Before 2015, applying to SaskCulture grant programs was a fully manual process. Applications were submitted on paper, and assessor notes had to be manually entered into the system by staff members.
That changed with the launch of SaskCulture’s Online Grant Platform (OGP), which transformed how grant applications and assessments are managed.
Catherine Folstad, supervisor, granting and technology, SaskCulture, led the project at the time. She says the shift to an online system helped streamline SaskCulture’s work.
“The OGP completely changed how we managed granting,” says Folstad. “What was once a very time-consuming, paper-based process became much more efficient and accessible for both applicants and assessors. Looking back over the last 10 years, it’s rewarding to see how much the platform has improved the experience for everyone involved.”
The OGP is a multi-user online system that allows applicants and assessors to securely access, submit, review, and organize grant information in one place. Tailored specifically to SaskCulture’s processes, the platform has changed administrative workload, improved efficiency, and become an important tool for grant management and program evaluation.
Leonard Nooy, software development and strategy, Structured Abstraction (SA), was brought in to help SaskCulture move away from its paper-based application process and continues to support the OGP through ongoing maintenance. While off-the-shelf systems were considered in the early stages, Nooy explains they did not fit SaskCulture’s granting processes, which led to the development of a custom platform tailored to the organization’s needs.
“That really drove the direction for building a custom solution for what is the core offering of SaskCulture: granting,” says Nooy. “We are constantly receiving from the applicants that the OGP is a very user-friendly tool. I think that speaks to the amount of work that was put into the platform.”
Lorelie DeRoose, granting and evaluation coordinator, SaskCulture, joined SaskCulture shortly before the OGP launched in 2015, and says the platform has been a big part of her day-to-day work.
Today, the OGP plays an important role in how SaskCulture gathers and uses data for evaluation and planning. Information such as application numbers and applicant trends helps staff better understand who is seeking support and where gaps may exist.
"The OGP helps us know who is looking for support, and if they’re not reaching out to us, we can reach out to them,"- Lorelie DeRoose
Beyond informing decisions and planning, the data collected through the platform also helps SasCulture tell stories about the impact of funding across the cultural sector.
Looking ahead, DeRoose says she hopes the OGP will continue to evolve, with even more ways to make information searchable and useful. While the platform was originally designed to replicate a paper-based process, it has grown into a flexible system that adapts alongside SaskCulture’s changing approaches to grant-making.
“We set ourselves up well 10 years ago for where we are now,” she says. The platform has been able to evolve and helped to really seamlessly move around in a digital world.”
