Grant Lifecycle Manager
The grant management software trusted by 2,300+ foundations
Run your full grants cycle in one place. Configure forms, automate communications, score applications, and report on impact. One cloud-based grant management platform built for foundations and the people who serve them.
Trusted by foundations, governments, corporations, education funders worldwide
Every stage of the grant lifecycle, in one system
From the first letter of inquiry through final reporting, Grant Lifecycle Manager (GLM) gives funders a single grant management system for application, review, decision, payment, and followup. No spreadsheets. No stitched-together tools. No data lost between stages.
Built for the way foundations actually work
Eight capabilities that handle the work foundation teams do every day.
Application creation and processing
Build tailored grant application forms for every program. Use branching logic to skip irrelevant questions. Let applicants auto-save, preview follow-ups, and copy responses across forms. Reduce applicant burden without reducing the data you need.
Review and scoring
Assign reviewers, score applications online, and capture evaluator feedback in one place. Anonymize applicant data to reduce bias. AI-powered application summaries condense long submissions into actionable insight. Replace board meetings spent passing paper packets with a dashboard everyone can use.
Compliance monitoring
Built-in grant administration tools for tracking installments, follow-up forms, and grant agreements automatically. Generate the audit trail your board, your funders, and your IRS Form 990 require, without rebuilding it every fiscal year.
Reporting and analytics
Grant reporting software shouldn’t take an afternoon to use. The GLM report builder generates real-time analytics, custom views, and stakeholder-ready exports in minutes. Show grant performance, applicant demographics, geographic reach, and outcome data without leaving the platform.
Performance and outcome tracking
Grant tracking software that follows the dollars after the award, not just at application. Capture grantee follow-ups, milestone reports, and outcome data tied directly to the original application, so the full story stays connected.
Financial oversight
Schedule installments, track payments, and tie disbursements to grants in real time. Sync with QuickBooks Online for grant accounting, or push data to CommunitySuite for foundation-wide fund accounting and financial reporting.
Communication and collaboration
Group communications, merge templates, automated reminders, and in-system comments keep applicants, grantees, board members, and staff working from the same record. Cut the long email threads.
Integration and security
Single sign-on, role-based permissions, and integrations with QuickBooks Online, DocuSign, Candid, Workato, and Foundant CommunitySuite. Built for foundations that need security their finance team and IT can both sign off on.
Ready to see GLM in action?
Schedule a 30-minute demo with someone who actually understands grant management.
Why foundations stay with Foundant
94%
Renewal Rate
2,300+
Clients
229K+
Awards powered by Foundant
See Grant Lifecycle Manager in two minutes
Watch a funding team move an application from intake through review, decision, and payment.
What clients using GLM say
More than 2,300 foundations run their grant programs on Foundant. Here’s what some of them have to say about the work, and how GLM changed it.
“Our Foundation has been using GLM for over a decade and it has streamlined our grantmaking immensely. Our subscription to this service is some of the best money we spend every year. I couldn’t imagine doing our work without it.”
Holly Launchbaugh
South Central Community Foundation
“We have been using Foundant for 6 years and I love that the organization listens to feedback, is accessible, and is continually improving the product.”
James Nelson
Michigan Humanities Council
The grantmaking work foundation teams shouldn’t still be doing manually
Most foundations didn’t set out to run grant programs on spreadsheets, shared inboxes, and PDF attachments. It happened gradually, as programs grew and the tools didn’t.
Applications that quietly turn applicants away
Forms that don’t save progress and PDFs that have to be downloaded and re-uploaded shrink your pool of finished applications. GLM’s branching forms and saved progress mean more qualified applicants make it to the end.
Reviews that swallow staff time
Spreadsheets emailed around, reviewers scoring different versions, conflict checks done from memory. GLM keeps scoring, comments, and COI flags in one place so reviewers focus on the decision.
Reporting that takes a week to assemble
When the board asks how the year’s grants performed, the answer shouldn’t mean rebuilding a report from three systems. GLM generates it from data you’ve already captured.
How GLM works, end to end
Four stages, one platform, every grant cycle.
1. Configure
Build your application forms, eligibility quiz, review criteria, scoring rubric, and follow-up requirements. Tailor every program separately or share questions across grants. Set role-based permissions for staff, board, and reviewers.
