Best Of

Hi @DeborahClark - I will echo the use of the Eligibility Quiz, which you can structure to help narrow the results on what processes the students will match to. You will of course need to put the appropriate Eligibility Rules in each of your processes so the quiz functions the best way possible for you. We were previously set up that way, with use of the Eligibility Quiz and 34 possible opportunities. Having the Quiz be the only item visible to the applicant first requires them to complete it in order to return matches. They are then able to then apply for the items they match to. Another way to work through it is to have some of the initial questions in the application help determine whether or not the person is actually eligible and utilize branching questions to open the remainder of the application questions to them (or not) based on the responses. That can also help limit ineligible applicants. (We actually made the shift to the Universal Application just last year with this year being the first time it was live in our portal - I also have some scholarships that have specific criteria, but the way we were able to setup the opportunities and structure the application, we made the transition successfully. Even there, I am going to do a little more with branching questions, and you're also able to set certain items specific to an opportunity, so it only comes available if the student matches to the opportunity.) Your success consultant can be very helpful to you (as well as the support team) - they're more than happy to get things placed in your Sandbox where you can test it out first before moving to your live site. I'm sure you'll be able to find a route that will work best for your process.

Hi Katie,

At the Hamilton Family Charitable Trust we use the Letter of Intent to identify which projects we want to invite for application. To answer your questions:

• Have any foundations moved away from an open LOI process and shifted to working primarily with returning applicants?
  • We have not shifted to working primarily returning applicants. For our 2026 to counteract the disruptions from funding shifts we have decided to continue funding our existing relationships with an additional payment. We continue to use the LOI to decide the best projects to invite to apply.
• Has anyone limited LOI submissions in a way that helps ensure organizations are a better fit before applying?
  • This is exactly how we use the Letter of Intent form. We also provide feedback on the submission and use the Letter of Intent to strengthen the information prior to submission. It also allows for increased clarity on the design of the request.
• How do you communicate funding priorities and eligibility in a way that reduces misaligned applications without discouraging strong ones?
  • We use the eligibility quiz to reinforce our requirements and to prevent ineligible organizations from submitting our LOI.