IGX Solutions: Your Alternative to Submittable

IGX Solutions: Your Alternative to Submittable

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When you’re looking for a new software platform, it’s always a good idea to weigh out your options before making your decision. The right solution will offer features and capabilities that streamline your workflows, enhance communication, simplify compliance management and so much more.

Ultimately, you need a solution that will save you and your stakeholders valuable time and money in creating, managing and completing grant cycles for years to come.

IntelliGrants® IGX and Submittable are two of the leading digital grant management alternatives used by thousands of organizations across the country. Here, we’ll compare and contrast both solutions so you can make the right decision for your organization.

What Is IntelliGrants IGX?

IntelliGrants IGX is a comprehensive grant management software platform from IGX that was developed to simplify and streamline the grant management process from end to end.

IGX Solutions: Your Alternative to Submittable

The core user base for IntelliGrants IGX consists primarily of the following groups:

  • Federal, state, local and tribal governments
  • Nonprofits of all sizes
  • Health care organizations
  • Research organizations
  • Criminal justice programs

That said, the platform is highly customizable, which enables virtually any grant-awarding organization to create workflows and forms for their unique requirements. Educational institutions, transportation companies and more can adapt IntelliGrants IGX as needed to create a smoother grant life cycle.

IGX Solutions also offers IntelliGrants IGXpress, a preconfigured alternative for smaller organizations with limited time and budgets.

What Are the Benefits of IntelliGrants IGX?

IntelliGrants IGX offers various benefits for government and nonprofit organizations, such as:

  • Flexibility and agility: IntelliGrants IGX provides unparalleled versatility, allowing users to adjust all aspects of the solution to meet evolving needs throughout the grant life cycle. Your organization can use this capability to make last-minute changes to grants, policies and more.
  • Simplified communication: All parties can communicate in real time with collaborative spaces, automated in-system notifications and customizable message templates.
  • Complete visibility: Comprehensive analytics and reporting capabilities provide valuable insights into previously obscure processes like grantee performance tracking and fund allocation.
  • Personalized setup: Users can configure the platform to their organization’s specific workflows and requirements, whether that involves adding branding elements or editing templates for specific applications.
  • Robust security: IntelliGrants IGX offers security protections at every level, and its certifications and awards prove it. The platform is built on Microsoft Azure GovCloud, which is a Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) High-certified cloud environment.
  • Detailed reporting: Empower your organization with rich, visually compelling reports that generate actionable insights. From real-time data summaries to intuitive dashboards, users can quickly access the information they need when they need it.

What Is Submittable?

The Submittable grant management platform is an end-to-end solution that helps organizations in the following sectors streamline grant and scholarship cycles:

  • Education
  • Government
  • Health care
  • Corporate philanthropy
  • Nonprofit

Like IntelliGrants IGX, Submittable offers a centralized platform with accessible design elements, workflow automation, ongoing support and more.

The biggest difference between the two is their complexity. While IntelliGrants IGX is a more complex solution than Submittable, it offers more room to customize and configure the platform as you see fit. Therefore, you can make large- and small-scale adjustments as needed to suit your organization’s processes.

What Are the Benefits of Submittable?

Submittable is another software solution within the grant management space. The most significant benefits of Submittable grants management processes include:

  • Quick implementation: Submittable boasts a fast implementation time of only days to weeks. 
  • Enhanced visibility: Submittable offers advanced analytics and reporting tools that generate easy-to-understand reports for all stakeholders, including grant managers.
  • Efficiency: Workflow automation capabilities enable Submittable users to eliminate the time-consuming manual tasks associated with application review. Employees can focus on more impactful tasks and leave the scoring to their software.
  • Convenience: Submittable’s all-in-one design enables users to send templated bulk messages to applicants, distribute funds and manage internal processes without ever leaving the platform.
  • Security: Multi-tiered user permissions and single sign-on (SSO) capabilities reduce risk by ensuring users have access to the appropriate resources for their roles.
  • Collaboration: Groups of applicants can work together in real time to finish collective applications on time and according to their requirements. Reviewers can also communicate directly with applicants on the form, which enables them to clarify application questions and instructions and limit errors.

