A new era of government grantmaking: Time for a cultural and digital transformation

It’s worth starting with why digital transformation is important in the first place. The whole point is to make aid and relief programs better—more efficient, more accessible, more secure, and more equitable—for both constituents and for government staff. In short, everyone stands to benefit from digital transformation. 

The right technology can help address some of the big issues that plague government aid programs. But to find the right technology, you need to be intentional about solving problems while considering how your program shapes people’s real-life experiences. 

In a recent report, NASCIO surveyed 51 state and territory CIOs to learn top priorities for the coming year. Their responses align with much of the feedback our team hears from clients in the government sector. 

Scalability 

Government teams need technology that will help them scale their programs quickly. Ask yourself, what would happen if the number of applications your team receives increased by ten-fold overnight? Would your team be able to manage them easily? If not, where are the snags in the process?

Many government program leaders learned how to answer these questions the hard way during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the federal government leaned on state and local partners to manage and deliver billions of dollars in CARES Act relief funds, many teams found that their systems couldn’t support the sudden influx of applications. Manual processes created bottlenecks. Applicants hit roadblocks. Employees were stretched thin. 

One of the most poignant examples was the huge increase in people filing for unemployment insurance benefits which overwhelmed many state systems. Multiple reports from the US Government Accountability Office found that despite congress creating four new federal-funded unemployment insurance programs, states struggled with customer service, creating enormous backlogs. Constituents faced long call wait times and some went without benefits for months. Not investing in cloud-powered scalability created a situation where, for instance, a laid off single mother had to wait to get the help she needed to care for their children while fretting about where the next meal will come from.

Federal grants to local and state governments 1980-2019

Federal grants to local and state governments 1980-2019

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, federal grants to state and local governments had been trending upward for decades. Source: US Government Accountability Office

Shifting to cloud-based infrastructure and leveraging automation helps government teams build programs that can scale as need fluctuates. Look for grant management software that allows you to automate tasks while incorporating manual reviews where you want them.

Urgency

When crises strike, people don’t have time to wait for you to build a new system. You need technology that enables you to stand up programs in days or weeks, not months. 

Moving quickly not only allows you to meet community needs, but it enables you to comply with the tight timelines set by state and federal funders. For instance, in April 2022 Minnesota governor Tim Walz signed a bill to provide one-time payments to frontline workers who’d worked during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill stipulated a quick turnaround to launch the program. By teaming up with Submittable, the Minnesota Department of Revenue was able to start accepting applications within weeks. In the end, more than 1 million applications were approved for relief funds.

The technology you choose as a part of your digital transformation must enable you to launch a program quickly, but it also has to support urgency throughout the whole program lifecycle. For applicants, it doesn’t matter how fast you launch the program if there ends up being a delay in distributing funds. Look for a grant management software that makes every step of the process smoother and more efficient. The Minnesota Frontline Worker Payment Program processed ACH payments, which ensured frontline workers received money within 48 hours. 

Security

The scope and urgency of government relief programs make them susceptible to both fraud and human error. The technology you adopt must root out fraud and human error without adding burdensome steps to the application process. 

Fraud can devastate government aid programs. Just look at the fraud perpetrated during COVID-19 relief funding, accounting for billions of dollars lost. In one instance, suspects siphoned hundreds of millions of dollars from a program meant to provide meals to school-aged children. The fraud meant that real kids weren’t getting the food they needed. 

Stories like these erode public trust in government programs. Lack of trust makes it more difficult to get support for future initiatives, even when there’s an urgent need.

Adopting cloud-based technologies enables you to leverage fraud prevention tools that tap into public databases to cross-check and verify applicant identities. Rather than identifying fraud after it happens, your team can catch it before any funds change hands. 

Knowledge-based authentication and identity verification are two tools included in cloud-based software like Submittable that government teams can use to reduce fraud. A knowledge-based authentication quiz requires applicants to answer a few short questions based on their personal history, such as what car they’ve owned or properties they’ve been associated with. Identity verification allows you to validate government IDs and match them with selfies taken in real time. The best part is neither of these processes adds extra steps for your team and it’s a simple process for applicants. 

Accessibility

Your application process must not be a barrier for people who are eligible for funding. Aid programs won’t work if some people can’t access or complete the application. Luckily, the right technology can improve accessibility and make it easier for applicants to submit their information. 

When it comes to accessibility, it’s important to think about the real-world experiences of the people on the other side of the application. In 2021, the State of Washington Department of Commerce delivered $235 million to small businesses across Washington State. Because many of the people they were trying to reach were in rural areas without reliable internet, the team made it a priority to build an application that applicants could view and complete on a mobile device. 

Look for accessibility-first cloud-based grant management software. Consider the unique needs of your constituents as you evaluate your options. What support will they need to complete the application? Do you need translation or localization services? Find technology partners who have a strong track record supporting accessibility within relief programs. 

Equity 

Data is essential to achieving equity. If you can’t see the trends around who is accessing funding and who isn’t, you won’t have the tools you need to address inequality. Worse, you run the risk of perpetuating existing discrepancies. 

