Grant Budgeting Suite
End-to-End Budgeting Support for the Grant Lifecycle
At Fluxx, a leading cloud-based grants management platform used by top foundations and nonprofits, I led the design of a comprehensive budgeting tool. Working cross-functionally with product, engineering, and customer success teams, I helped translate the complex nuances of grantmaking into an intuitive experience for both staff and grantees.
ROLE + YEAR
Sr. Product Designer, 2024-2025
PROBLEM SPACE
Grant budgeting was messy, characterized by scattered spreadsheets, unclear allocations, and time-consuming back-and-forth communication. Users needed clarity, grantees needed guidance, and Fluxx needed a streamlined solution.
PRODUCT
SOLUTION
We designed an intuitive budgeting tool that brings structure to the grantmaking process, centralizing budgets, guiding grantees, and giving funders real-time visibility from pre- to post-award.
understanding funding in grantmaking
First, I dove into how grantmakers fund grantees across sectors—from private family foundations to government agencies. Our platform manages over $1B in funding, but each organization’s complex, varied processes often create a fragmented and time-consuming experience for grantees and foundation staff.
what we heard:
“I’m constantly jumping between spreadsheets and emails—there’s no single place to get a clear picture.”
“I’m never quite sure how much money is left or approved, it’s like flying blind.”
“Messages get lost or contradict each other, which slows down the whole process.”
“Reconciling what was promised versus what’s actually spent is a constant struggle.”
key findings
Grant budgeting is fragmented and manual, causing confusion and delays. A unified, user-friendly tool is needed to streamline workflows and improve financial visibility.
what should we build?
After talking with customers and internal teams, we saw this feature could transform our product. We knew we needed to build a streamlined budget table that lets grantees easily plan spending and reduces confusion. We wanted a way for grants managers to quickly review and approve budgets, while avoiding process bottlenecks. Simultaneously allowing grantees to update actual spending during reporting, improving transparency and saving time across the grant lifecycle.
Designed a comprehensive budget table for grantees to enter planned spending during the request phase.
Enabled grants managers to review and approve budgets seamlessly.
Allowed grantees to update actual spending versus approved amounts during reporting
Refined through collaborative workshops with engineers and users—over 500 screens designed, tested, and iterated.
Initial protoypes
User feedback showed that while the prototype was a good starting point, it oversimplified the budgeting process. It didn’t fully address the detailed requirements users needed to comply with various laws and financial regulations.
This highlighted the need to incorporate more nuanced budget components to ensure the tool supported real-world compliance and accuracy.
Real-Time Visibility, Real-World Impact
The final design delivers a powerful yet simple budget table that captures detailed spending and compliance needs without overwhelming users. Grantees can confidently plan budgets while grants managers get a clear, streamlined approval view, speeding decisions and reducing errors.
During reporting, grantees easily update actual spending, boosting transparency and trust. With real-time feedback and clear visuals, both sides stay aligned, making complex workflows smoother and more collaborative throughout the grant lifecycle.
Interactive tables for users to manage and monitor grant data from start to finish
Detailed budget components provide high-level visibility into grant finances and empower grantees to report accurately throughout the grant period.
Empowering Admins to Set the Foundation
As we iterated on the budget table, it became clear that we needed a more holistic approach to support organizational flexibility. Grantees and staff needed consistent categories to select from, but those categories had to reflect each organization's unique fiscal structure.
This insight led to the next phase of our work: designing an admin experience that would allow organizations to define and manage their own budget categories and subcategories—ensuring alignment, compliance, and a more seamless experience for everyone involved.
What is next?
With the core budgeting tool launched, our next focus is on enhancing customization and expanding reporting capabilities. One key priority is ensuring all data captured at the individual row level in the budget table can be fully reported on.
We’re working to make this data seamlessly accessible and connected to our Grantelligence data visualization tool, empowering users to surface insights, track trends, and drive smarter decisions.
We're also exploring features like flexible budget templates, validation rules, and deeper integration with internal financial systems. Ultimately, we aim to turn budgeting into a strategic asset for both funders and grantees.
