Grant Management Archives

How to Manage Grants Effectively: Best Practices & Tools for the Public Sector

Managing grants in the public sector is never simple. Between strict compliance requirements, heavy reporting demands, and the sheer scale of funds at stake, organisations often find themselves trapped in spreadsheets, siloed emails, and manual reconciliations. The result? Wasted time, higher risk of error, and growing frustration among staff and applicants alike.

The good news: it doesn’t have to be this way. With the right grant management software, organisations can replace chaos with clarity, freeing teams to focus on impact instead of administration.

Best Practices for Effective Grant Management

Streamline Task Management

One of the biggest inefficiencies in grant management is the manual tracking of tasks across teams. Relying on emails, spreadsheets, or sticky notes can quickly lead to missed deadlines and duplicated work.

Best practice: Use a grant management system with built-in task automation. GoPro Grant Management, for example, lets administrators configure workflows, assign tasks automatically, and send notifications to keep everyone aligned. This ensures key actions—such as eligibility checks, reviews, or financial approvals—are never lost in the shuffle.

Centralise Document Storage and Sharing

Disconnected file storage is a common headache. Evidence and applications live in email inboxes, attachments get lost, and version control becomes a nightmare.

Best practice: Choose a system with integrated document management. Our grant management platform supports secure uploading, version control, and mandatory evidence tracking. Documents are linked directly to grant applications, meaning assessors and managers always have the latest, verified version at hand.

Foster Real-Time Collaboration

Grantmaking rarely happens in isolation—finance, legal, and program teams all need visibility into the process. Without a shared platform, collaboration is slow and dependent on manual updates.

Best practice: Adopt a system that enables real-time collaboration across stakeholders. In our grant management system, multi-agency collaboration is supported with flexible user roles, permissions, and a secure applicant portal. Cross-department teams can review, score, and comment on applications in one place, cutting down on endless status meetings.

Prioritise Transparency and Compliance

Audits are one of the biggest stress points for grantmakers. Without a clear digital trail, demonstrating compliance with policies and regulations can mean weeks of manual work.

Best practice: Invest in software with immutable audit logs and compliance-ready features. GoPro provides a full record of every action taken, adheres to standards like ISO 27001, GDPR, Cyber Essentials, and WCAG 2.2, and supports configurable retention and archiving policies. This ensures public funds are managed with accountability at every stage.

Use Data to Drive Better Decisions

Grantmaking is not only about distributing funds—it’s about measuring outcomes. Manual reporting makes it difficult to track programme performance and demonstrate value to taxpayers.

Best practice: Deploy systems with real-time reporting and dashboards. GoPro comes with inbuilt reports on application statuses, budget use, risk assessments, and post-award performance. For deeper insights, it integrates seamlessly with BI tools like Power BI, making it possible to visualise trends and impact in just a few clicks.

Tools That Make the Difference

When evaluating grant management software, look for:

Task management & workflow automation (reduce admin burden).
Centralised document management (secure, version-controlled, linked to grants).
Real-time collaboration tools (multi-user, multi-agency).
Immutable audit logs & compliance alignment (ISO 27001, GDPR, Cyber Essentials).
Advanced reporting & BI integration (track outcomes and prove value).
Scalability and configurability (adapt to future needs without heavy IT work).

Conclusion

Managing grants effectively requires more than good intentions – it requires the right tools. A platform like our grant management solution replaces fragmented processes with a single, integrated system designed for the realities of the public sector.

By focusing on automation, transparency, and collaboration, public bodies can cut administrative burdens, reduce risk, and ensure that every pound or dollar spent delivers maximum value.

Book a Demo.

Why are spreadsheets and manual tools a problem for managing grants?

Spreadsheets and emails create data silos, increase the risk of human error, and make collaboration difficult. They also lack audit trails, which are critical for demonstrating compliance in the public sector.

How can grant management software improve task tracking and deadlines?

Modern grant management solutions automate task assignments, send reminders, and provide dashboards to track progress in real time. This ensures that no key action, such as eligibility checks or approvals, is missed.

What features should I look for in a grant management system to manage documents effectively?

Look for centralised document management with version control, secure storage, and the ability to link evidence directly to applications. This prevents lost files and simplifies audits.

How does grant management software support collaboration across multiple departments or agencies?

Systems like our grant management software allow role-based access, shared dashboards, and real-time commenting. Finance, legal, and programme teams can work together in one place, reducing bottlenecks and delays.

