Introduction

Seed grants are typically smaller awards meant to jumpstart a project or cover costs for a specific element of a larger initiative. The goal is for the initial funding to result in a larger return on investment (ROI) over time, such as acquiring additional funding from other sources and producing publications.


Challenges

  • Some key information (e.g., exact timing the project will take) may not be known at the time the initial application is submitted.
  • The review process needs to capture evaluations of both current need and future potential outcomes.
  • As time passes, project updates need to be collected and shared regularly, even if administrators or team members change.


Solutions

  • The Requirements page lets administrators build questions to collect as much information as possible at the time of the request, including estimated project dates and costs.
  • Routing steps can be designed to gather feedback in different ways, such as a rubric (Comments & Ratings), approvals, or even a custom form.
  • Progress reports can be used to collect both quantitative and qualitive information at regular intervals that can then be shared with relevant stakeholders.


Tips

  • Collect timeline and projected budget information in two places: As short responses in the top of the application form, and as longer narratives using file uploads. This way, administrators can quickly see high-level info in the Data Grid and reports later on, but reviewers have access to the full scope of the project plan.
  • Use an acknowledgment statement to set the expectation of completing multiple progress reports in the future if awarded.
  • Give detailed instructions for reviewers within each routing step. Prompt them to consider the proposal's potential over a several-year period, with the seed grant being the initial "spark".
  • When creating progress reports, think about which data will need to be exported quickly and make sure to include that in the first section of each report. Additional or optional information may be best collected as file uploads.
  • Immediately upon awarding, schedule progress report assignments and reminders. This ensures awardees will be notified at the correct times, without any administrator intervention. 
  • Document publications in a standardized way with a repeatable section of a progress report. Make sure to encourage awardees to list those in review, as these still indicate activity from the grant.

Have more questions about this topic? Go to the Community Forum to pose the question to other users or submit a support ticket to InfoReady.