Introduction to GrantSolutions for Grantees - YouTube

Welcome to the training session Introduction to GrantSolutions for Grantees.

This session is the first in a series designed to assist and educate the growing Grantee

Community associated with Grant Solutions.

During this tutorial, students may pause, advance, or rewind the training session any

time.

The topics covered during this training are:

A general overview of GrantSolutions Instructions for obtaining and managing a

user account and, Screen Navigation

Let’s begin with an overview of GrantSolutions.

GrantSolutions is a comprehensive interactive grants management system which includes multiple

modules.

As the graphic illustrates, the Grantee Module is a key component within the design of this

business processing system.

The Grantee module allows grantee involvement in key stages of the grant process, including

application submission, revision request, and official correspondence tracking.

When a new applicant or grantee visits GrantSolutions at www.grantsolutions.gov,they are directed

to the Home Page which contains a wealth of information on the Grants Center of Excellence

or COE.

The COE is a consortium of Federal Partner Agencies.

A valuable link for new users is the Getting Started Page.

This page provides detailed instructions for obtaining a new user account in GrantSolutions.

Whether you are a new user, or are requesting changes to an existing account, the Grantee

User Account Form must be completed and submitted.

To obtain this form, scroll to the bottom of the Home screen and select the “Getting

Started” link.

The Getting Started screen displays.

Scroll to the bottom of the page, and under the Grantee User heading, click the link “Grantee

User Account Request Form”.

Upon downloading the Grantee Request Form, the user must fill in the information, and

ensure all signatures are made.

Account requests must be made by the prospective user's authorized organization official.

If you are not sure what roles to request, please contact the Program or Grants Office.

The GrantSolutions Help Desk cannot create and assign accounts without the submitted

Request Form.

Once the form has been completed and signed, it can be scanned and emailed to [email protected]

or sent to your appropriate authorization official.

Once your account is created, you will receive two automated confirmation emails from GrantSolutions.

These emails provide a link to the GrantSolutions log in page.

The first email announces your new GrantSolutions user account and contains your username.

The second email contains the temporary password.

The first time you log into GrantSolutions, you are prompted to change your password for

security purposes.

After changing your password, you are returned to the login screen to re-enter your username

and password.

The GrantSolutions login page contains useful information in the center of the screen, including

scheduled down times, new upgrades and other important information.

This screen further identifies Internet browsers that work best with GrantSolutions.

Once a new user has an ID and password, they can login to the system.

It is highly recommended to add Grantsolutions.gov to the Browser Favorites, and store account

information in a secure location.

If an incorrect user name and password combination is entered, the system generates a Login error.

Upon three unsuccessful attempts, the account is locked for 2 hours.

If the user needs to access their locked account, they may either call the helpdesk for assistance,

or reset their own password thus unlocking the account.

To reset your own password, click the Reset Password/Unlock Account link.

The Retrieve Your Password screen displays.

Enter your username and e-mail address and click the Get Password button.

A confirmation screen displays.

Close the confirmation screen and check your email for the new temporary password.

If you forget your username, you will need to contact the GrantSolutions helpdesk for

assistance.

After logging into the system, the next step is to explore GrantSolutions navigation.

When a user first logs into GrantSolutions, the My Grants List displays.

My Grants List is a central repository of the grantees awarded grants.

Grant information can be viewed, and post award actions can be taken from this screen.

By default, My Grants List displays all current or active Grants.

As illustrated by the menu bar at the top of the page, the grantee screen consists of

six major menu links.

These links are account management, funding opportunity, applications, grants, reports

and help support.

This training session provides a brief introduction to each of these menus and respective sub

menus.

Future training sessions will introduce the user to more detailed grant tasks relevant

to these links.

The first menu option is the Account Management Link, which includes Update Profile, Change

Password, Notification preferences and CCR validation.

Upon selecting Update profile, the user is directed to Account Profile screen.

The Update Profile page contains the user’s contact information.

If the user’s contact information changes, they need only update this page.

The e-mail address is especially important since notifications in Grant Solutions are

sent via e-mail.

Select Change Password submenu.

The Change Password screen displays.

A user may change their password directly from this screen.

Please note, that when changing a password, it must comply with the password policy.

From the password screen click the Notification Preferences Link.

The Notification Preferences page allows a user to determine the types of notifications

they receive.

Users can turn on or off email messaging for the different categories.

It is recommended that the user enable most notification preferences in the beginning.

Once they are more accustomed to Grant Solutions, they can turn off desired notifications.

From the Account Management menu, click CCR Validation.

The CCR Validation screen displays.

In most instances a new grant application and/or post award amendment will require a

current validated registration with the Central Contractor Registry or CCR.

This screen allows the user to determine if their organization is current with the CCR

Database.

Before a grant can be awarded, an organization must also have a Dun & Bradstreet (or DUNS)

number.

It is advised you do this before registering or applying for a grant through GrantSolutions

as it will avoid issues or delays.

The next main menu link is Funding Opportunity.

This link directs the user to all public opportunities or announcements which are posted in GrantSolutions.

Click Funding Opportunity.

The Competing Announcements – Application Kits screen displays.

By selecting any Announcement Title, the user is directed to the formal announcement page.

In this example, the Announcement title Sudan Assistance Program 2012 is selected.

Upon opening the announcement page, the user can review all instructions.

Should the grantee have an existing account and have authorization, they can apply directly

through GrantSolutions.gov.

After returning to the Competing Announcements – Application Kits screen, the user may

apply for a funding opportunity by selecting the Apply link.

The GrantSolutions Application Control Checklist displays.

The Application Control List is one of the most important management pages for the Grantee

or Applicant.

One can view the Checklist as their main file cabinet for new applications.

There is a similar screen for amendments.

As this is an important screen, future training sessions will focus on the application kit

as well as the application process.

The next main menu link is Applications.

By selecting this link the Grantee is directed to a list of all their existing applications.

The My Applications List summarizes all active applications based status and type.

GrantSolutions allows the user easy access to open, edit and review applications which

have been created from the funding opportunities page.

As this page is an integral component of the application process, it will be more fully

reviewed in the pre award training.

From the My Applications List screen, the user can access the Grants link from the main

menu.

The Grants link provides two sub menus including the My Grants List and Pending Grants.

The next main menu link is Reports.

Sub menus include Federal Financial Report, Financial Status Report, and FPAR.

These report categories and contents will vary depending on Program Policy and requirements.

In this example, the Financial Status Report, or FSR List screen, provides a status summary

on all required forms.

Depending on Program implementation, this can be a valuable resource tool for managing

report requirements for the specific Grantee.

The final main menu option is the Help/Support Link.

This link provides access to a wealth of support information including training resources and

help desk support.

In addition to user guides and training demonstrations, the Help Page includes important information

on the updated releases and versions of GrantSolutions.

This concludes an Introduction to GrantSolutions for Grantees.

New and existing Grantees are encouraged review all the training sessions in the Grantee Series

to further aid them in relevant tasks.