Is cloud-based grant management software secure enough for sensitive public sector data?

Yes. Leading platforms comply with standards like ISO 27001, GDPR, and Cyber Essentials. They use encryption, access controls, and secure hosting to protect sensitive data.

How does grant management software help with audits and compliance?

All user actions are recorded in immutable audit logs, creating a complete record of decisions and approvals. Automated reporting makes it easier to prepare for audits and demonstrate accountability.

Can grants software solutions provide insights into grant performance and outcomes?

Yes. Most modern grant management systems include reporting dashboards and integration with tools like Power BI. This enables organisations to track budgets, monitor programme performance, and measure impact in real time.

How quickly can a public sector organisation implement a grant management system?

Implementation timelines vary depending on complexity, but many systems offer phased rollouts. This allows organisations to start with one programme and scale up, reducing disruption and speeding up value delivery.

October 2, 2025/by Boris

What a Modern Grant Management System Really Looks Like for the Public Sector?

Grant Management

The UK Public Sector’s Grant Management Dilemma

Across the UK’s public sector, government bodies and local authorities are reevaluating the systems they use to manage grants. It’s no surprise— in 2023-24 alone, the UK government awarded around £153.2 billion in grants, equivalent to 12.5% of total public spending.

With growing pressure to cut administrative burdens, meet taxpayer expectations, and deliver measurable impact, UK grant makers are asking hard questions about their existing systems. This isn’t just about upgrading software; it reflects a broader transformation in how public funds are managed with transparency, efficiency, and accountability.

The Real Cost of Fragmented Systems

Many public sector teams are still relying on outdated, disconnected tools – spreadsheets, emails, and rigid legacy platforms. These systems create more problems than they solve and drain already limited resources.

Wasted Time and Resources

In a single year, the Department for Education in UK published 107,000 grant awards.

Local authorities were tasked with managing more programmes with fewer resources.

Manual processes, like duplicating data or chasing status updates, consume staff hours that could be better spent delivering impact.

The Trust Deficit

In the age of transparency, applicants and taxpayers expect clarity and a smooth process.

Poor user experiences and limited visibility leave stakeholders frustrated, damaging trust in public institutions.

The Audit Risk

The public has a right to know how money is spent.

Without a unified system, preparing for audits and demonstrating compliance is a high-stakes scramble, exposing organisations to unnecessary risk.

When these pressures collide, it’s clear that fragmented systems are no longer sustainable.

What a Modern GMS Really Looks Like for the Public Sector

A modern grant management system isn’t just another tool—it’s a reliable partner that helps teams deliver public value more effectively. For government bodies and local authorities, the right platform should include:

Workflows That Fit Your Processes: Configurable approval workflows that match your internal structures without costly bespoke development. Every step recorded and auditable.

User-Friendly Interfaces: Ensure everyone—staff and applicants alike—can use the system with minimal training, improving adoption and satisfaction.

Secure, Cloud-Based Access: Enable flexible, hybrid, or remote teams to collaborate from anywhere without compromising security.

Audit-Ready Documentation: Every action automatically logged, simplifying internal reviews and ensuring audit confidence.

Seamless Financial Integration: Direct integration with accounting systems eliminates manual reconciliation, ensuring a single source of financial truth.

Automation can take care of repetitive admin tasks like status updates, freeing staff to focus on strategy and impact.

A Smarter Approach to Public Value

Modern grant management systems are built to be about more than tracking funds – they are built to empower smarter decisions, creating smoother experiences, and earning the public’s trust. By moving beyond spreadsheets and outdated platforms, public sector teams can:

Increase efficiency by reducing manual processes.

Improve transparency for applicants, auditors, and taxpayers.

Demonstrate impact with reliable, real-time data.

The right grant management system is not just an operational upgrade – it’s an investment in both your team’s effectiveness and the public’s confidence.

Ready to Rethink Grant Management?

The cost of outdated systems isn’t just inefficiency—it’s missed opportunities and eroded trust. Now is the time to adopt a smarter, more transparent approach to grant management.

Ready to see how an integrated grant management software can transform your processes? Contact Us today.

October 1, 2025/by Boris

How to solve the problem with manual grant tracking?

Grant Management

In the world of government agencies, nonprofits, and public research institutions, grants are the lifeblood of progress. Yet, for too long, the vital work of grant management has been held hostage by a patchwork of outdated tools. From endless spreadsheets and buried email threads to disconnected financial systems, the “managed chaos” of manual grant tracking has become the norm.

