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Getting Started

We've compiled step-by-step instructions to help you prepare for the grant application process and navigate our online application system.

Between our Community Fund grants and our affiliate fund grants, we offer many options for competitive funding. We want to help you apply for the most relevant cycle, so if your organization has not received a grant from us in the past or you have a new program you're seeking funding for, tell us about your program. We'll give you feedback on your proposal and direct you to the right grant cycles.

We begin accepting applications online one month in advance of each grant deadline, but you may start drafting your application at any time. For details about when you can apply, visit our Competitive Grants page.

Once you've determined which grant cycles are the best match for your program and have reviewed the application dates, you're ready to get started using our online application system. It only takes about five minutes to register if you are an approved 501(c)(3) organization. During the registration process, you will be asked to complete a series of questions about you and your organization. Be sure to have your EIN and executive officer's contact information on hand.

For information about how to use the online application system, view our video tutorial or read our manual.

Whether you want to work directly in the online system or you prefer to gather all of your information first, be sure to review the application questions ahead of time. The questions for each grant cycle are available on our Competitive Grants page.

We also offer these additional tips on applying for our grants to help you focus on the most important information. If you're using a fiscal sponsor, please review the information we'll need from you.

Now that your materials are prepared, you're ready to submit your application. If you've been working offline, log in to the system and follow the steps to apply. Once a grant cycle has closed, you will receive an email in six to eight weeks notifying you of our decision.

In six to eight weeks, you will receive an email from administrator@grantinterface.com. Please add that address to your safe sender list or address book so you can find out immediately whether your grant was approved.

If your grant was approved, you should log in to our online system to complete and submit your signed agreement. Once you have done that, the system will allow you to request your grant check. You have up to two years to make the request and use the funds from the time the grant was awarded, but you may not apply for a new grant from the same fund until a year has passed.

If your grant was declined, you are welcome to apply again at any time.

Once you have used your grant funding from Akron Community Foundation, use our online system to share the results of your program. This is an easy, convenient way to submit your required progress reports without the stress of paperwork.

Online Application System

Our online grant application system makes it faster and easier for your nonprofit to see competitive funding opportunities and apply for a grant anytime, anywhere.

Advantages of our Online Application System

  • Finding funding opportunities is simple. View information about our competitive funds, their deadlines, and any open grant cycles right within the system.
  • Applying is convenient. With options for printing the questions, saving drafts, and uploading documents, our system reduces paperwork and streamlines the application process.
  • Viewing your history is easy and accessible. See your past grant applications and reuse relevant content in your current application at any time of the day or night.
  • Following up is stress-free. You can sign your grant agreement, request grant payment, and submit your required progress report online.

FAQs

Registering is simple and only takes about five minutes. Just go to our registration page to get started. You will be asked to complete a series of questions about you and your organization. Be sure to have your EIN and executive officer's contact information on hand. If you need some help navigating the system, view our video tutorial or read our step-by-step instruction manual. Make sure to bookmark the log-in page for future use. For further assistance, please contact Kim Nott.

When you're logged in to the system, you will be able to see which of our competitive grant programs are accepting applications by clicking "Apply." This will show you our entire list of grant opportunities, including those for our Community Fund and our many affiliate funds. Applications open one month prior to the deadline to give you plenty of time to submit. If you need detailed information about how to find the appropriate grant cycle in the system, please review our instruction manual. If you still have questions after reviewing, please contact someone from our community investment staff.

The system auto saves your work every 100 characters, or when you click out of any answer box. You always have the option to click "save" at the bottom of the screen, too. If you prefer to have all of your work done ahead of time, you can simply copy our Community Fund application questions and paste them into a word processing program to complete first.

Note: Users will be logged out of the system after 90 minutes of inactivity, so if you think you'll be done working in the system for a while, click "save" to be safe.

Yes. The system will automatically log users out after 90 minutes of inactivity. If you think you're done using the system for a while, we recommend you save your application and log out.

Yes. If you don't have access to a scanner, the "Fax to File" feature allows you to convert paper documents to PDFs by faxing them to a toll-free number. You can then save the documents to your computer and upload them at the appropriate time during the application process. Specific instructions for this option are available by clicking on "Fax to File" in the left-hand navigation in the grant system.

Yes. Our system stores your grant application history all in one place. You can easily find and use relevant information from past applications to help you complete the application you're currently working on. When you are logged in to the system, just view your dashboard to see your application history.

Unfortunately, no. Responses are limited to a specific word count to ensure a timely review process.

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