Grants Portal FAQ

Our online grants are managed using the Foundant platform. We highly recommend reviewing the frequently asked questions, registration instructions, and other helpful information on this page before you begin working in the system.

(Already have a grant? Be sure to review the Grants Management Instructions.)

Helpful Hint: Check your spam! When you begin using our grants portal, please check your “Spam” or “Junk” folders and filters to be sure you can receive email from this address:

administrator@grantinterface.com

This is the address from which you’ll receive most communications about your online grants management. When you apply for a grant through this system, you should receive a confirmation email from that address. If you don’t see it in your inbox, please check your spam and/or contact your network administrator (particularly applicable for schools and school districts).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Your Account

• How do I create an account?

  From the logon page, just click “Create New Account” and complete the fields provided. Once you have registered, be sure to keep your logon information in a secure place for your records.

  Helpful Hint: Do not use your browser’s “back” button during the registration process. Use the “Next” and “Previous” buttons to navigate through the registration steps.

  Important Notes for Organizations

  • In the first registration section, labeled Applicant Information, provide your organization’s information (name, address, phone, etc.), not your personal information.
  • In the next registration section, labeled User Information, provide your work contact information (business address, email, etc.), not your home or personal information.

  Important Notes for Artists

  • In the first registration section, labeled Applicant Information, please do not enter your Social Security number; leave the “EIN/Tax ID” field empty.
  • The second registration section, labeled User Information, will require some of the same information as you entered on the Applicant Information section.
  • In the third registration section, for the Authorized Official question, answer “Yes,” then skip the “Additional Authorized Official Information” questions.

  Your Username is Your Email Address

  Your email address becomes your username, so each user account must have a unique email address. If you need to use the same email address to manage grants for more than one organization, we suggest:

  1. Set up an email account for each of the organizations on whose behalf you’ll be applying. This may be an account within the organization’s own email system, or an account with one of the many free email providers (such as Gmail).
  2. If you’d rather not have to check multiple email accounts to get communications from us (email is our primary method of correspondence), set up the new account(s) to automatically forward incoming messages to your main email address.
  3. Create an online grants management account for each organization, using the email address(es) you’ve set up for that purpose.

  Registration Tutorials

  For a walk-through of the process, please download the Registration Tutorial (PDF).

  • How to Use PDFs
  • Website Accessibility

  Note: Some grantees will be pre-registered in the system and will not need to create an account. Those grantees will be contacted with logon information. If we have provided you with logon information, please DO NOT create a new account, as it will not give you access to your existing grant information.

• What if someone else in my organization already has an account?

  Please DO NOT create a new account for yourself. Contact the Grants Office (grants@arts.sc.gov | 803.734.8695) so we can add you as a contact on the organization’s existing account.

• Why isn't my password working?

  Helpful Hints

  • Try again; you may have just mis-typed your password, or there may have been a momentary glitch with your internet connection or the system.
  • Passwords are case-sensitive, so be sure you’re using the correct upper- and lowercase characters.
  • Be sure you’re using the email address with which you are registered for the applicant organization in the Foundant system.
  • Try the “Forgot your Password?” link on the Logon page, to send a password reset link to your email address.

  And of course, you can always contact the Arts Commission for assistance! But most password issues can be quickly resolved by one of the methods above.

• What if I forgot my password?

  Use the “Forgot your Password?” link on the Logon page, to send a password reset link to your email address. If you no longer have access to the email address you once used in the Foundant system, please contact the Grants Office (grants@arts.sc.gov | 803.734.8695).

• How do I change my password?

  There are two ways to change your password:

  • Click the “house” icon in the top left of the screen to go to your Applicant Dashboard. Then click the “pencil” icon to the right of the “Applicant” information at the top of your profile.
  • Click your name at the top right of the screen and choose “Edit My Profile” from the dropdown menu.

  Once you are on the Applicant Profile screen, scroll down and click the “Change Your Password” button, change your password in the pop-up window, and click “Save Password.” For a walk-through of the process, please download the Changing Your Password Tutorial (PDF).

  • How to Use PDFs
  • Website Accessibility

• How do I update my contact information?

  There are two ways to change your user information:

  1. Click the “house” icon in the top left of the screen to go to your Applicant Dashboard. Then click the “pencil” icon to the right of the “Applicant” information at the top of your profile.
     OR
  2. Click your name at the top right of the screen and choose “Edit My Profile” from the dropdown menu.

  Once you are on the Applicant Profile screen, update your user information and click “Save.”

• What if my email address changes?