But what if this chaos wasn’t just a minor inconvenience? What if it was a significant drain on your team’s time, budget, and ability to deliver on your mission?

This guide is for program managers, finance directors, and grant administrative leaders who are ready to move beyond the limitations of manual processes. We’ll explore the hidden risks of this old way of working and reveal how a modern, integrated grant management system can transform your operations, bringing clarity, efficiency, and full control back to your team.

The Problem of Disconnected Tools

Many government agencies, nonprofits, and research institutions still rely on a patchwork of spreadsheets, emails, and disconnected systems to manage grants. While it may “work,” it creates hidden risks that drain resources.

The Inefficiency of Data Silos
When every grant lives in its own spreadsheet, communication happens in email, and finance data is stored elsewhere, it creates data silos. Version control issues, duplicate entry, and conflicting data waste hours of staff time.
The High Cost of Manual Reconciliation
Reconciling grant budgets with core financial systems is time-consuming and error-prone. Even small mistakes can snowball into compliance issues, audit failures, or delays in reporting.
A Breakdown in Collaboration
When coordination depends on email threads and phone calls, departments like finance, legal, and program delivery struggle to stay aligned. Bottlenecks and delays become inevitable, frustrating both teams and applicants.

According to the UK National Audit Office, inefficient grant management practices cost taxpayers up to £1.9 billion annually—proof that “spreadsheet chaos” isn’t just inconvenient, it’s costly.

The Solution: The Power of an Integrated System

The answer isn’t just “more spreadsheets”—it’s a unified, purpose-built grant management platform that solves these problems by design.

Eliminate Manual Reconciliation: Stop the tedious work of reconciling budgets by hand. An integrated grant management system syncs directly with core financial systems like SAP and Oracle, ensuring budget accuracy and creating a complete, auditable financial trail with zero manual entry.
Achieve Complete Visibility: No more silos. A single, central dashboard gives stakeholders real-time visibility across the entire grant lifecycle—from applications to reporting. Status meetings become faster, and oversight becomes clearer, allowing you to manage multiple grants from a single screen.
Streamline Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Break down communication barriers. Teams can work together in one place, assigning tasks, tracking progress, and ensuring accountability with transparent workflows designed for the public sector.

From the Old Way to the New Way – how does the grant management transformation look like?

Before: The Program Manager’s Nightmare
Imagine a program manager racing against a deadline. An urgent report is due, but the data is scattered across three spreadsheets and emails from multiple departments. Hours are lost consolidating numbers—and a minor error forces them to start over. The stress is high, and every detail feels like a potential risk to the grant.
After: The Program Manager’s Success
Now, that same program manager uses a modern, integrated platform. The report is due in an hour, yet all the data is available on a single dashboard. With a few clicks, they generate an accurate, real-time report, ready to submit. Confidence replaces stress, and they can focus on strategic decisions that drive program impact.

Conclusion

Disconnected tools and spreadsheets aren’t built for the scale, compliance, and scrutiny of today’s public sector grants. An integrated system solves this by bringing your entire process into a single, unified platform. This isn’t just an upgrade; it’s a fundamental change that gives your team the efficiency, security, and confidence it needs to focus on what matters most – delivering successful grant programs to the communities you serve.

Ready to see how a modern grant management software can transform your organisation?

Schedule a Demo.

Frequently asked questions:

Why is relying on spreadsheets and disconnected tools risky for managing public sector grants, and what inefficiencies does it create?

Manual tracking creates a web of issues, from data silos and version control chaos to the increased risk of human error. It also makes audits significantly more difficult and forces staff to spend valuable time on budget reconciliation instead of on programme delivery.

How can integrated grant management software improve efficiency?

A unified system centralises all grant data, automates workflows, and provides real-time dashboards. Your teams can track applications, budgets, and outcomes in one place, which eliminates duplicate work and a flood of unnecessary emails.

Can your grant management software integrate with existing financial and accounting systems?

Yes, our grant management software provides APIs and pre-built connectors for popular systems and government financial tools. This ensures accurate budget tracking and creates an auditable financial trail without any manual reconciliation.

How does your grant software support collaboration across multiple departments?

Integrated grant management solutions like ours allow cross-departmental teams – from finance to legal and programme managers – to work in a single platform. Features like task assignment, progress tracking, and role-based access controls keep everyone aligned while protecting sensitive data.

What reporting and analytics capabilities your grants management systems offer?

