Grantium – who came up with that name?
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It’s been just over a month since we launched Grantium, so it seems a good time to take stock, reflect, and share what we’ve learned and what we’ve been hearing from you. I’m happy to see so many of you using Grantium. To date, we have had over 3,000 applicants register and almost 800 applications submitted to Grants for the Arts (currently the only fund on the new system).
It was fantastic to see two members of the sector write about their experiences with using Grantium so quickly – thank you to Jake Orr and Kate Scanlan for their posts.
Along with the positive feedback, we’ve also come across some common questions from users this last month – so I wanted to take this opportunity to share what we’ve learned and provide some top tips in response to those common queries.
How do I get started?
Before you can apply to Grants for the Arts, you need to set yourself up on Grantium. You need to create a user account, an applicant profile (which we need to validate), and then complete the online eligibility questionnaire.
We have produced a range of guidance to help you through the process. But if you want to get started as quickly as possible, please watch this short ‘getting started’ video. It will help you set yourself or your organisation up on the system.
Why does it take up to five working days to validate my profile?
Validation allows us to make sure that there is only one applicant profile per applicant on the system, and to check some basic contact and organisational information where relevant. It can take up to five working days to do this, so it’s important you factor in this time when you plan to make an application. But this only needs to happen once, so you can make multiple applications once you are validated.
Sometimes we may not be able to validate your profile within our standard processing time of five working days. For example, if you submit a profile for an individual or organisation that is already registered on our system, or if any of the information we need is missing or unclear, there will be a delay whilst we take the time to resolve this.
We are updating our guidance materials about getting registered to help with all of the common problems applicants are coming up against at the moment.
Since we launched Grantium we’ve had a three-fold increase in registrations. We are clearing the backlog as quickly as possible, and we apologies for those of you who have experienced a delay.
Why do you not like the name of my bank account?
Within the applicant profile, we ask you what name your bank account is registered in – this is to ensure it matches the name of the applicant (this is part of our fraud checks). You should put the name as shown on your bank card or chequebook (for example, ‘John P Smith’ or ‘North-South Theatre Company Ltd’) – we are not looking for the name of the bank or building society.
I’ve forgotten my username and password – should I create another user?
Please make sure you make a note of your username and password when you are creating your account. You can use the password reminder tool but please do not create more than one user account. Please contact us if you don’t have this information.
Why are you asking for an organisation’s governing documents?
As part of our remit of dispensing public money, we need to ensure every organisation has appropriate governing documents. Our information sheet ‘Governing documents and Grants for the Arts’ explains what you need to provide. If, during the validation process, we note an inconsistency with the document, we will validate your profile (allowing you to begin an application) but email you asking you to update the document before submitting your application.
Why isn’t Grantium working well on my computer?
Grantium is designed to run on any computer and any internet browser. Some people have encountered issues which mean links don’t work or they can’t log on. If you make sure you are using the most up-to-date version of your browser, Grantium will work. This doesn’t mean you need the latest equipment, just make sure the browser is up to date and you have cleared the cache. If you want to check if your browser is the most up-to-date version, please visit www.whatismybrowser.com.
Why is there a character count, not a word count?
We have moved from word count on our old system to using character count on Grantium. Word processing packages such as Word use the same character count as Grantium (and yes, it does count spaces as a character).
Grantium? Who came up with that name?
I love how much interest there has been in the name and who came up with it. Was there a competition? Did we have a special commissioning process? What were the rejected names? Alas, I am afraid it is nothing so exciting. We procured the system from a Canadian company, CSDC, and the product’s name is Grantium. So it is neither the name of an element, a Harry Potter-type spell or a new planet – but grant-making software.
What’s next?
We are monitoring the external user experience and will ensure we make changes to support our applicants. We do take all your feedback seriously. We have created a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page and we’ll continue to update it with tips to help you use the system.
We will be making our first decision using Grantium in mid-March. I’ll be back later this month to update you on how our first electronic decisions will be sent out (no more waiting for the postman), and if your application is successful, the process for accepting a grant and how to claim your first payment.
More information
Find out more about Grants for the Arts
Find out more about our new grant management system Grantium
If after visiting the above pages, you query is unanswered, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help you
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