What Is the Plan? Grants.gov In 2018

After looking back on 2017, we now look forward to 2018. As the Grants.gov program, we are designing forward with the guiding principles of simplify, support, and strategize. What does that mean for this next year?

#1 Increased Commitment to Learning from Grants Community

Grants.gov is committed to improving its service to you, the federal grants community, by transforming itself into a more user-friendly system for years to come. We cannot do that without listening to you.

In follow-up to last year’s user survey, we will continue interviews of grantors and applicants to gather more of your feedback in 2018. If you would like to participate, email us at community@grants.gov.

#2 Two System Releases in 2018

Currently scheduled for April and October of next year, we have two releases planned and more decisions to make on how to integrate your feedback to improve Grants.gov.

Customizable applicant roles are coming with Release 16.2 in April. What does this mean? There will still be standard applicant roles in Grants.gov, but after the release an applicant organization will be able to customize new roles and set specific privileges to better fit your organization’s grant application process. There are more updates in this release, so stay tuned to the blog for future Grants.gov Release Previews posts as the release date nears.

Discussion forum. As a next step in improving Grants.gov user support, you will be able to help one another and ask questions in a Grants.gov discussion forum.

#3 A Grants.gov Mobile App

Can’t say much yet, but be on the lookout for something in app stores later this year.