized Grants Management Dashboard and Workflows
Searching through disconnected email threads and documents can cost your team valuable time during a grant application, meaning missed deadlines and fewer grants applied for overall. Grant management software streamlines and modernizes the process, using a centralized dashboard that stores all information, giving you a bird’s-eye view of grants status, completed and uncompleted tasks, messages, and more so that you can process more grant applications faster and increase your chances of getting funded. Plus, being able to assign applications or submissions to team members and utilize internal controls and approval workflows ensures you’re staying on track to meet deadlines.
Baked-In Grants Compliance
No one wants to worry about audits. Purpose-built grants management software requires Federal Uniform Guidance compliance to be built into the system, ensuring you’re up to date with guidelines throughout the entire grant lifecycle. With grant management software, like Euna Grants, you’ll be able to generate standardized and customizable reports based on funding amounts, expenditures, reimbursements, and task assignments, promoting transparency and accountability. This means you and your team can work with confidence, allowing you to focus on application, management, and distribution without the added stress of researching regulations and codes.
Explore Grants Management Software for Government and Public Sector
While a fully staffed grants team is still the ideal for most organizations, a purpose-built, digital grants solution can make sure your agency isn’t falling behind due to staffing shortages or knowledge gaps. Systems like Euna Grants allow local governments and other public organizations to find relevant grant opportunities faster, speed up their application process, and ensure that transparency and compliance are always prioritized. That means more grants applied for, and more chances for funding that will create a positive impact in your community.
Learn how Euna Grants can support and build capacity in your grants activities—speak to one of our experts!