Our system provides real-time dashboards, configurable reports, and data visualisation tools. This enables decision-makers to track performance, measure outcomes, and make more informed funding decisions, and all at a glance.

Is your cloud-based grant management software secure for public sector use?

Yes. Our grant management software uses encrypted data storage, secure transmission (TLS), role-based access controls, and comply with key standards like ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials. We offer regional hosting options to meet specific jurisdictional and regulatory requirements.

How does your grant software help reduce compliance and audit risks?

By automatically logging every action, tracking budget changes, and maintaining a complete audit trail, integrated grant management system like ours make it far easier to demonstrate the proper use of public funds and meet regulatory requirements with confidence.

Can your grant management software improve the experience for both applicants and staff?

Absolutely. Our solution’s digital portal streamlines the application process for applicants, reducing errors and providing clear guidance. Your staff on the other hand can benefit from simplified workflows, automated reminders, and consolidated communication, which helps to reduce frustration and delays.

How quickly can an organisation implement your grant management platform?

Implementation timelines vary by organisation size, but a modern grant management system like ours offers phased deployment options. Your team can start with a single programme and then scale up, ensuring you achieve quick wins while minimising disruption.

September 30, 2025/1 Comment/by Boris

5 Signs It’s Time to Upgrade Your Grant Management Process

Grant Management

Governments and public sector organisations worldwide are tasked with managing billions in grant funding to deliver critical services and drive innovation. While a grant management system that “just works” might seem sufficient, inefficiencies in the grant management process are a silent drain on public funds and trust.

If your organisation still relies on outdated methods, here are five data-driven signs that it’s time for a smarter, more efficient solution.

1. Manual Processes are Hiding a Significant Cost

The administrative burden of grant management is a global challenge. While direct costs can be hard to quantify, research shows that digital transformation is the key to unlocking massive productivity gains. The UK government, for example, has estimated that over £45 billion per year in savings and productivity benefits could be achieved through the full digitalisation of its public services (Source: The State of Digital Government Review, GOV.UK). If your team is still managing grants with paper, spreadsheets, and endless email chains, your organisation is missing out on a huge opportunity for efficiency and financial savings.

2. You’re Struggling to Mitigate Fraud and Misuse

A primary duty of any public body is to protect taxpayer money. Yet, fraud and corruption remain a significant risk. According to the United Nations, the global cost of corruption is estimated at $2.6 trillion, representing at least 5% of global GDP (Source: UN, World Economic Forum). A recent report from the UK’s National Audit Office highlighted the public sector’s ongoing struggle with fraud, noting that public bodies across the UK lost between £55 billion and £81 billion to fraud and error in 2023-24. If your grant management software lacks robust, real-time controls and auditable logs, it’s a vulnerable target for financial loss. A digital solution provides immutable audit logs for every action, ensuring an unalterable record that makes it easier to track funds and secure compliance.

3. Your Reporting Lacks Transparency and Actionable Insight

In an era of increasing public scrutiny, stakeholders and citizens demand transparency. But how can you prove the impact of a grant if you can’t access real-time performance data? While many governments are making strides, a recent survey found that only 6% of public sector organisations worldwide have fully integrated digital transformation (Source: SolarWinds). This means most are still struggling to gain visibility. A modern grant management software provides powerful reporting and data visualisation tools, allowing you to track outcomes, demonstrate the value of your projects, and make better, data-driven decisions.

4. Poor User Experience Is Harming Your Stakeholder Relationships

In the digital age, citizens expect the same seamless experience from government services as they get from private companies. However, a review of UK public services noted a drop in satisfaction over the last decade (Source: The State of Digital Government Review, GOV.UK). A confusing or difficult grant application process can frustrate applicants and deter them from participating in your programmes. A new digital grant management system with an intuitive and accessible online portal can transform this experience, making it easier for every stakeholder – from applicants to evaluators – to engage with your service.

5. Data Security is a Persistent Risk

Protecting sensitive data is a global priority, and the public sector is a prime target for cyber threats. While some organisations rely on outdated legacy systems to manage data, a modern solution provides purpose-built security from the ground up. Features like end-to-end encryption for data at rest and in transit, role-based access control, and adherence to international standards like ISO 27001 ensure that your sensitive information is always protected from unauthorised access and cyberattacks.

Is It Time to Modernise?

If any of these signs resonate, it’s a clear indication that your current grant management process is no longer sufficient. By adopting a purpose-built solution, your organisation can drive efficiency, mitigate risk, and ensure that every pound, dollar, or euro spent delivers maximum impact.

