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Import grants from a CSV file

Bring an existing grant portfolio into BetterUnite from a spreadsheet or another system.

Use the grant importer to bring an existing portfolio into BetterUnite from a spreadsheet or another system. The importer maps your columns, previews the exact result, protects against duplicates, and reports success or failure for each row.

Permission: Importing a grant portfolio requires Administer Grant Center.

Open the importer

  1. Go to Giving → Grant Center.
  2. Select Import beside Add Grant.

Download the BetterUnite template from the import page, or prepare a CSV file with one grant per row. Import no more than 2,000 grant rows at a time.

Prepare the CSV file

Grant Name is the only required field. If Status is blank, the grant imports as Draft.

Grant fields

  • Grant Name
  • Status
  • Status Detail
  • Description
  • Amount Requested
  • Amount Awarded
  • Tags, separated by commas or semicolons

Funder fields

  • Funder Name
  • Funder Email
  • Funder Account Number
  • Funder Contact Name
  • Funder Contact Email

Date fields

  • LOI Due Date
  • Proposal Due Date
  • Submittal Due Date
  • Submitted Date
  • Decision Date
  • Expected Funding Date

Use mm/dd/yyyy or yyyy-mm-dd. A date that cannot be read fails that row but does not stop valid rows from importing.

Grant Pro fields

  • Owner
  • Grant Period Start
  • Grant Period End
  • Renewal Date
  • Next Action
  • Next Action Date

These columns can be mapped on any plan. They are written only when the organization has Grant Pro; otherwise the row result explains that the Pro-only values were not imported.

Use valid grant statuses

Status may be:

  • Draft
  • Initial Research
  • On Hold
  • Submitted
  • Awarded
  • Declined
  • Cancelled
  • Withdrawn

Configurable pipeline stages are separate from the fixed Status field. Import the portfolio first, then use the stage-migration workflow when the organization is ready to place existing grants onto its configured pipeline.

How funders are matched

BetterUnite tries to match the funder to an existing CRM contact in this order:

  1. Funder Account Number
  2. Funder Email
  3. Funder Name

More-specific identifiers take precedence. If a name matches more than one contact, BetterUnite reports the ambiguity rather than guessing.

Upload and map the columns

  1. Select the CSV file.
  2. Select Upload and map columns. Nothing is created yet.
  3. Review the automatically recognized columns.
  4. Correct any mapping that is wrong.
  5. Leave unused source columns as Not Mapped.
  6. Confirm whether the first row is a header.

If no column is mapped to Grant Name, every row will fail until the mapping is corrected.

Choose the import options

Create a contact for any funder that is not already in the CRM

This option is off by default. When enabled, BetterUnite creates an organization contact for an unmatched funder. When left off, the grant still imports without a funder and the result identifies what needs attention.

Import rows that duplicate an existing grant

This option is also off by default. A row is treated as a duplicate when a grant with the same name already exists for the same funder. Leave duplicate import off when rerunning a file or correcting failed rows.

Preview before importing

Select Preview without importing to run the same validation path used by the final import without writing anything. The preview shows:

  • How many grants would import
  • How many rows would be skipped as duplicates
  • How many rows would fail
  • Which funder contacts would be created
  • A row-level explanation for anything adjusted, skipped, or failed

When the preview is correct, return to the mapping screen and select Import grants.

Read and correct the results

  • Imported means the grant record was created. The results link to the new grant.
  • Skipped normally means duplicate protection found an existing grant.
  • Failed means the row was not created and includes the reason.

Valid rows import independently. Correct failed rows in the CSV and run them again. Keeping duplicate import off prevents successful rows from the first run from being created a second time.

Recommended import sequence

  1. Start with a small test file.
  2. Preview and resolve mapping or data issues.
  3. Import the test rows and inspect the resulting grant records.
  4. Import the remaining portfolio.
  5. Resolve unmatched funders and missing owners.
  6. Configure programs and pipeline stages.
  7. Run stage migration to place existing grants on the configured pipeline.

What the portfolio import does not include

The CSV creates the grant record and the supported fields above. It does not import budget periods, budget lines, expenses, payment allocations, requirements, outcome results, documents, or history. Add those after the grant exists using the appropriate Grant Center workflow.

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