  The system uses your email address as your user name. So, if your email address changes:

  1. Log on using your old email address (the one associated with your Foundant account)
  2. Either:
     • Click the “house” icon in the top left of the screen to go to your Applicant Dashboard. Then click the “pencil” icon to the right of the “Applicant” information at the top of your profile.
       OR
     • Click your name at the top right of the screen and choose “Edit My Profile” from the dropdown menu.
  3. Enter your new email address in the “Email/Username” field, then click “save.”
  4. The next time you log on, use your new email address as your user name.

• How do I add a new contact for my organization?

  If you need anyone added to your organization’s profile, please contact the SCAC Grants Team at grants@arts.sc.gov with the following information:

  1. Your Name & Organization
  2. New Contact’s Information
     • First & Last Name
     • Business Title
     • Best Email (This will be their user name for their grants portal account.)
     • Best phone number(s)
     • Address (if different from the organization’s address)

  Please note: You are not able to add new contacts to your organization yourself; it must be done by the Grants Team.

• How do I update my organization's contact information?

  There are three ways to change your organization’s information:

  1. Click the “Organization History” link at the top of the screen. Once you’re on the Organization Summary page, click the “Organization Info” tab, then click the “Edit” button in the lower right.
     OR
  2. Click your name at the top right of the screen and choose “Edit Organization” from the dropdown menu.
     OR
  3. Click the “house” icon in the top left of the screen to go to your Applicant Dashboard. Then click the “pencil” icon to the right of the “Organization” information at the top of your profile.

Managing Your Grants

• Can I look at the application before I start?

  Not quite ready to apply? For many grant categories, you can preview the application before you log in or create an account.

  1. Visit the “Apply” page (it will open in a new browser tab or window) to see all of our currently-available applications.
  2. Scroll through the page to see what’s available. To the right of each grant category, there’s a note about when applications will be accepted.
     • You can use the “Quick Search” box at the top to find a specific grant category.
     • If you’ve been given an Access Code for a specific grant, you won’t see it in the list. Type your Access Code in the box in the upper right corner of the screen and click the “Enter Code” button. The screen will refresh and your grant category should appear.
  3. When you’ve found the grant in which you’re interested, click the “Preview” button.
     • While you’re previewing the application, you can also click the “Question List” button in the upper right to generate a blank application in PDF format.
     • Some grant applications include different content for different types of applicants. This content will only be available for Preview if
       • you are logged in to your grants portal account, or
       • you click the “Question List” button in the upper right to generate a blank application in PDF format (be aware, however, that the PDF will contain content for ALL types of applicants).

  If you have difficulty previewing an application, please contact the Grants Team (grants@arts.sc.gov | 803.734.8695).

• How do I apply for a grant?

  After logging into the Grants Portal, click the “Apply” link at the top of the screen, to see currently-available grant opportunities. Note: If you have been provided an Access Code for a specific grant application, you will need to enter it in the field at the top right of the screen, to see that grant category’s application information. You will need to enter the Access Code every time you need to find that grant opportunity, until you have started your application (after which, your application in progress will appear on your “Applicant Dashboard” page).

  Helpful Hint: To ensure the correct person is listed as the primary contact for your application, that person should be the one to log on and click the “Apply” button to start the application. The primary contact person for this grant should be the person who will:

  1. edit and submit the grant application;
  2. manage this grant’s activities, and
  3. receive and respond to communications from the Arts Commission about this grant.

  Other users in the organization can view the application, but only the user whose name appears at the top of the application will be able to edit and submit. If you need your application reassigned to a different user within your organization, please contact the Grants Office (grants@arts.sc.gov | 803.734.8695) to request this change. (You may continue working in the meantime.)

• Why don't I see my grant category in the list of available grants?

  Some grant applications are restricted (for example, grantees on a three-year cycle don’t need to apply every year, so only those who are eligible in a particular year are given access, to avoid accidental applications). Restricted categories will not appear in the public list. If you are eligible to apply, you should have received an Access Code with notification that the application is available. Type your Access Code in the box in the upper right corner of the screen and click the “Enter Code” button, and your grant category should appear. If you think you are eligible to apply, but you have not received an Access Code, please contact the Grants Office (grants@arts.sc.gov | 803.734.8695).

• How do I continue an application I've already started?

  • If you have already begun the application process, you will find your draft application on your Applicant Dashboard (the first page after you log on, or click the “Home” icon at the top left of the screen).
  • Find your in-progress application, and click the “Edit Application” link to the right.
  • DO NOT click “Apply;” that will start a new application, instead of taking you to your application in progress.

• What if more than one person needs to work on my application?

  The person who starts the application is the primary contact for that application, and the only user who can edit or submit. However, that user may allow others to work on their application by:

  • Downloading and sharing any of the spreadsheets within the application (for example, you may want your treasurer to complete the budget spreadsheet).
  • Sharing the questions (and character limits) for which you want others to draft the answers (which you can then copy and paste into the application online).
  • Allowing another person to log on to the system with the primary contact’s log on information. Please note that we do not recommend sharing your log on information with any more people than necessary, and only share your log on credentials with trusted individuals.

