Grant Automation Discovery — 2026-04-05
Overview
Discovery call with Adam Rigden (Executive Director, WI Masonic Foundation) and Mark Hope to explore automating WMF's matching-grant application and payment workflow. The current process is entirely manual and creates a significant bottleneck for a 1.5 FTE staff. The call surfaced the key integrations needed (Ninox API, Stripe webhooks) and established that a full stakeholder process-mapping session is required before any proposal can be scoped.
Attendees:
- Adam Rigden — WI Masonic Foundation (adam.rigden@wimasons.org)
- Mark Hope — Asymmetric (mark.hope@asymmetric.pro)
Related client: [1]
Current State: Manual Grant Workflow
WMF runs a matching-grant program for member lodges. The entire process is manual and handled by a 1.5 FTE staff (Adam, Erica, Christina).
Application
- Lodges submit applications via a password-protected page on the WMF website (password distributed manually; no self-service login).
- Submission triggers email notifications to Adam, Erica, and Peter.
Approval
- Erica manually logs into Ninox (a low-code database platform she built) and looks up the applying lodge's year-to-date grant total.
- Approval criterion: lodge's cumulative grants for the fiscal year (May 1–April 30) must remain under the $4,000 annual cap.
- All grants are 50% matching — the lodge contributes half, WMF matches the other half.
Payment — Two Tracks
| Grant Type | Lodge Action | WMF Action |
|---|---|---|
| FST, AED, Jump Bag | Lodge mails a physical check to WMF | Erica notifies Rick (Fire Expression Solutions) to ship item |
| All other grants (scholarships, food bank, veterans, etc.) | Lodge photographs their check to the recipient org and uploads it | Christina writes and mails a WMF check to the recipient organization |
Pain Points
- Manual Ninox lookups for every application
- Physical check handling in both directions
- No automated notifications — Rick, Erica, and Christina must each be contacted manually
- No lodge-level login; a single shared password is distributed to all lodges
Proposed Future State: Full Automation
Mark confirmed that full end-to-end automation is technically feasible via two key integrations.
Key Integrations
- Ninox API — Ninox exposes an API that would allow the website to query a lodge's year-to-date grant balance automatically, enabling real-time approval/rejection without Erica's manual lookup.
- Stripe Webhooks — Payment confirmation events from Stripe can trigger automated downstream actions (email notifications, record updates).
Proposed Automated Workflow
- Lodge logs in to the WMF website with lodge-specific credentials.
- Lodge submits a grant application via the website form.
- Website calls the Ninox API to check the lodge's fiscal-year balance against the $4,000 cap.
- If over limit → automatic rejection with notification email to lodge.
- If under limit → automatic approval; lodge receives a Stripe payment link. - Lodge pays via Stripe (ACH or card).
- Stripe webhook fires on payment confirmation, triggering automated emails to:
- Rick (Fire Expression Solutions) — with shipping address, to fulfill physical items.
- Erica & Christina — for financial tracking and Ninox record update.
Lodge Login System
- Per-lodge logins are feasible.
- Officer turnover concern addressed by: automated annual email (e.g., January 1) prompting all lodge users to create a new login, with standard forgot-password self-service.
Key Decisions
- Do not automate piecemeal. Mark was explicit: automating one step in isolation will create more problems than it solves. A complete end-to-end flowchart must be produced first.
- Ninox API is the linchpin. If the website can query Ninox directly, the manual approval step is eliminated. This needs to be confirmed with Erica, who owns the Ninox build.
- Stakeholder call is the prerequisite for any proposal, timeline, or cost estimate.
Action Items
- [ ] Adam — Schedule a 45-minute process-mapping call with Erica, Christina, Peter, Rick, and Mark. Use Mark's existing scheduling link or request a new one.
- [ ] Mark — After the process-mapping call: produce a flowchart of the end-to-end workflow, then deliver a proposal with automation plan, timeline, and cost estimate.
Open Questions
- Does Ninox's API support the specific lodge-balance query needed, and what are the auth requirements? (Confirm with Erica)
- How does the "other grants" track (scholarships, food bank, etc.) fit into a Stripe-based payment flow — the lodge pays the recipient directly, not WMF. Does WMF still need to issue a check to the recipient org, or can this be replaced with an ACH transfer?
- What is Peter's role in approvals? He currently receives application notification emails.
- How many active lodges are in the system? (Ninox view showed at least 11 in current fiscal year; total population unclear.)
Transcript Highlights
Mark: "I think the main thing we've got to have here, Adam, is a flowchart that says this happens, then this happens, then this. And if we have that flowchart, then we can figure out how to automate the steps. Trying to automate one step halfway down the path will make a bigger problem than it will solve anything."
Adam: "That's exactly what we need to do, because there's so much more to do than the tedious work of that. The most important work is getting the money to the lodges so they can support their communities."
Mark: "We could probably automate this entire thing — log in using the [Ninox] API, give it instructions for what to look for, and automate the approval even."