How do I start and submit an application?

To start filling out an application, click on “Start Draft Application” from the Dashboard tab. This takes you to the Grantmaker tab which lists all the grantmakers. If you know the grantmaker you want to apply to then click on the “Select Program” button. This will take you to a list of grantmaker programs. If you know the program you want to apply to then click on the “Start Draft Application” button next to the program name.

You have now started the application. There is a progress bar at the top that leads you through each page you need to fill out. You can step through the pages by clicking on the “Next” and “Previous” buttons, or you can jump around between pages by clicking on the page name (e.g. “Activities”) in the progress bar.

An application consists of multiple pages. Each page may contain one more fields that have to be filled out, or documents that have to be uploaded. Some fields are mandatory (indicated by two read asterisks – the page cannot be left unless it has been filled out), required (indicated by one red asterisk – the application cannot be submitted unless it has been filled out) or optional (the field can be left blank if you’d like).

The “Next” and “Previous” buttons are used to navigate through the application. Please remember to save your work if you are going to step away from your computer or work on a single page for any length of time. On occasion, the Internet may time out a session between your computer and the Common Grant servers. Until you click on the “Save”, “Next” or “Previous” buttons on the page you are working on the information is only on your computer, tablet or phone and not on our server. Once you click on “Save” it is transferred to the Common Grant server. We suggest saving your work at least every 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can compose your responses and essays in a separate word processor, and then cut and paste them into the required or optional fields when you are ready.

If you’d like to step away from the application at any time, you can click on the “Logout” or “Pause” buttons. The system will keep all of the information you’ve entered and documents you’ve previously saved or uploaded. The “Logout” button will log you out from the Common Grant site. The “Pause” button will take you back to your dashboard. The dashboard tells you the status of your applications and allows you to start new applications. If you’ve logged out, when you log back into Common Grant you can go to your dashboard, or to where you left off in the application. If you end up on the dashboard you can continue your application from where you left off by clicking on the “Resume Draft App” link.

You will not be able to submit the application until you fill in all of the required fields and upload all of the required documents. Before you try and submit your application you must go to the “Preview” page. The “Preview” page will allow you to review your application, and also check that it is correctly filled out. Any problems with the application will be indicated by a “Not Okay” status on this page. To understand the reasons why you cannot submit your application, either click on the “Not Okay” link or review the reason(s) that may already be displayed. If the status is “Okay” you can click on the “Next” button, which will take you to the next page that will allow you to submit your application. Click on the “Submit” button and wait until the page indicates the application has been submitted. Until you receive the message that the application was submitted successfully, and an application number is shown, the grantmaker has not seen or received your application.

 

What do I do if I forgot my password?

If you are a registered user, and you’ve forgotten your password, please go to the forgot password page, enter your user name, and then click the “Send Password” button. Your user name and a new password will be sent immediately to the e-mail address on file. You can then change your password after you log in to the site.

 

What do I do if I forgot my user name?

If you are a registered user, and you’ve forgotten your user name, please go to the forgot user name page, enter the email address you used for your account, and then click on the “Send User Name” button. The user name(s) or user name(s) and password(s) will be sent immediately to the e-mail addresses on file. Please note, if you have more than one account with the same email address you will receive one email for each user name.