2. Receive and review
Applicants complete forms in a dashboard that saves their progress, accepts third-party recommendations, and validates submissions before they’re sent. Reviewers score online with anonymized applicant data, AI-powered application summaries, and conflict-of-interest flags.
3. Decide and award
Generate award letters from merge templates. Schedule installments. Push payment data to QuickBooks Online or CommunitySuite. Communicate decisions through automated, branded email.
4. Track and report
Capture follow-up forms, milestone reports, and outcome data tied directly to the original application. Run real-time analytics. Export the data your board, your funders, and your audit trail need, in the format they need it.
How GLM compares to legacy GMS and spreadsheets
Most foundations choosing GLM are leaving one of two places: a spreadsheet-and-email setup that grew with the program, or a legacy grant management system that costs more than it delivers. Buyers researching the best grant management software for their foundation tend to compare on the same handful of dimensions. Here is how GLM lines up.
| Spreadsheets and email | Legacy GMS | Foundant GLM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application processing | Manual. Forms in PDFs, intake in inboxes | Configurable, but rigid | Tailored forms, branching logic, eligibility quiz, third-party recommendations |
| Review process | Email threads, paper packets | Online but often clunky | Online scoring, anonymized review, AI summary, evaluator tracking |
| Reporting | Hand-built every cycle | Available, but rigid templates | Real-time analytics, custom report builder, historical data retention |
| Implementation | None, but no onboarding either | 3–6+ months, often requires IT | Weeks not months |
| User licenses | Limited to software seat counts | Often per-seat; reviewer access costs extra | Unlimited for staff, board, applicants, and reviewers |
| Customer support | None | Tiered, often slow per public reviews | Unlimited support, dedicated success team, Compass community, 4.9 Capterra |
Built for the security and compliance foundations need
Foundations handle financial data, applicant PII, and grant documentation that has to stand up to audits. GLM is built so the IT review, the finance review, and the legal review all clear in the same conversation.
Security
Single sign-on, role-based permissions, and encryption in transit and at rest.
Compliance
VPAT-certified and accessible (WCAG 2.1, Section 508), with configurable processes for funder, federal, and state grant requirements.
Data
Staff-configurable forms and workflows, full data export, and exportable audit trails.
View the GLM security overview
Accessibility built in
GLM is built to make grant programs accessible to every applicant, regardless of ability. Inclusive design isn’t an afterthought; it’s how the platform is built.
Standards-compliant
We achieved a VPAT certification, demonstrating our commitment to meeting industry-leading accessibility standards. Our platform is compliant with WCAG 2.1, Section 508, and other relevant guidelines.
Support, training, and a peer community of 2,300+ foundations
GLM clients get unlimited user licenses, unlimited support, and a dedicated success team. They also get something that doesn’t come with most grant management software: a peer community.
Foundant has a community that connects you with teams working in GLM every day. Share workflows, ask configuration questions, and learn how peer foundations handle scholarship application surges, board reporting cycles, and regulatory deadlines. Regional trainings, user groups, coffee talks, and the annual user conference round out a support model built for the way foundations actually learn from each other.
If your foundation has no dedicated IT team, Compass is often the difference between owning the system and being owned by it.
Fits the systems your foundation already runs on
GLM connects to the tools foundation teams already use, so adopting it doesn’t mean ripping out anything else.
Foundation operations
Foundant CommunitySuite and QuickBooks Online for fund accounting and financials.
Workflow and signatures
DocuSign for agreements and signatures, Workato for broader automation.
Data and authentication
Candid for nonprofit data, plus single sign-on for identity management.
Free guide
How to evaluate grant management software
A practical guide for foundations comparing grant management systems.
Explore case studies
See the transformative impact of our grant management software through real-world examples. These case studies demonstrate how foundations of all sizes and types can achieve remarkable success by partnering with Foundant and utilizing our reputable grant management solutions.
The Priddy Foundation
PRODUCT
Grant Lifecycle Manager
TYPE
Family Foundation
Shelley Sweatt, President and CEO, sees how their foundation’s impact has multiplied after adopting GLM. The ease of use is a direct contributor to greater team-wide adoption and higher-quality reporting.
“GLM streamlined our application, grantee reporting, and board evaluation processes, and the customer service is unmatched.”