To learn more about how a purpose-built solution can transform your grant process, visit our Grant Management Software page and get a free demo.

Frequently asked questions:

How can a grant management solution help automate grant tracking and reporting?

Our Grant Management Software automates grant tracking and reporting to enhance transparency by documenting all grant activity throughout the lifecycle, with changes captured in immutable logs. The solution also provides real-time reports and a reporting data scheme specifically for creating dashboards on the status of each grant scheme. These features are a part of the core, out-of-the-box functionality. The system allows for real-time dashboards to show the status of applications, such as incomplete, submitted, or approved.

Where can I find grant management solution with robust compliance features and built-in audit trails?

Our Grant Management solution provides robust compliance features and built-in audit trails as a core, standard function. All grant activity is documented with changes captured in immutable logs, ensuring transparency and auditability. The solution is ISO 27001 certified , and the hosted environment also meets this certification. It is also compliant with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Records are encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest (AES 256). The system also features a comprehensive user roles and access control framework to enforce permissions.

What vendors offer highly configurable grant management systems for government agencies?

Our Grant Management Software is a highly configurable system designed for government agencies. It is delivered as an out-of-the-box solution, with configurable modules that cover the full grant lifecycle. The system allows users to easily add and maintain grant schemes, forms, document templates, and processes without requiring IT or supplier involvement. The extensive configurability allows users to adapt and evolve the system as requirements change, without incurring additional IT or supplier costs. The solution also provides a forms designer and configurable scheme templates as standard functionality.

Introduction

With billions in grants distributed annually by governments worldwide, public sector bodies are under immense pressure to deliver funding more transparently, efficiently, and impactfully. In an era of strained and inflation-hit public and private budgets, the amplified need for grant-based funding places grant givers, including the public sector, philanthropic organisations, and international aid bodies, under even greater pressure to deliver these vital resources with unparalleled effectiveness.

In this 2026 guide, we’ll explore how modern Grant Management Systems (GMS) can revolutionise the entire grant lifecycle –backed by official government standards and public sector best practices.

Beyond the sheer volume, the complexity of grant schemes, the need for robust accountability, and the drive for measurable outcomes make digital transformation in this area a critical priority.

Why Grant Management Needs to Evolve in 2026

Government grants account for a significant portion of public spending. However, issues of transparency, efficiency, and demonstrable impact remain persistent challenges. Oversight bodies consistently highlight weaknesses in grant administration, including poor data collection, fragmented systems, and insufficient monitoring of outcomes, which ultimately limit effectiveness and value for money.

Many functional standards for grants, published by central government bodies, mandate that all grant-making activities must be:

Fair: Ensuring equal opportunities and objective decision-making.
Transparent: Providing clear visibility of processes, decisions, and outcomes to stakeholders and the public.
Risk-aware: Proactively identifying and mitigating potential risks, including fraud and error.
Outcome-focused: Prioritizing the achievement of measurable policy objectives and societal benefits, not just financial compliance.

Modern Grant Management Systems are purpose-built to help public sector organisations achieve these mandatory objectives, ensuring compliance while driving better results.

For example (UK Context):

The National Audit Office (NAO) consistently highlights weaknesses in grant oversight in its reports, including poor data collection, fragmented systems, and insufficient monitoring of outcomes. Recent NAO reports have underscored the importance of robust financial management and the need for departments to address maintenance backlogs and ensure proper use of public funds, principles directly applicable to grant management.

The GovS 017 – Grant Functional Standard, published by the Cabinet Office, is a cornerstone of good grant management in the UK. It mandates these principles for government departments and arm’s length bodies (ALBs).

What Is a Grants Management Software?

A Grant Management Software is a secure, digital platform that supports the end-to-end lifecycle of grants, moving away from fragmented spreadsheets, emails, and manual processes. It typically encompasses:

Design & Development – Design with confidence, building well-planned, outcome-focused, and fraud-resilient schemes. The GMS provides tools for collaborative design, custom forms, budgeting rules, and risk management, supporting hierarchical programs and multiple variations.
Market Engagement – Reach the right applicants on time with an intuitive, step-by-step guided application portal. This simplifies the process for applicants, ensures data quality through real-time validation, and reduces administrative queries.
Application Assessment – Stay in control of decisions, risks, and responsibilities. The GMS streamlines reviews with collaborative tools, automated scoring, conflict-of-interest management, and immutable audit logs. Rules-based eligibility checks and automated risk flagging help mitigate fraud.
Awarding -Move from recommendation to signed agreement with total confidence. The system supports flexible payment strategies, securely handles disbursements, and provides comprehensive audit trails for all financial transactions.
Monitoring & Evaluation – Demonstrate value for money by tracking project performance against KPIs, monitoring budget utilization, and collecting evidence of outcomes in real-time. Integrate with tools like Power BI for insightful reporting and leverage AI for faster analysis.
Final Reconciliation – Facilitate thorough and efficient grant closure. The GMS generates comprehensive reconciliation reports and simplifies the preparation of final stakeholder reports, providing vital data for accountability and future planning.

