Stages and statuses

Every stage, phase and status GrantFlex shows, in one place, with what each one means and what moves something from one to the next.

8 min
Every plan

For other words you see in the app, see the Glossary.

Opportunities

Each opportunity in a research report or quick search carries two labels: what the research read on the funder's page, and what you've decided.

Funder status, as the research read the funder's page
Status	What it means
Open now	Accepting applications or requests, per the report.
Status unclear	The report could not tell from the funder’s page.
Opens later	A future round, not accepting yet.
Closed this round	Prepare for the next one.
Relationship first	Approached directly, no formal window.
No round announced	Nothing to apply for yet.

The status carries the date the page was read. If your team learns something newer, select Update status. Everyone then sees the new status with your name and the date.

Your decisions, as the report's filters list them
Decision	What it means	How you get there
To review	Not decided yet. An opportunity whose set-aside date has come returns here, marked Back from set-aside.	Where every opportunity starts.
Shortlisted	You starred an opportunity to come back to it.	Add to shortlist, the star.
Checking	You added a task to check something before you decide.	Check first
Underway	You've started work on an opportunity: an application or a plan exists for it.	Start application, or a plan such as Get ready to apply or Plan outreach.
Set aside	You chose to come back to an opportunity on a later date. When the date arrives, it returns to your list to decide.	Set aside until a date
Not for us	You decided not to pursue an opportunity. You can add a note, and undo it later.	Not for us

Where to start: how the report groups opportunities
Group	Which opportunities
Take the next step	Open or unclear per the report. Confirm, then begin.
Get ready first	Not open yet, or the report says to prepare before applying.
Build relationships	No application to file. A conversation comes first.

Changes a refresh finds

Labels in What changed after a report refresh
Label	What it means	Counts as a change
Changed	A deadline, amount, program name or status on the funder's page differs from the report.	Yes
Closed	The page says the round has closed.	Yes
Now open	The page says it's accepting applications now.	Yes
New	The page lists a program the report doesn't. You can track it in your pipeline.	No
No change	The page still matches the report.	No
Not reached	The page couldn't be reached, so the opportunity keeps the report's reading.	No

Research runs

Statuses on Research history
Status	What it means
Queued	Waiting to start. A workspace runs one report at a time.
In progress	Researching now. A full report usually takes about 30 minutes.
Ready	Finished. Select Open report to read it.
Stopped	It didn't finish. Select View run to see what happened and whether it can continue.
Cancelled	Someone cancelled it before it finished. Nothing more runs for it.

While a report runs, its page says In the queue, Researching now, Checking details again while some findings get stronger evidence, or Paused for setup while it waits on GrantFlex's own setup. A paused run picks up on its own.

Pipeline

Pipeline stages, in order
Stage	What it means	Phase	Default likelihood
Prospect	Worth tracking; not yet checked for fit.	Prospects	10%
Checking fit	Deciding whether it’s worth pursuing.	Prospects	20%
Outreach	Talking with the funder or partner.	Preparing	30%
LOI sent	Letter of inquiry sent; waiting to be invited.	Awaiting decision	35%
Preparing	Getting the request and materials ready.	Preparing	45%
Awaiting response	Request sent; waiting to hear back.	Awaiting decision	60%
Secured	Support confirmed.	Secured	100%
Declined	They said no this time.	Closed	0%
Archived	Set aside and kept for reference.	Closed	0%

The default likelihood feeds the weighted forecast until someone sets a likelihood for the record. Choosing LOI sent, Awaiting response, Secured, Declined or Archived opens a short dialog that records the details. See Change stage and record decisions.

Phases, which group the stages in Pipeline and on the Board
Phase	What it holds	Stages
Prospects	Funders and grants you’re tracking but haven’t committed to yet.	Prospect, Checking fit
Preparing	Applications and requests you’re still working on.	Outreach, Preparing
Awaiting decision	Letters of inquiry and requests waiting to hear back from the funder.	LOI sent, Awaiting response
Secured	Awarded grants and support you’ve secured.	Secured
Closed	Declined, withdrawn or archived — kept for your records.	Declined, Archived

Why a record closed

Closing a record asks what happened. For The funder declined, the reasons are:

Strong fit, not funded this cycle
Outside the funder’s current priorities
Not eligible
Outside the funder’s geography
Request size didn’t fit
Application incomplete or late
Too many strong applicants
No reason given
Other

For We stopped pursuing it, they are:

Not a good fit after all
No capacity to apply this cycle
Timing didn’t work
Funder closed or paused the program
We withdrew the request
Other

Materials and dates

Status of each piece on a record's Materials tab
Status	What it means
Not started	Nothing is written or attached for this piece yet.
Needs review	The piece has text or a file, or it changed since someone last marked it ready.
Ready	Someone reviewed the piece and marked it ready. Changing it sends it back to Needs review.

