1) Executive Summary

Dawn manages grant discovery, approvals, tracking, and compliance for a regional K–12 district. She works closely with the Assistant Superintendent (who writes applications) but owns the reporting and financial oversight. She discovers grants primarily through federal/state portals (G5, DESE GEMS), then ensures spending rules, liquidation deadlines, and compliance audits are met. Her biggest pain: fragmented systems and manual tracking in spreadsheets/general ledger, creating risk of missed opportunities and late reporting.

Her “one thing”: “Give me a single system that tracks every grant, deadlines, and spending rules in one place.” She wants unified search, automatic alerts, and audit-ready tracking that syncs with existing finance systems.

2) Core User Pain Points

1) Fragmented discovery across portals (federal, state, regional)

What’s happening: Dawn must check multiple systems (G5 for federal, DESE GEMS for state, rural aid accounts) to find opportunities. No single place exists to see all relevant K–12 grants. Competitive grants are harder to find and apply for.

Direct quotes:

• “A one-stop site… the state is trying to create one, but it’s not there yet.”
• “Competitive grants are a lot harder to come by.”

Impact: Wasted time, fear of missing deadlines or hidden opportunities.

Workarounds: Relies on state newsletters, portals, and ad-hoc spreadsheets.

2) Go/No-Go tied to approvals and amendments

What’s happening: Dawn applies through portals (can’t spend until approved), tracks in general ledger (MUNIS), and must amend applications if spending shifts.

Direct quotes:

• “You have to use it for those things… if you aren’t going to use the grant as outlined, you have to go back and amend.”
• “Once you do find them, the application process is lengthy.”

Impact: Administrative churn, delays in spending, risk of noncompliance.