Building an Enterprise-Ready Grant System from Day One

Client: Project Potluck

Project Potluck was preparing to launch their first-ever grant program. The opportunity was clear—but so was the challenge.

They needed to review over 300 applications with a small team, ensure fair and consistent decision-making, and create a process that could scale year after year. There was no legacy system to fix. This was a blank slate.

Which meant we had one goal: build it right the first time.

The Challenge: Scale, Fairness, and Structure

Launching a grant program isn’t just about collecting applications—it’s about managing decisions with clarity and consistency.

Project Potluck needed to:

• Collect applications from both existing and new community members
• Handle high application volume without overwhelming their team
• Ensure a fair and structured review process
• Support multi-round decisioning
• Keep all data organized and reportable from day one

They weren’t just launching a program. They were building a system that had to hold up under real volume.

The Solution: A Connected Application and Review System

We designed a system that combines application intake, automation, and structured evaluation into one cohesive experience—built on Salesforce and Experience Cloud.

Two entry points. One connected system.

Applicants can apply through:

• Personalized links via ActiveCampaign for existing community members
• A public-facing Experience Cloud site for new applicants

Behind the scenes, the system intelligently:

• Creates and links all applicant data in Salesforce
• Prevents duplicate submissions
• Enforces application deadlines
• Automatically routes applicants into the correct program and cohort
• Sends real-time confirmations and follow-ups

Every application becomes a structured, trackable record from the moment it’s submitted.

Structured Decisioning with Scorecards

With over 300 applications expected, review couldn’t rely on opinions or scattered notes.

We built a two-round evaluation system powered by scorecards.

• Round One: Initial screening using standardized criteria to quickly assess eligibility and alignment
• Round Two: Deeper evaluation with weighted scoring to support final decisions

Each reviewer works from the same framework, ensuring:

• Consistency across evaluations
• Clear visibility into how decisions are made
• The ability to compare applicants objectively

All scores and decisions are captured directly in Salesforce, creating a complete audit trail from submission to final selection.

The System Behind the Scenes

This isn’t just a form—it’s a fully connected system.

• Questionnaire records are generated with PDF copies for every submission
• Program Enrollments and Cohorts are automatically created and linked
• Naming conventions are standardized to support long-term automation
• Deadline logic controls access without manual intervention

The system is designed to run the process—not rely on people to hold it together.

The Impact

Project Potluck launched their first grant program with the infrastructure of an enterprise organization.

They can now:

• Review hundreds of applications without losing control of the process
• Make fair, structured decisions backed by data
• Eliminate manual tracking and administrative overhead
• Maintain clean, reportable data from day one
• Scale future cohorts without rebuilding the system

What could have been overwhelming became manageable—and repeatable.

What This Really Represents

This build wasn’t about adding complexity. It was about creating clarity.

It’s proof that small, mission-driven teams don’t need large operations to run sophisticated programs. With the right system in place, they can operate with the same level of structure, visibility, and confidence as enterprise organizations.

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