Part III (A): Submission via Online Form

Below are step-by-step instructions for submitting, updating, and maintaining grant information on the Grants Portal using an online form. Note that there is no approval workflow built into the Grants Portal. Grantmaking agencies should establish their own approval process for information posted on the site.

Online Form: Creating or Editing a Grant Opportunity Using the Online Form

Add A Grant Opportunity Using an Online Form (Forecasted and Active)
Follow the steps below to enter a grant opportunity into the Grants Portal using an online form. You may edit current opportunities by following the next sets of instructions.

Navigation in the Online Form

You can only navigate (jump around) the online form when you are editing a published grant that is not the following:

Edit Information about a Specific Grant Opportunity through the Online Form
Follow the steps below to update active or forecasted opportunities. Note that you cannot edit closed opportunities. If you must change information in a closed opportunity, contact the Grants Portal team at CAGrantsPortal@library.ca.gov

Transition a Forecasted Grant to an Active Grant
If you’ve posted a forecasted grant that you’d like to make an active grant, follow the steps below.

Make a Copy of a Similar Grant
Follow these steps to make a copy of an active or closed grant in order to create a similar opportunity.

Delete a Grant Opportunity on your User Dashboard

Follow the steps below to delete an existing grant. Grants that have been active should never be deleted. The Grants Portal must have a record of all grants that have been posted on the Grants Portal. Only use the delete function to remove drafts you no longer need or grants that will not be published. If you accidentally deleted a grant opportunity, please contact the Grants Portal team as soon as possible at CAGrantsPortal@library.ca.gov.

Submitting and Updating Post Award Information

Data Submission Guidelines & Timeline 

Timeline for grants with an application deadline: Grantmakers may begin submitting post award information as soon as a grant closes. Complete post award data should be submitted within 6 months of a grant closing (application deadline). Grantmakers that need additional time to collect awardee information must submit post award data within 12 months of a grant closing.   

Timeline for ongoing grants: Post award information for ongoing grants is due at the end of each fiscal year (no later than July 1). Grantmakers do not need to submit post award data for ongoing grants that have been open for less than one month (i.e., data is not required by July 1, 2023 for a grant that opens on June 15, 2023. Post award data for this grant would be due July 1, 2024.)  

Data Submission Options
There are two ways to enter post award data for your grant: online form and bulk upload. Enter information for a single awardee through the online form (you can submit multiple online forms for multiple awardees if needed) or enter information for multiple awardees at once using the bulk upload option (via the .csv template provided). Instructions for both options are included below. 

Updating Data
Data should reflect the application and/or agreement. All data elements are editable, so if any changes are made in the grant agreement, update accordingly. Project close-out data is not necessary unless changes were made to the agreement. 

Submit Post Award Data

Add Post Award Data via Online Form  

Note: Navigation in the Online Form
You can only navigate (jump around) the online form when you are editing a published award recipient.

Add Post Award Data via Bulk Upload

Grantmakers should download and complete the .csv template in advance of working through the steps below. The .csv template is also available for download on your user dashboard. Form field guidance is available in the data dictionary and is also included as annotations in the column heading for each element in the .csv template. The Grants Portal will automatically validate data upon submission.  

Note that the Grants Portal does not have an approval workflow. Your agency should determine an approval process internally prior to uploading the .csv template.  

Edit Post Award Data  

Note that post award data previously entered on the online form can only be edited via online form. Post award data entered via bulk upload can be edited via online form or by deleting all previous entries and reuploading updated bulk award information with all recipients. For your convenience, it is recommended that you use the online form to edit post award data originally submitted via bulk upload. If you choose to delete existing data uploaded via bulk upload, ensure you’ve saved your data.

Via Online Form

Via Bulk Upload  

Cancel Recipients

If the recipient cancels the project and/or denies award after the agreement letters are shared, please use the following instructions to make changes on your post award dashboard.

Last Updated: 11/12/2024