Many government agencies are using data to become more strategic when it comes to equity. With the right data, government teams can pinpoint which populations receive funding and which don’t, cutting across demographic data such as location, race, education, socioeconomic status, and more. 

One example of data empowering equity comes from federal disaster aid. Research shows that federal disaster aid tends to favor white people, with people of color receiving less money for similar property damage. Without access to data and cloud-based analysis tools, government teams can’t track the progress of measures meant to close this gap. 

Build equity into your digital transformation by leveraging grant management software that fits into your larger data ecosystem. If you’ve already transitioned to the cloud, make sure that new technology allows you to share data across your full ecosystem—from your grant management system to your data warehouse. You can combine data you gather from your grant applications with other data sources—such as public records or your customer relationship management software—to get a clear picture of where you stand on equity. This synergy allows your team to efficiently turn data into actionable insights and track progress over time. 

Communication

Clear communication and seamless collaboration are paramount for government teams. Using cloud-based technology allows you to have one source of truth. This prevents you from creating multiple versions of the same document, duplicating work, or digging through email threads to find the latest updates. Instead work is centralized and shows real-time updates from team members. 

The latest report from the Technology Association of Grantmakers (TAG) found that 64% of government grantmakers are embracing a distributed or remote workplace. This new normal means that communication tools are even more important. They give continuity and clarity that a distributed team needs. 

Your team isn’t the only one who benefits from a strong communication tool and a single source of truth. Grantseekers want a clear way to communicate with your team and stay updated about the status of their application. Plus, many people seeking funding need to collaborate with colleagues, family members, case workers, or teachers to complete an application. Look for a grant management software that enables real-time collaboration for applicants and staff.

Staffing

Technology is not going to replace the real people who run aid and relief programs. But technology can be a difference maker in helping to attract and retain talent. 

Every state CIOs consulted in the NASCIO report mentioned staffing as a priority issue. The private sector is siphoning talent from the public sector. One way government agencies can stay competitive is by investing in technology. One recent study by Adobe found that 49% of US workers consider leaving their current job if they’re unhappy or frustrated with the technology. 

People who dedicate their careers to the public sector are often in their roles because they want to make an impact on the community. Leveraging cloud-based technology saves your team from getting stuck in the busywork of running relief or grant programs. Rather than spending hours updating spreadsheets or comparing tax forms, they can be doing the strategic and community work that makes their jobs more meaningful and fulfilling—key to keeping them satisfied in their roles. 

Using an intuitive grant management software empowers employees of all technical backgrounds. Any turnover you do face will be much more manageable. With shorter learning curves and easier handoffs, you’ll be able to onboard new employees quickly.

As you make decisions about cloud-based technology, the conversation can get technical pretty quickly. Aim to give everyone an entry point. Avoid technical jargon where you don’t need it, and make an effort to define any new terms. If you’re proposing a move to the cloud be sure to explain what that means in practice. We suggest starting with an internal one-sheet document defining all the more complex terms in plain language.

Be mindful not to overload employees with too much information. Consider what each team member needs to know to be successful. For instance, most likely not everyone needs to understand the nitty-gritty details of how an integration works on the back end. But it’s important for everyone to understand what an integration does and how it fits into a workflow. 

You know your team best—how they learn, how they communicate, what motivates them. Meet people where they are. And keep lines of communication open so you’ll be the first to know when questions come up. 

As you implement new technology and software, make a plan for training all employees. Not everyone needs to know the back-end details of how grant management software works. But everyone on the team should have a working knowledge of the benefits of the cloud ecosystem. Team members who control budget and coordinate partnerships need to understand and be able to communicate the value of new technology. 

Create pathways for existing employees to step into more technical roles. Giving employees the opportunity to learn and grow within the organization is incredibly useful for retention and employee engagement. In a recent report by Pew Research Center, lack of advancement opportunities was one of the top reasons people left their jobs in 2021.

Look for grant management software that’s intuitive and doesn’t require users to know how to code. A short learning curve means your team will be up and running with new technology quickly. Plus you won’t create the bottleneck that happens when only a few select people have full working knowledge of the software. 

Check with partners and vendors about their approach to implementation and support. Ideally, your team should be able to lean on implementation specialists who can walk you through how to set up your program and make changes as you need. Tapping into their expertise eases the burden on your team and lets you leverage their knowledge from implementing similar government programs.

Planning and executing a shift to the cloud can feel like an overwhelming task. But the great part is: you don’t have to do it alone. Partnerships among your organization and the tools you use allow you to expand the capacity of your team. 

As you seek out these relationships, look for partners who understand the full cloud ecosystem and can help you write a unique playbook for your programs. The right partner can help you slot incremental changes into a long-term strategy, so you can build your way to a full digital transformation at a pace and scale that makes sense for your team. 

As the top grant management software for government grantmakers, Submittable is positioned to help you extend your capabilities. When you use our platform to support your programs, our team becomes your team. Get in touch to learn more.