8 Key Features of Top Grants Management Software
Grant management software helps you apply for, coordinate, and report on grants and associated grant activities. Whether you’re a government agency, a nonprofit, or a research institution that gives or receives grants, the right solution will ensure your grants are managed with accuracy, clarity, and accountability.
Relying on spreadsheets and emails alone to coordinate and track grants can lead to missed deadlines and errors. OmniStar’s grants management platform features automated workflows that simplify collaboration and reporting. If you’re in the market for a grant management tool, here are eight must-have features to remember.
Must-Have Grants Management Platform Features
Selecting an effective grants management platform is essential for the transparent and efficient orchestration of grants. Understanding why grants management is important helps you select the right tools for your needs. Below are the essential features to look for, along with ways OmniStar supports each one.
1 – A Streamlined Application Process
Submitting a grant proposal should be simple for applicants, and equally straightforward for grantmakers reviewing or approving submissions. OmniStar allows application forms to be configured to each grant’s needs, offering handy auto-fill capabilities to reduce manual entry and pre-screening tools to check basic eligibility, or completeness before submission. Applicants can track their submission status in real time, eliminating applicant frustration and subsequent calls or emails to grants admin staff. By automating these steps, OmniStar helps ensure applications are accurate and reduces the stress on applicants and administrators.
2 – Automated Workflow Management
Manually managing every step of the grant lifecycle can be tedious and error-prone, leading to delays and missed tasks. OmniStar’s configurable workflows align with different funding cycles and approval processes, automating tasks to reduce the need for manual input. Users receive notifications for key status changes, dates and milestones, while the configurable stage approval process keeps everything flowing smoothly from application to funding. This automation avoids bottlenecks and makes managing your grant program much easier.
3 – Advanced Compliance and Eligibility Tools
Keeping grants compliant with funding rules and eligibility criteria is vital. Falling short can lead to penalties or even lost funding. OmniStar tracks requirements in real-time, prevents ineligible applications from being submitted, and maintains detailed audit trails for regulatory compliance. Its data validation tools also help reduce reporting errors. These features cut risks, and strengthen an organisation's governance, making compliance easier.
4 – Collaboration and Communication Tools
Grant management involves many stakeholders - grantmakers, reviewers, approvers, finance teams, and applicants. Smooth collaboration keeps everyone aligned and speeds up approvals. OmniStar’s built-in messaging and notifications enable real-time communication, while application sharing and document version control ensure everyone accesses the latest content. Secure, role-based permissions let you control who can view or edit information, while integrated comments and reviews make feedback easier. This all adds up to faster decisions and greater transparency.
5 – Centralised Data Management
Managing data across multiple systems often results in missing information, duplicated work, and confusion between teams. OmniStar keeps all grant documents, approvals, correspondence, notes and reports in one place. Its advanced search and filter tools help you find what you need quickly, while real-time integrations with external frameworks - such as finance and HR systems - ensure data consistency. By consolidating everything in one platform, you reduce overheads, boost accuracy, and save time.
6 – Advanced Reporting and Analytics
Most grant programs require thorough reporting to monitor performance, demonstrate impact and comply with funder guidelines. OmniStar offers customisable reporting templates, allowing you to generate reports without complex setups. Real-time dashboards provide visibility into grant allocations, spending and results, while automated financial reporting reduces the need for manual work and improves accuracy. Built-in KPI tracking makes measuring effectiveness and refining outcomes easier over time.
7 – Security and Scalability
As your grant programs grow, you need strong security and the capacity to handle increasing workloads without slowing down. OmniStar offers enterprise-grade security features that comply with data protection regulations and role-based access to ensure only the right people can view sensitive information. Its cloud-based architecture scales easily as your needs change and includes automated backups to prevent data loss. These measures keep your data secure and your system running smoothly, even as your grant programs expand. OmniStar has achieved IRAC PROTECTED classification and is ISO 27001 certified, certifying compliance with the highest international standards for security and reliability.
8 – Ongoing Configurability
Grants programs and processes are ever-evolving, constantly being updated with new regulations, reporting, or processes. These changes can come from within an organisation, such as updated review processes, or externally, such as new or revised funding regulations. Good Grants Management Software should support this - Great Grants Management Software, such as OmniStar, should enable these changes to be performed quickly and easily. OmniStar provides you regular updates, access to an in-depth wiki, continually expanding access to new features, and designer tooling to enable you to self-service new or updated forms and processes.
Benefits of Using a Dedicated Grants Management System
A dedicated grants management system can dramatically improve how funding programs are organised, offering streamlined processes and stronger reporting capabilities for government agencies, nonprofits, and research institutions. Explore the advantages of grant management software to see how the right solution can make a difference.
OmniStar automates time-consuming tasks, giving grantmakers and applicants more time to focus on the activities supported by the grant and the positive impact it brings. Validation and compliance checks also run in the background, reducing manual errors and overall administrative costs. Plus, with all grant management communication in one place, stakeholders stay informed on each grant’s progress.
See how others have streamlined their grant management process with our case studies. You can also learn more about grantmaking best practices here.
Why Choose OmniStar as Your Grants Management Solution
OmniStar manages every stage of the grant lifecycle, from applications and approvals to compliance and reporting. It emphasises automation, user-friendliness and security, simplifying complex grant tasks while ensuring accuracy and regulatory compliance.
What Makes OmniStar Stand Out?
OmniStar is an end-to-end solution covering applications, funding disbursement, reviews, and impact measurement. Workflows can be tailored to your organisation’s needs, with built-in eligibility checks to keep you audit-ready. It also accommodates multiple stakeholders, providing a scalable system that updates in real time, giving you visibility into the end-to-end progress of your entire grants portfolio.
Ready to Optimise Your Grant Management Process?
If you’re looking to fine-tune your grant management process, OmniStar provides everything from automated workflows and compliance tracking to advanced reporting and collaboration tools. It’s built to enhance efficiency, accuracy and transparency in grant-making.
Book a demo today or reach out to see how OmniStar can transform your grant management process and help you maximise impact.