Benefits of a Grants Management System for Public Sector Organisations

Benefit	How
Less Admin & Greater Efficiency	Automate workflows for eligibility checks, reviews, communications, and reporting. This significantly reduces time spent on manual tasks, freeing up valuable public servant resources for strategic oversight and policy development.
Improved Accessibility & User Experience	A guided, accessible online application process ensures a wider range of citizens and organisations can apply correctly. Real-time updates and notifications enhance transparency for applicants, reducing queries and improving satisfaction.
Transparency by Design	Automated audit logs, role-based access controls, and immutable records ensure every decision and transaction is recorded. This inherent transparency facilitates compliance with Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (where applicable) and general public accountability requirements.
Real-time Reporting & Data-Driven Decisions	Integrate with business intelligence tools like Power BI to generate dynamic dashboards and reports for KPIs, fund usage, risk profiles, and performance data. This provides timely insights for adaptive management and proactive intervention.
Better Outcomes & Value for Money	Shift focus from just financial compliance to monitoring long-term impact and benefits realisation. A GMS allows for consistent tracking against policy objectives, helping to demonstrate the “value for money” for taxpayers.
Enhanced Compliance & Risk Management	Automated checks and comprehensive record-keeping reduce the risk of fraud, error, and non-compliance with legal and policy frameworks. This includes checks against duplicate applications or non-eligible entities.

For whom is this important?

Central Government Departments & Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs): To ensure policy compliance, demonstrate value for money on large-scale national programmes (e.g., levelling up funds, research grants), and meet stringent reporting requirements to Parliament and the Cabinet Office.
Local Authorities: To streamline the delivery of diverse local grants for education, health initiatives, housing support, community projects, and more. This helps manage the increasing number of devolved funding streams and ensures equitable distribution within communities.
Research Bodies & Universities: To manage complex funding cycles from various government bodies (e.g., UKRI), streamline peer reviews, track research outputs, and maintain impeccable audit trails for academic grants
NGOs & Nonprofits working with Government Funding: A Grant Management System would also facilitate smoother engagement for the third sector, enabling them to easily apply for government-funded schemes and meet reporting obligations.

Compliance & Governance: Meeting UK Standards

A future-ready Grant Management Software is not just a tool; it’s an enabler of good governance. It must be built with an understanding of the specific regulatory landscape of public service. Key standards it supports include:

Functional Grant Standards: The GMS inherently promotes the principles of fairness, transparency, risk-awareness, and outcome-focus through its structured workflows, audit trails, and reporting capabilities. It aids organizations in meeting the mandatory “shall” statements within such standards.
Public Finance Management Guidance: This comprehensive guidance dictates how public funds are handled. A GMS helps enforce principles of regularity, propriety, and value for money through robust financial controls, audit logs, and clear delegation of authority within the system.
Digital Service Standards: The GMS supports these standards by promoting user-centered design for applicants, ensuring accessibility, building secure services that protect privacy, and enabling performance data publication.
Accountability Reports: By providing comprehensive data and audit trails, a GMS helps organizations proactively address common issues raised in accountability reports from oversight bodies, demonstrating robust oversight and control over grant expenditure.
Procurement Regulations: While primarily for procurement, the transparency requirements and need for clear audit trails for decisions within a GMS align with the spirit of these regulations, especially for grants that might have elements crossing over into public service contracts.
Data Protection Regulations: A GMS must handle sensitive personal and organizational data securely and compliantly, ensuring data minimization, secure storage, and proper consent mechanisms.
Cybersecurity Standards: The underlying infrastructure and security protocols of a GMS should adhere to national and international cybersecurity standards, ensuring data integrity and protection against cyber threats. Public sector bodies often mandate suppliers to hold specific cybersecurity certifications.

