Grant Agreements
Once you've approved an application, the grant agreement process formalises the award. This is where you collect banking details, set up KPIs, and get signatures from both parties — all digitally, with no paper or printing required.
Why Digital Grant Agreements?
Faster turnaround — No printing, posting, scanning, or chasing signatures
Complete audit trail — Every change and signature is timestamped and recorded
Better experience for grantees — They complete everything online at their convenience
Automatic tracking — See at a glance which agreements are pending, ready to sign, or complete
Secure signatures — Digital signatures captured and stored securely
The Agreement Workflow
Grant agreements follow a "tennis match" model — the agreement passes back and forth between you (the funder) and the grantee until both parties are satisfied.
Phase 1: Editing
The grantee completes the agreement details:
Banking information
Review of KPIs and workplan
Any required information
When they're done, they submit for your approval.
Phase 2: Review
You review what they've submitted:
If everything looks good — Approve to move to signing
If changes are needed — Make changes and send back to the grantee for review
This back-and-forth continues until both parties are happy.
Phase 3: Ready to Sign
Once both parties have approved without requesting changes:
The agreement is locked for editing
Both parties can now sign
Phase 4: Complete
After both signatures are collected:
The agreement is finalised
No further changes allowed
Ready to start disbursements
Starting an Agreement
Go to the approved application
Click the Feedback tab
Click Set up Agreement
This creates the grant agreement and takes you to the agreement setup.
Agreement Steps
The agreement process has several optional steps. You can configure which ones to include for your fund.
Payment Schedule
Set up when and how the grant will be paid. You can configure:
Frequency — Monthly, quarterly, annually, single payment, or custom
Timing — Payments at start or end of each period
Dates — When payments start and end
The system automatically calculates equal instalments based on your settings.
Project Dates
Display the project timeline so the grantee can confirm:
Project start date
Project end date
Optionally allow grantees to adjust these dates during the agreement process.
Bank Details
Collect the grantee's banking information:
Account name
Account number
Sort code
Bank name
Grantees select an existing bank account from their organisation or add a new one.
Automatic validation: When grantees enter bank details, the system runs basic checks to help catch errors early:
Format validation — Ensures the sort code is 6 digits and the account number is 8 digits
Modulus checking — Validates the account number against the sort code using the UK banking standard algorithm
Bank identification — Automatically detects and fills in the bank name based on the sort code
If validation fails, grantees see an error message so they can correct the details before submitting.
KPIs & Workplan
Set up how you'll measure success:
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) — Specific, measurable targets the grantee will report against
Workplan — Milestones and activities the grantee commits to delivering
Both parties can view and agree to these. Changes are version-tracked so you can see what was modified.
Monitoring Setup
Configure how the grantee will report on progress:
Which monitoring form to use
How often reports are due
Reporting deadlines
Agreement Template
Select and preview the formal agreement document:
Choose from your letter templates
Preview how the agreement will look
Download as Word or PDF
Branding
Customise how the agreement looks:
Your organisation's logo
Primary and accent colours
Custom organisation name
Sign Agreement
The final step where both parties sign digitally.
The Grantee Experience
Grantees receive a link to complete their part of the agreement. Here's what they see:
Welcome — Confirmation of their grant with your feedback message
Steps to complete — A sidebar showing their progress through each section
Simple forms — Clear, easy-to-complete fields for banking details and other information
Submit button — When done, they click "Submit for Approval" to send it to you
If you make changes, they're notified and can review what's changed before re-approving.
Digital Signatures
No need to print, sign, scan, and email. Signatures are captured digitally.
How Signing Works
When the agreement is ready to sign, both parties see a signature option
Click to open the signature capture
Draw your signature on screen (works on desktop and mobile)
Enter your name, email, and position
Submit your signature
Multiple Signatures
You can require multiple signatures from either party:
Required grantee signatures — How many people from the grantee organisation must sign
Required funder signatures — How many people from your organisation must sign
Configure these in your fund's agreement settings. Set either to 0 if that party doesn't need to sign.
Signature Storage
Each signature is:
Captured as an image
Timestamped with the exact signing date and time
Linked to the signer's name, email, and position
Stored securely and included in the final agreement document
Managing Agreements
Viewing All Agreements
Go to your fund
Switch to Manage & Monitor view
Click the Agreements tab
You'll see a list of all agreements with their current status.
Agreement Statuses
Status | What it means |
Not Started | Agreement created but grantee hasn't begun |
In Progress | Grantee is completing their details |
Awaiting Review | Grantee has submitted, waiting for your review |
Ready to Sign | Both parties approved, signatures needed |
Completed | Fully signed and finalised |
Sharing the Agreement Link
Click Copy Link on any agreement to get a shareable URL. Send this to the grantee so they can complete their part.
Downloading the Agreement
Once complete (or at any stage), you can:
Preview — See how the document looks
Download as Word — Editable format for your records
Download as PDF — Final format with signatures embedded
Customising Agreement Templates
Your grant agreement document can be customised using letter templates.
Setting Up a Template
Go to Settings > Letter Templates
Create a new template or edit an existing one
Design your agreement document with your standard terms
Use placeholders for dynamic content (see below)
Available Placeholders
Your template can include placeholders that are automatically filled in:
Organisation details — Grantee name, address, charity number
Grant details — Amount, project name, dates
Signatures — Funder and grantee signatures with names and dates
KPIs and workplan — If configured
Selecting a Template for Your Fund
Go to your fund's settings
In Step 5 (Communications), select your Grant Agreement Template
All agreements for this fund will use this template
Configuring Agreement Steps
Not every fund needs every agreement step. You can disable optional steps:
Go to your fund's settings
Find the agreement configuration
Toggle off any steps you don't need
Disabled steps won't appear for grantees or in your workflow.
Tips for Smooth Agreements
Write clear welcome messages
The feedback you write when approving becomes the welcome message grantees see. Make it warm and clear about next steps.
Set up templates before you need them
Have your agreement template ready before you start approving grants. This avoids delays.
Use payment schedules strategically
Monthly payments give you more control but create more admin. Quarterly or single payments may be simpler for smaller grants.
Allow enough time for signatures
Grantees may need to get board approval or multiple signatories. Build this into your timeline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we still use paper agreements?
Yes. You can download the agreement as a Word document, print it, and handle signatures manually. But digital is faster!
What if the grantee's details change after signing?
Signed agreements are locked. For material changes, you'd need to create an amendment or new agreement.
Can grantees see the full agreement before signing?
Yes. They can preview the agreement document at any stage before signing.
What happens if we need to make changes after the grantee submits?
Make your changes and the agreement goes back to the grantee for review. They must approve the changes before you can proceed to signing.
Are digital signatures legally binding?
Yes, in most jurisdictions. The signatures include timestamps, signer identification, and are stored securely. Consult your legal team if you have specific concerns.