Enhance the Candid API Integration
Enhance the Candid API Integration
- Reduce Nonprofit Application Burden
- Improve Funder's Collaboration Potential
The Vision:
Imagine nonprofits applying for grants by simply entering their EIN, then watching most of their application auto-populate with organization, programmatic, demographic, and impact data from Candid's database. No more asking nonprofits to repeatedly enter the same basic information across multiple applications!
Imagine funders receiving better data from applicant nonprofits. And also having an easier ability to share funder grantmaking data out to the field. (By having a standard export in Foundant of data coded for submission to Candid's annual eGrants reporting.) Funders would also have the ability for a standard application form to be copied into their Sandbox or Live site, built from Candid fields.
Together, we can grow nonprofit capacity by reducing application burdens and giving nonprofits more time back, while also benefitting funders.
The Idea: The good news is that Foundant GLM is already very close to achieving all this! We only need some minor updates and additions. Candid is already partially integrated. There are three parts to making this happen:
- Expand the list of available Candid fields in GLM.
- Add high priority missing Candid fields to GLM's API integration. (See the attached Excel document for the prioritized list.) This will make the solution useful as the current list of fields is far too limited compared to what Candid has available.
- Organize and make the fields searchable. Modify the Candid add field dialogue by: reorganizing the API fields in the add field dialogue into logical groups to help with clarity, adding keyword search functionality for fields to find the ones you want fast, and include a "select all" option to import all available fields with one click. This will make the Candid add field dialogue much more user friendly.
After that, we can collaborate to build an example application. Create a pre-built, example application that includes all available Candid API fields that are added to new customer’s sandbox accounts by default, and can be added to existing GLM customer’s sandbox accounts or copied to live sites upon request. This will make it much faster and easier for GLM users to get up and running with the solution.
Several funders and users/admins of Foundant would love to see this happen and are available to help. Thank you!
Lacey Matney
shared this idea
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Kyle Renninger
commented
This is EXACTLY what the sector needs right now! The administrative burden on nonprofits is crushing - they're spending countless hours duplicating the same data entry across multiple applications when they should be focused on their mission, while funders are missing opportunities for better data sharing and collaboration.
What makes this idea so powerful is that it's not just wishful thinking - Foundant GLM is already positioned to make this happen with relatively minor enhancements, and the three-part implementation plan is spot-on and totally achievable. Auto-populating applications with EIN lookup, expanding available fields, and creating that searchable, user-friendly interface would transform the entire grant application experience, benefiting everyone: nonprofits get precious time back to do their work, funders get better data and collaboration tools, and the whole ecosystem becomes more efficient.
This deserves to be at the top of the development roadmap - the potential impact on nonprofit capacity and funder effectiveness is enormous, and the technical lift seems very reasonable given the existing foundation. Let's make this happen! :)
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Attached file (attempt #2 - perhaps the upload is just breaking it)