Tools like GoPro Grant Management include role-based access control, segregated audit logs, and secure payment modules, ensuring full alignment with UK digital public service expectations.

Grant Management Trends in 2026

Trend	Description
AI-driven risk scoring	Identify fraud, duplication, and non-compliance early.
Self-service dashboards	Let applicants and funders track progress independently.
Cross-agency collaboration	Streamline interdepartmental funding via shared portals.
Secure architecture	Compliant with UK Cyber Essentials and ISO standards.
Conversation AI applications	AI-powered support and guidance to applicants and administrators will significantly boost efficiency and accessibility.

Examples of how GoPro’s Grant Management System can help with current and future challenges

GoPro’s grant management platform helps public sector organisations:

Cut admin time by up to 60%, enabling rapid response to policy changes and urgent funding needs.
Launch new schemes in weeks, not months.
Track fund usage and project impact via live dashboards, offering the real-time insights required for proactive management and accountability.
Offer real-time applicant guidance and progress notifications, enhancing the citizen experience and reducing administrative burden.
Ensure full auditability of decisions and disbursements, providing a complete, unalterable record for compliance, internal audits, and external scrutiny.
Built with public sector requirements in mind, adhering to relevant security and data protection standards.

Frequently Asked Questions

What major challenges do public sector bodies face in grant management in 2026?

The biggest challenge remains fragmentation – multiple departments often run grants on separate legacy systems or spreadsheets, making cross-government reporting slow and error-prone. In addition, increased scrutiny from auditors and citizens demands real-time transparency, something manual methods cannot provide. Cybersecurity is another concern: with the public sector handling sensitive financial and personal data, secure grant platforms have become a non-negotiable.

What should a future-proof grant management system include?

A 2026-ready platform must be modular, API-first, and cloud-native. This ensures interoperability with finance, identity, and data-analytics systems while avoiding vendor lock-in. Decision-makers should prioritise platforms that support compliance by design, with immutable audit trails, built-in fraud detection, and rules-based eligibility checks. Scalability is also essential, as grant volumes and complexity can increase dramatically in response to policy or economic changes.

What is the ROI for adopting a grant management system in the public sector?

ROI goes beyond staff time savings. According to the UK National Audit Office, improved grant management practices could save up to £1.9 billion annually. In the U.S., federal audits estimate that up to 40% of grant resources are consumed by administration rather than delivery. Modern systems can reduce that burden, reallocate resources to mission outcomes, and safeguard public funds against fraud. For procurement teams, the strongest ROI cases are built on efficiency, risk mitigation, and demonstrable accountability.

How should procurement teams evaluate vendors in 2026?

Key evaluation criteria include:

Security & Compliance – ISO 27001, GDPR, data residency options, role-based access.
Integration Capabilities – pre-built connectors (ERP, finance, CRM), open APIs.
Scalability – proven ability to support both small departmental rollouts and national programmes.
Support & Governance – clear SLAs, change-management support, and reference clients in government.
Total Cost of Ownership – beyond licence fees, consider training, maintenance, and exit costs.

How can a grant management system support compliance with UK functional standards?

The UK’s Government Functional Standard for Grants (GovS 015) requires departments to ensure proper stewardship, transparency, and accountability of grant funds. A modern grant management system supports this by:

Embedding controls and workflows aligned with the standard.
Providing audit-ready reports for oversight bodies.
Enabling risk-based decision-making through automated flagging and data analytics.
This makes compliance less about manual reporting and more about structured, automated assurance.

Conclusion

With rising public expectations for accountability and mounting regulatory pressure to demonstrate value for money, a digital-first grant management strategy is no longer optional for public sector bodies. It’s essential for modern, efficient, and impactful governance. Solutions like GoPro’s GMS offer a proven way to deliver efficient, fair, and outcome-driven funding aligned with the highest government standards, moving beyond outdated manual processes to embrace the future of public service delivery.

By adopting a robust Grant Management Software, public sector organisations can unlock new levels of efficiency, transparency, and, most importantly, deliver greater positive impact for the communities they serve.