• How do I see my grant history?

  Click the “Historical Requests” tab on your Dashboard (reached by clicking the “Home” icon at the top left of the screen).

• Where's my contract, payment request, etc.?

  Our online grants management system allows us to handle most documents electronically, including your contract, payment requests, and final report, all of which are called “Follow Ups” in the system. Most full-year contract packets will be issued electronically, starting in late summer. This electronic contract packet replaces the paper documents and folder we have traditionally sent via postal mail.

  • Be sure to review the Grants Management Instructions.
  • Video: Contract Packets & Contract Packets for Organizations using Fiscal Receivers (8/6/20)
  • Note: You will receive an email from administrator@grantinterface.com letting you know that your contract packet is ready to be accessed in the online system. Please check your spam filters to be sure you can receive email from that address.

• How do I make sure I'm listed as the contact person on my application?

  The account holder who is logged on and begins the application will become the Contact Person for that grant application. When you begin your application, please review the “Applicant” information shown at the top of the page. The name and contact information should be that of the Contact Person for this grant’s activities. If a different person’s information is shown, we will need to reassign the application to the correct Contact Person’s account. Please contact the Grants Office (grants@arts.sc.gov | 803.734.8695) to request this change. (You may continue working in the meantime.)

System Features

• Which browser should I use?

  The system works best with the Chrome and Firefox browsers. The Microsoft Edge browser is not recommended; it will not autosave and will not save data that is copied-and-pasted into fields.

• How often do I need to click the "Save" button?

  The system will automatically save your work:

  • When you exit a field
  • Every 100 characters
  • When you click the “Save” button at the bottom of the screen. (It’s not necessary, but it never hurts!)

  Exception: The autosave does not work in the Microsoft Edge browser. If using Edge, you must manually save your work by clicking the “Save” button often.

• What happens if the system "times out?"

  The system will give a warning message after a period of inactivity, letting you know it is about to log you out for security purposes. You can click to continue. If the system does log you out, it will save your work first.

• How do I print or save my documents (applications, final reports, etc.)?

  • Click the “Question List” button near the top right of the screen for a “blank” application or final report (so you can see what is required, and gather the information offline if you like).
  • Click the “Packet” button (e.g., “Application Packet,” “Follow Up Packet”) near the top right of the screen for a copy of your completed (or in progress) application or final report.

  Both of these options will generate a PDF file of the document, which you may then print and/or save to your computer. (How to Use PDFs)

• What is "Fax to File?"

  Fax to File is a tool that allows you to convert documents from hard copy to PDF format, by faxing the hard copy documents to the system. You can then upload those PDFs to the system as part of your application, final report, etc. Unless you don’t have a way to scan hard copies of documents, you probably won’t need Fax to File.

• What does the "Public Profile" button do?

  On the Applicant Dashboard, you can click the “Public Profile” button to access your GuideStar, 990, or other public information.

• What does this term mean?

  This system uses specific terminology that may be different from our usual language.

  • A “Request” is an application, which (if funded) becomes a grant. A Request record contains all pieces of that grant’s cycle (application, payments, reports, etc.).
  • A “Process” is the grant cycle for that year and category (e.g., “FY20 General Operating Support”).
  • “Follow Up Forms” are all of the items which come after grant funding is decided, including contracts, payment requests, and final reports.

  Status

  • “Draft” = The item has been started, but not yet submitted.
  • “Submitted” = The item has been submitted, but not yet reviewed by SCAC staff.
  • “Undecided” = No decision has been made yet about funding for the Request.
  • “Approved” = The Request was funded.
  • “Denied” = The Request was not funded. It will appear in the “Historical Requests” on the Applicant Dashboard.
  • “Complete” = The item has been submitted, reviewed by SCAC staff, and approved; no further action is needed.
  • “Closed” = The Request record is complete, the grant period has ended, and the record has been closed. It will appear in the “Historical Requests” on the Applicant Dashboard.

• What if the system freezes when I try to submit?

  During times of high traffic (e.g., deadline days), the system may take a little extra time to process your submission. You may see a message that asks if you want to wait, or if you’d rather stop or “kill” the process. We recommend clicking “wait” to allow the system to finish processing your submission. (The message may come up more than once; just keep clicking “wait.”) The system is checking your submission to be sure you haven’t missed any required questions, and/or if you’ve gone beyond the character allotment in any fields. If so, it should eventually provide you with a message to that effect, so that you can answer the missed question or retype your answer with fewer characters.

Questions?

For additional information, please contact the Grants Team (grants@arts.sc.gov | 803.734.8695).