While both are some of the top-performing solutions on review sites like G2, there are some key differences between these platforms that require potential customers to carefully consider their choice.

Using IntelliGrants IGX as an Alternative to Submittable

When choosing a grant management software program, you need to make sure it will work for your specific organization. From cybersecurity compliance to personalization, it’s essential to weigh out the pros and cons of each solution on your shortlist.

Below is a breakdown of IntelliGrants IGX vs. Submittable so you can determine which one is better for your grant management requirements.

1. Target User Base

Although the two are similar in their purpose, each program is built for users at different points in the application review process. That’s why each solution offers different levels of security and adaptability — so each user can set their platform in a way that enables greater efficiency and work quality.

Target User Base

IntelliGrants IGX primarily builds solutions for key stakeholders in the funding process, including:

  • Funders
  • Partners
  • Internal staff
  • Governing board

Submittable focuses primarily on improving the application experience for grantors and applicants. Its simple application interface enables reviewers and applicants to communicate directly on the application itself, which can help ensure everyone stays on the same page.

Overall, IntelliGrants IGX provides more extensive customization and reporting capabilities than a grantee-focused platform like Submittable.

2. Accessibility and Ease of Use

A grant management platform must be accessible and user-friendly so as to avoid accidentally excluding people based on their abilities and experience with technology.

The IntelliGrants IGX platform is in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires considerations such as:

  • Color contrast: Web pages must have sufficient contrast between text and background colors to enable people with color blindness and other visual disabilities to read and understand page content.
  • Text alternatives: Also known as “alt text,” text alternatives enable screen readers to convey visual information, such as pictures and infographics, to users with visual disabilities.
  • Keyboard navigation: ADA-compliant pages must enable users to navigate and complete tasks using only their keyboards to include those who cannot use a mouse or trackpad.
  • Additional cues: Because people with color blindness may have difficulty interpreting visual cues, such as using a yellow highlight to indicate required fields on an application, ADA-compliant pages must use additional cues that can effectively convey the same information.

The Submittable grant software platform also offers an easily navigable user interface, with accessibility features built in to ensure users of all abilities can access what they need.

3. Workflow Capabilities

Efficient, honest work is essential for keeping the grant management cycle moving according to schedule. Choosing a grant management solution that automates the most time-consuming aspects of application review workflows is key to achieving those efficiency goals.

IntelliGrants IGX offers AI-powered workflow automation features that relieve your employees of tedious manual tasks for greater efficiency. For example, a user could offload application review processes to the program to reduce the risk of bias and save valuable time.

Submittable provides similar workflow automation capabilities, with the capacity to support teams of various sizes. It can also automate application scoring and other time-consuming steps in the typical grant management workflow.

4. Data Analytics and Reporting

Advanced analytics and reporting capabilities are essential for gaining complete visibility into your organization’s impact and internal processes. Both platforms offer customizable dashboards and rich data visualizations that simplify reporting and make it easier to get all stakeholders on the same page.

IntelliGrants IGX ensures reporting and auditing compliance with critical regulatory standards for government agencies. In fact, our solutions enforce the stringent reporting requirements these agencies must adhere to. IntelliGrants IGX also collects and retains reporting data from your organization for as many years as necessary to provide granular accountability and traceability.

5. Compliance Management

Both platforms adhere to the following standards and regulations:

  • System and Organization Controls 2 (SOC 2)
  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

However, because Submittable primarily targets non-government organizations, it lacks some of the advanced compliance features that make IntelliGrants IGX ideal for highly regulated organizations.

For example, only IntelliGrants IGX is certified as compliant with the FedRAMP regulation. It also adheres to the National Institute of Standards and Technology 800-53 standard, both of which govern the security and privacy controls we use.