Book a demo today to see how GoPro’s Grant Management System can future-proof your funding programs:

Image by: freepik.com/author/pikisuperstar

Benefit	How It Helps	Public-Sector Leverage
Increased Efficiency	Automates eligibility checks, workflows, notifications, scoring, grant disbursement scheduling, reporting	Frees staff bandwidth to focus on policy, outreach, program design
Transparency & Auditability	Central logs, versioning, immutable change history, consolidated data views	Essential to passing internal/external audits and public scrutiny
Better Decision-Making	Dashboards, real-time metrics, fund-utilisation heat maps	Enables evidence-based resourcing, early detection of underperformance
Risk & Fraud Mitigation	Rule-based alerts, anomaly detection, duplicate checks, conflict-of-interest flags	Protects public funds from misuse and strengthens stakeholder trust
Scale & Flexibility	Dynamic scaling, multi-jurisdiction support, role-based permissions, modular setup	Supports expansion, decentralised management, and cross-program orchestration

Feature	Solves the Challenge of:	Our Grant Management Solution
Configurable Workflows	Inconsistent application and approval processes.	The system allows for the dedicated support of the grant lifecycle to align with specific organisational needs.
Real-time Reporting & Dashboards	Inefficient tracking and reporting.	Provides real-time access to a grant scheme’s budget and statistics for evaluation, and a reporting schema for ad hoc or regular reports using tools like Power BI.
Application Portal	Poor applicant visibility of progress and redundant communication.	Features a dedicated portal where applicants can find grants, apply, and track the status of their applications. Grant givers can undertake market testing of planned grants.
Audit Trails & Security	Documenting compliance and accountability.	Includes a comprehensive audit and logging mechanism that records all user and system activities in an immutable log. User roles and system privileges ensure ensures compliance.
Centralized Data & Communication	Manual, inefficient methods (spreadsheets, emails).	Manages grant schemes and communication on scheme-related decisions in a single platform.

Feature	What it does	Problem it solves	Why it matters
Custom workflows	Configures application → review → award pipelines	Inconsistent processes across teams	Creates repeatable, auditable processes and reduces delays
Online application portal & form designer	Public-facing forms with conditional logic	Paper or spreadsheet submissions	Improves applicant experience and reduces admin time
Assessment & peer review tools	Scorecards, blind review, reviewer assignment	Biased or inconsistent assessments	Standardises decisions and speeds review cycles
Award management & payment tracking	Schedules and tracks payments vs. budget	Overpayments, late disbursements	Supports fiscal control
Monitoring & evaluation dashboards	Tracks KPIs, progress, and outcomes	Poor impact reporting	Enables evidence-based decision-making
Reporting & audit trails	Generates standard/ad-hoc reports, logs all actions	Audit compliance	Demonstrates accountability and speeds audits
Role-based security & SSO	Granular permissions, secure access	Data access risks	Protects sensitive information and prevents unauthorised actions.
Integrations & APIs	Connects with finance, identity, AI, and BI tools	Data silos	Keeps data consistent and automates processes

Best Practices for Effective Grant Management

Tools That Make the Difference

Conclusion

The UK Public Sector’s Grant Management Dilemma

The Real Cost of Fragmented Systems

What a Modern GMS Really Looks Like for the Public Sector

A Smarter Approach to Public Value

Ready to Rethink Grant Management?

The Problem of Disconnected Tools

The Solution: The Power of an Integrated System

From the Old Way to the New Way – how does the grant management transformation look like?

Conclusion

Frequently asked questions:

1. Manual Processes are Hiding a Significant Cost

2. You’re Struggling to Mitigate Fraud and Misuse

3. Your Reporting Lacks Transparency and Actionable Insight

4. Poor User Experience Is Harming Your Stakeholder Relationships

5. Data Security is a Persistent Risk

Frequently asked questions:

What It Does And Why It Matters

The Case for Adoption of Digital Grant Management Solutions: Scale, Cost, Risk

Why Grant Management Software Matters in the Public Sector

Q&A: What should you know about digital grant management solution?

The UK Grant Funding Landscape: A Snapshot

What are the Key Features that Solve Common Challenges in Grant Administration?

How the key features of our Grant Management System Solve The Public Sector’s Problems?

Why these features matter for the UK public sector

Final thoughts

Introduction

Why Grant Management Needs to Evolve in 2026

What Is a Grants Management Software?

Benefits of a Grants Management System for Public Sector Organisations

For whom is this important?

Compliance & Governance: Meeting UK Standards

Grant Management Trends in 2026

Examples of how GoPro’s Grant Management System can help with current and future challenges

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Streamlining the Applicant Experience

Efficiency and Automation for Administrators

Key Strengths of Canalix Grant Management

Compliance with Government Standards

Providing the Grant Management Solution

Where Canalix Steps In

Where the Customer Takes Over

Supporting Customer Success

Proven Results

Conclusion: A Balanced Approach to Grant Management

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