— Shelley Sweatt, President and CEO
Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth
PRODUCT
Grant Lifecycle Manager
TYPE
Private Foundation
Using GLM’s online application process, the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth team has successfully streamlined their application process, grantee reporting and follow-ups, and board member grant evaluations, enabling them to amplify their impact.
“GLM streamlined our application, grantee reporting, and board evaluation processes, and the customer service is unmatched.”
— Judith Sparrow, Regional Grants Administrator
Awarded
Talk to the team
Ready to see what GLM can do for your foundation?
Schedule a 30-minute demo with someone who actually understands grant management. We’ll show you the workflow your foundation runs every day, in GLM, with your kind of grant programs in front of you.
FAQs
What is grant management software?
Grant management software is a platform that handles the full grant lifecycle for foundations and other funders: application intake, review and scoring, decision-making, payment scheduling, follow-up tracking, and outcome reporting. It replaces the patchwork of spreadsheets, email threads, and standalone tools most foundations use when they outgrow manual processes.
How does grant management software work?
Most grant management platforms follow the same four-stage workflow: Configure (build forms, scoring rubrics, and follow-up requirements); Receive and review (collect applications, route for scoring, capture evaluator feedback); Decide and award (generate award letters, schedule payments); Track and report (capture outcomes, run analytics). GLM follows this pattern, with role-based access for staff, board, applicants, and reviewers.
How much does grant management software cost?
Pricing varies widely. Per the Consumer Guide to Grants Management Systems, mid-size foundations typically pay between $15,000 and $50,000 per year for legacy systems, and large foundations can pay $50,000 to $300,000+. Foundant publishes GLM pricing directly: $6,500 (Basic), $9,900 (Standard), or $13,900 (Advanced) per year, with implementation fees starting at $2,500.
What is the best grant management software for foundations?
The best grant management software for any foundation depends on size, program complexity, and what existing systems are in place. Foundations comparing options typically evaluate Foundant GLM, GivingData, SmartSimple, Submittable, Blackbaud Grantmaking, and Fluxx. GLM consistently ranks 4.9 of 5 on Capterra, has a 92 percent renewal rate, and serves 2,300+ foundations.
What is the best grant management software for nonprofits?
Most grant management software is built for the funder side rather than the grantee side. For nonprofits looking to manage outbound grant applications, the answer is different (and tools like Instrumentl serve that need). For nonprofits, foundations, and community foundations that issue grants, GLM is built for that side of the relationship.
Does grant management software replace QuickBooks?
No. Grant management software handles the program side (applications, review, awards, follow-up). Accounting software like QuickBooks handles the books. They’re built to work together. GLM integrates directly with QuickBooks Online, so disbursement data flows from grant decisions into accounting without manual re-entry.
How long does it take to implement grant management software?
Legacy GMS implementations typically run 3 to 6 months and often require IT involvement. GLM implementations run weeks, not months, with predictable setup fees ($2,500 for Basic, $3,500 for Standard, $4,500 for Advanced). The Foundant implementation team works with foundation staff directly; no separate professional services contract required.
How is grant management software different from a CRM?
A CRM tracks relationships, contacts, and donor/donor-prospect data. Grant management software tracks programs, applications, awards, and outcomes. The two systems often work side by side at foundations: GLM for the grant program side, a CRM (or Foundant CommunitySuite, which combines fund accounting with CRM) for the donor and constituent side.
Is GLM accessible to all applicants?
Yes. GLM is VPAT certified and compliant with WCAG 2.1 and Section 508 accessibility standards. Inclusive design is a core part of how the platform is built, so foundations can run programs that don’t exclude applicants on the basis of ability.
Does GLM support government grant programs?
GLM serves grantmaking organizations of many types, including some healthcare and government clients. For complex government grant programs with heavy compliance, peer-review, or multi-phase award requirements, Foundant’s SmartSimple platform is typically the better fit. GLM works well for government grant programs with simpler workflows.
What integrations does GLM support?
GLM integrates with QuickBooks Online (accounting), DocuSign (signatures), Candid (nonprofit data), Workato (workflow automation), Foundant CommunitySuite (foundation operations), and supports single sign-on. The integration set is built around the systems foundations already run on.
What support comes with GLM?
Unlimited user licenses, unlimited support via phone, email, chat, and the online knowledge base, a dedicated success team, and access to the Compass community of 2,300+ foundation peers. Regional trainings, user groups, and the annual Foundant user conference round out a support model that’s rare in the grant management software category.