Multi-channel grants management system

A multi-channel management system, comprising:

• a financial management system;
• and
• a grants management system
• receiving a grant initiative from a granting agency,
• receiving a grant initiative application from an applicant via one of a web-portal, fax, in-person, and telephone,
• integrally connected to the financial management system to facilitate transmission and messaging between the grants management system and the financial management system, and
• dynamically managing grant initiative transactions and financial transactions associated with a life-cycle of the grant initiative by automatically triggering events.

A system, comprising:

• a web-based portal;
• a grants management system
• receiving a grant initiative from a granting agency via the web-based portal,
• receiving a grant initiative application from an applicant via one of fax, thin client, in-person, and telephone and entering the grant initiative application via the web-based portal,
• dynamically selecting a reviewer that is best qualified to review the application according to the grant initiative from the granting agency and to generate a score,
• dynamically evaluating the grant initiative application using customizable decision rule data structures and generating a score,
• combining the scores from the reviewer and the grants management system to create a composite score to determine an application to award the grant initiative;
• a financial management system managing financial information of the grant initiative;
• and
• an integration unit facilitating transmission and messaging between the grants management system and the financial management system to dynamically manage grant initiative transactions and financial transactions associated with a life-cycle of the grant initiative by automatically triggering events comprising an initiative setup process, a pre-application and an application process, a reviewer assignment process, a review and ranking process, a grant initiative selection process, a requests of grants financial activities process, an information transfer process, and a financial close out process, with the life-cycle comprising pre-application, grant publication, application intake, application review or assessment, grant award, grant administration, and grant closeout.

A method performed by a grants management system, comprising:

• receiving a grant initiative from a granting agency via a web-based portal;
• automatically retrieving and notifying a potential and/or past applicant of availability of the grant initiative;
• receiving a grant initiative application from an applicant via the web-based portal;
• dynamically evaluating the grant initiative application using customizable decision rule data structures and generating a score;
• and
• interfacing with a financial management system to dynamically manage grant initiative transactions and financial transactions associated with a life-cycle of the grant initiative by automatically triggering events.

A method, comprising:

• applying for a grant initiative over a web-based portal;
• dynamically notifying an applicant of problems while applying for the grant initiative;
• receiving a grant initiative application;
• dynamically selecting a reviewer that is best qualified to review the grant initiative application according to the grant initiative;
• notifying the reviewer of the grant initiative assigned for review;
• evaluating the grant initiative application using customizable decision rule data structures and generating a score;
• and
• interfacing with a financial management system to dynamically manage grant initiative transactions and financial transactions associated with a life-cycle of the grant initiative by automatically triggering events.

A method, comprising:

• receiving an application for a grant initiative;
• dynamically selecting a reviewer that is best qualified to review the application according to the grant initiative, with the selected reviewer evaluating the grant initiative application and generating a score;
• dynamically evaluating the grant initiative application by a grants management system using customizable decision rule data structures and generating a score;
• and
• combining the scores to create a composite score used to determine the application to award the grant initiative.

A method performed by a grants management system, comprising:

• receiving a grant initiative from a granting agency via a web-based portal;
• receiving a grant initiative application from an applicant via the web-based portal;
• dynamically selecting a reviewer that is best qualified to review the application according to the grant initiative from the granting agency and to generate a score;
• dynamically evaluating the grant initiative application using customizable decision rule data structures and generating a score;
• combining the scores from the reviewer and the grants management system to create a composite score to determine an application to award the grant initiative;
• managing financial information of the grant initiative by a grants management system by automatically triggering events comprising a requests of grants financial activities process, an information transfer process, and a financial close out process;
• and
• interfacing with a financial management system to dynamically manage grant initiative transactions and financial transactions associated with a life-cycle of the grant initiative, with the life-cycle comprising pre-application, grant publication, application intake, application review or assessment, grant award, grant administration, and grant closeout.

A method to close a grant initiative agreement in a multi-channel grants management system, comprising:

• accepting final grant financial reports via a web-portal;
• reviewing the financial reports;
• informing a grantee of errors;
• marking grant agreement as closed by a financial management system and a grants management system;
• dynamically determining whether drawdowns exceed accruals and instructing, when it is determined that the drawdowns exceed accruals, to accrue all the drawdowns in the financial management system;
• dynamically determining whether obligations exceed the drawdowns and instructing, when it is determined that the obligations exceed the drawdowns, to reduce obligations to equal the drawdowns;
• dynamically determining whether commitments exceed the obligations and instructing, when it is determined that the commitments exceed the obligations, to reduce the commitments to equal the obligations;
• and
• closing the grant initiative agreement.

A computer readable storage medium controlling a computer and comprising a process performed by a grants management system of receiving a grant initiative from a granting agency via a web-based portal;

• automatically retrieving and notifying a potential and/or past applicant of availability of the grant initiative;
• receiving a grant initiative application from an applicant via the web-based portal;
• dynamically evaluating the grant initiative application using customizable decision rule data structures and generating a score;
• and interfacing with a financial management system to dynamically manage grant initiative transactions and financial transactions associated with a life-cycle of the grant initiative by automatically triggering events.

A computer readable storage medium controlling a computer and comprising a process of applying for a grant initiative over a web-based portal;

• dynamically notifying an applicant of problems while applying for the grant initiative;
• receiving a grant initiative application;
• dynamically selecting a reviewer that is best qualified to review the grant initiative application according to the grant initiative;
• notifying the reviewer of the grant initiative assigned for review;
• evaluating the grant initiative application using customizable decision rule data structures and generating a score;
• and interfacing with a financial management system to dynamically manage grant initiative transactions and financial transactions associated with a life-cycle of the grant initiative by automatically triggering events.

A computer readable storage medium controlling a computer and comprising a process performed by a grants management system of receiving a grant initiative from a granting agency via a web-based portal;

• receiving a grant initiative application from an applicant via the web-based portal;
• dynamically selecting a reviewer that is best qualified to review the application according to the grant initiative from the granting agency and to generate a score;
• dynamically evaluating the grant initiative application using customizable decision rule data structures and generating a score;
• combining the scores from the reviewer and the grants management system to create a composite score to determine an application to award the grant initiative;
• managing financial information of the grant initiative by a grants management system by automatically triggering events comprising a requests of grants financial activities process, an information transfer process, and a financial close out process;
• and interfacing with a financial management system to dynamically manage grant initiative transactions and financial transactions associated with a life-cycle of the grant initiative, with the life-cycle comprising pre-application, grant publication, application intake, application review or assessment, grant award, grant administration, and grant closeout.

A computer readable storage medium controlling a computer to close a grant initiative agreement in a multi-channel grants management system and comprising a process of accepting final grant financial reports via a web-portal;

• reviewing the financial reports;
• informing a grantee of errors;
• marking grant agreement as closed by a financial management system and a grants management system;
• dynamically determining whether drawdowns exceed accruals and instructing, when it is determined that the drawdowns exceed accruals, to accrue all the drawdowns in the financial management system;
• dynamically determining whether obligations exceed the drawdowns and instructing, when it is determined that the obligations exceed the drawdowns, to reduce obligations to equal the drawdowns;
• dynamically determining whether commitments exceed the obligations and instructing, when it is determined that the commitments exceed the obligations, to reduce the commitments to equal the obligations;
• and closing the grant initiative agreement.