How one state agency revolutionized its grant programs, accelerated funding disbursement, and laid the groundwork for statewide adoption.
Building a Stronger Foundation for Infrastructure Funding
At the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), the Infrastructure Division strengthens communities statewide. Led by Director Wesley Billingsley and Deputy Directors Hallie Brown and Scott Wright, the team helps local jurisdictions and state agencies plan, fund, and manage impactful infrastructure projects. From the start, the division faced a broad mandate to improve project planning, provide technical assistance, and align federal and state funding, while managing a rapidly growing volume of grants efficiently and transparently.
The Challenge: Managing Billions in Funding Without the Right Tools
Historically, DFA’s oversight functions focused on compliance and support. But when federal stimulus funds surged during the COVID-19 pandemic and an influx of funding hit due to recent natural resource extraction, the need to streamline processes and increase efficiency was the push to search for a sophisticated tool to better track, distribute, and audit those dollars effectively. DFA’s existing ERP system lacked the proper grant management capabilities needed to do so.
“We quickly realized we didn’t have the right tools to manage that kind of funding.”
— Hallie Brown, Deputy Director, Infrastructure Division, New Mexico DFA
Across agencies, teams relied on spreadsheets, emails, and disparate systems to manage funds. Increasing the margin for error and reducing program oversight. Managing both federal and state programs, each with distinct requirements, further highlighted the urgent need for standardization and automation.
The Solution: A Unified Approach with Euna Grants
To effectively and accurately manage the increase in funding while maintaining compliance, DFA turned to Euna Grants, part of the Euna Solutions® financial suite. By leveraging Euna’s configurable workflows, data centralization, and ERP integration capabilities, DFA gained oversight and transparency into every part of the grant lifecycle, from application and review to approval and reporting.
With leadership buy-in and an urgency to improve, the implementation process for one of their programs, the New Mexico Match Fund, a $75 million program, took just 6 months from start to finish, all while simultaneously managing other programs in their previous system.
The Results: From Complexity to Cohesion
Euna Grants replaced manual spreadsheets and disparate systems with automated workflows and a central hub for applications and documents. This resulted in faster application review cycles, and an improved grantee experience with simpler application and reporting systems.
With clear data and improved efficiency, DFA was able to demonstrate the value of its programs more effectively. After implementing Euna Grants, the division showed that every $1 invested through the New Mexico Match Fund generated $4.25 in federal funding, helping secure an additional $72 million and expanding the program to $147 million.
Beyond efficiency, DFA found they had improved relationships with grantees through Euna Grants. With real-time tracking and easier reporting, DFA now disburses funds rather than holding for reimbursement, giving grantees greater flexibility and trust.
Scaling Success Across the State
What started as a single-department solution has evolved into a statewide model, projecting 10 state agencies to be onboarded by the end of year two. DFA has since created a user group to collaborate with other state agencies to share how they selected Euna’s grant management system to help them achieve their success. Sharing details such as what was needed internally to make the case (i.e. leadership buy-in, funding, a business case from the vendor), how they prepared for implementation, as well as best practices and ideas to help shape how they use the system.
To support New Mexico agencies that are not using a Grants Management Software (GMS), DFA worked with the Euna Grants implementation team to develop standardized processes and procedures to create templates that cover the essential phases of grants management. Giving those agencies a starting point to help triage their processes for implementation should they choose to use Euna Grants in the future.
“It’s not just about adopting software, it’s about building a community of practice,” said Hallie.
This network of collaboration is paving the way for systemic change when it comes to grants management in New Mexico. As more agencies join, New Mexico moves closer to a unified, transparent model for administering public funds.
Looking Ahead: A Vision for Statewide Standardization
As the Infrastructure Division continues expanding its reach statewide, Euna Grants remains central to DFA’s strategy for successful and transparent grants management.
“The way you can transform a grant program by introducing simple technology solutions is truly transformative. After our experience of implementing Euna Grants, we can’t imagine managing grants any other way.”
For Brown and her team, the impact is far-reaching, enhancing efficiency, strengthening accountability, and empowering communities.
“The expertise we already had has been amplified by what we’ve been able to do in Euna Grants. It’s been truly transformative, for our processes, our people, and the communities we serve.”