How sure a funder's date is
Label	Chosen as	What it means
Confirmed	Confirmed with the funder	Confirmed with the funder.
From the report	From the research report	The date came from a research report and still needs confirming with the funder. Reminders about it say so.
Estimate	Estimate — not confirmed yet	Not confirmed yet, such as when a funder's next cycle may open. Reminders about it say the date is an estimate.

Proposals

A proposal's header shows four steps: Preparing, In review, Submitted and Decision. The current step names the exact status, such as Ready to submit.

Proposal status
Status	What it means
Checking fit	You're deciding whether to apply.
Drafting	The proposal is being written.
In review	The proposal is with a reviewer on your team.
Ready to submit	Your team marked the package ready. You still submit it through the funder's own process.
Submitted	You recorded the submission. The proposal's sections lock until you reopen them for edits.
Awarded	The funder said yes, and you recorded the award.
Declined	The funder said no this time.
Withdrawn	You withdrew the application.

What a proposal becomes when its record changes stage
Record stage	Proposal status
Prospect	Checking fit
Checking fit	Checking fit
Outreach	Drafting, unless it's already In review or Ready to submit
LOI sent	Drafting, unless it's already In review or Ready to submit
Preparing	Drafting, unless it's already In review or Ready to submit
Awaiting response	Submitted
Secured	Awarded
Declined	Declined
Archived	Withdrawn

Section status
Status	What it means
Empty	The section has no text yet.
AI draft	Text from AI that nobody has edited yet. It stays marked so machine text is never mistaken for reviewed work.
Drafting	Someone has written or edited the section.
In review	Someone asked for a review after the section was last approved.
Approved	A person approved the section. You can't approve text that's over the funder's limit.

Requirement status on the Requirements tab
Status	What it means	Counts as ready
Missing	Nothing is attached yet.	No
Attached	A file from your documents is attached.	Yes
Needs signature	It needs a signature before you submit.	No
Expired	The version you have has expired. Attach a current one.	No
Waived	This application doesn't need it.	Yes
Done	You finished it outside GrantFlex and marked it done.	Yes

Letter status on the Letters tab
Status	What it means	Next step
To request	You haven't asked yet.	Mark sent
Requested	You've sent the request yourself, and GrantFlex keeps the date.	Mark received
Received	The signed letter came back.	—
Declined	They can't write one, so it no longer counts as outstanding.	—
Drafts ready	Shown instead of To request once drafts exist and the request hasn't gone out.	Mark sent

AI review verdicts
Verdict	What it means
Looks submission-ready	The AI review's highest verdict. Have a person read the draft before you submit.
Needs work	The middle verdict: the review found gaps to fix before you submit.
Not ready	The lowest verdict: the review found larger gaps to close before the draft is ready.

Tasks and awards

Task and award report status
Status	What it means
To do	Not started.
In progress	Someone is working on it.
Blocked	Waiting on something before it can move.
Done	Finished.
Not submitted	An award report that hasn't gone to the funder yet.
Awaiting acceptance	An award report you've sent that the funder hasn't accepted yet.
Accepted	The funder accepted the report.

An open task becomes inactive when what it belongs to closes, with a note saying why: Request declined, Archived funding work, Application declined, Application withdrawn, Project on hold, Completed project, Archived project, Closed award. Reopen the record, proposal or project and its tasks are open again.

Award status, set on the award's page
Status	What it means
Received	The award is recorded. Recording an award starts it here.
Active	The grant is under way.
Reporting due	A report to the funder is coming up or owed.
Closed	The grant is finished. Its reports leave your open tasks.

Each expected payment on an award is Scheduled until you select Mark received. It then shows Received with the date.

Funders

Funder relationships
Relationship	What it means	How it gets there
Researching	Learning whether they’re a fit.	New funders start here.
Contacted	We’ve reached out; no conversation yet.	A record reaches LOI sent or Awaiting response, or you log something you sent them.
In conversation	Talking with someone there.	A record reaches Outreach, or you log a call, meeting or site visit, or something they sent.
Funder	They’ve funded us.	You record an award from them, or add them as a past funder.
Lapsed	Funded us before, not recently.	You choose it.
Not a fit	Decided not to pursue for now.	You choose it.

A relationship moves forward on its own and never moves back by itself. You can choose any relationship yourself on the funder's profile.

Projects

Project stage
Stage	What it means
Developing	The project is still being planned. New projects start here.
In progress	The work is under way.
Completed	The work is finished. Its open tasks become inactive.
On hold	The work is paused. Its open tasks become inactive until it moves again.

Status of each funding source linked to a project
Status	What it means
Considering	A possible source you're still weighing. It isn't counted in the project's funding.
Planned ask	A request you plan to make.
Requested	A request you've made and are waiting to hear about.
Committed	Support that has been promised or awarded.
Not proceeding	A source that said no or that you've stopped pursuing. It isn't counted.