6. Security

Because grant applications often ask for personally identifiable information (PII) from potential grantees, ensuring your grant management program includes the most robust, up-to-date security protections available is critical for protecting that data.

IntelliGrants IGX is hosted on Microsoft Azure’s GovCloud infrastructure, which is a secure FedRAMP-High certified cloud environment. It also includes advanced security features such as:

  • SSO
  • Multifactor authentication
  • Web-based firewalls
  • Unique user identification and permission sets

Although the Submittable platform is also built on Microsoft Azure, its security protections are less extensive.

7. Reporting Functionality

Reporting Functionality

Detailed reports are a necessity for attaining visibility into:

  • Grantee performance
  • Funding usage
  • Compliance with key regulations
  • Budget accuracy
  • Stakeholder engagement

That’s why advanced reporting is a vital feature of grant management software. A solution that enables you to adjust your reports to your requirements is essential for gaining detailed, actionable insights into each grant cycle.

You can add branding elements to your IntelliGrants IGX platform and customize the parameters and frequency of your automated reports to ensure consistent tracking. Plus, intuitive dashboards with detailed data visualizations help make your findings more accessible for stakeholders who lack experience with similar software systems.

Submittable also provides custom reporting features that enable you to gain clear, actionable insights into program impact and fund usage. You can also include your most relevant stakeholders in the review process to ensure ongoing accountability and compliance.

8. Application Form Features

While you can create custom applications on both platforms, each one offers different application management features. 

IntelliGrants IGX provides a detailed yet user-friendly solution for application customization. It allows users to add branding for a more cohesive applicant experience.

Submittable comes with a drag-and-drop form creation tool that makes designing custom applications easy. It also enables reviewers and applicants to collaborate on the application in real time, helping improve on-time submissions and eliminating confusion.

9. Personalization

Both platforms offer a high degree of personalization and customizability, which enables organizations to create solutions tailored to their unique requirements.

While IntelliGrants IGX can take a bit more time to set up, it is significantly more customizable than other grant management solutions. For organizations that lack the time or computer skills to configure every element to their needs, we also offer IntelliGrants IGXpress, a preconfigured solution that enables you to choose the features you need and get to work quickly.

Submittable is user-friendly with personalization capabilities, but these are mostly visual customizations such as:

  • Custom branding
  • Drag-and-drop form building
  • Public profile settings
  • General organizational guidelines 
  • Personalized email response templates

10. Ongoing Service and Support

Ongoing service and support are critical for ensuring you can get the most out of your chosen solution, as they will help you effectively navigate any challenges you encounter in usability or errors. 

Both vendors enable you to get in touch with the support team to resolve those issues quickly and easily. IntelliGrants IGX, for example, has capabilities that allow users to reach support directly within the solution. There is also a help desk support phone line and a convenient support form.

Submittable also offers various options for contacting its support team, such as through a self-service knowledge base and email requests. However, it does not provide the ability to call or reach out to its technical support team without first leaving the solution.

Choose IntelliGrants IGX as Your Submittable Grant Management Alternative

Are you looking for a grant management system that can enhance your typical operations, save costs and boost internal efficiency? With its advanced security capabilities and robust infrastructure, Agate Software’s IntelliGrants IGX is an excellent solution for organizations in highly regulated sectors like government and health care.

Plus, its configurable system enables your agency to maximize your investment by tailoring the platform to your exact specifications. Eliminate unnecessary work and streamline routine workflows with a solution that fits your organization — not a cookie-cutter alternative.

Contact our sales team or book a live demo today to learn how IntelliGrants IGX can push your grant management processes to the next level. If you would like more information on how our platform compares to other major grant management alternatives, read our related article evaluating Fluxx vs. IntelliGrants IGX.

Choose IntelliGrants IGX as Your Submittable Grant Management Alternative

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