---
title: Matching Grants Process Discovery — 2026-04-05
type: article
created: '2026-04-05'
updated: '2026-04-05'
source_docs:
- raw/2026-01-12-wi-masonic-foundation-process-call-113609129.md
tags:
- client/wi-masonic-foundation
- automation
- grants
- ninox
- process-mapping
- payments
- fulfillment
- discovery
layer: 2
client_source: Wisconsin Masonic Foundation
industry_context: nonprofit
transferable: false
---

# Matching Grants Process Discovery — 2026-04-05

## Overview

Discovery call with Erika Miller and Christina Jester (WI Masons) to map the current manual matching-grant workflow and define the target automated process. Mark Hope facilitated; Adam Rigden attended as client lead.

**Goal:** Reduce the 1.5 FTE workload consumed by grant administration so staff capacity can be redirected to new programs, and more funds flow directly to lodges and their communities.

**Attendees:**
- Erika Miller — erika@wimasons.org
- Christina Jester — christina@wimasons.org
- Adam Rigden — adam.rigden@wimasons.org
- Mark Hope — Asymmetric

---

## Grant Program Details

| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual limit per lodge | $4,000 (unrestricted as of last board meeting) |
| Fiscal year | May 1 – April 30 |
| Eligible recipients | 501(c)(3) organizations or government agencies |
| Tracking system | [[wiki/clients/current/wi-masons/_index]] — Ninox database |

**How Ninox tracks balances:** Lodges start at $0 and accumulate toward the $4,000 cap as grants are entered. There is no automatic reset; staff manually manage the fiscal-year rollover.

**Grant types on the application:**
- AED (automated external defibrillator)
- FST (first aid/safety kit — confirm acronym)
- Jump bag
- Act of Kindness Matching Grant
- Medical Fund (now folded into the unrestricted $4,000 pool)

---

## Current (Manual) Workflow

```
Lodge fills out online application at wimasons.org
        │
        ▼
Lodge mails physical check + application simultaneously
        │
        ▼
Erika manually checks lodge's running total in Ninox
        │
        ├─ Funds NOT available → return check, deny grant
        │
        └─ Funds available → approve
                │
                ├─ AED / FST / Jump Bag → Erika emails vendor with shipping details
                │
                └─ All other grants → Christina mails physical check to recipient org
```

**Pain points identified:**
- Lodge sends a check before anyone has confirmed funds are available — creates rework when grants must be rejected and checks returned.
- Every fund-availability check is a manual Ninox lookup.
- Vendor notification emails are written and sent manually.
- No automated confirmation loop back to the lodge.

---

## Target (Automated) Workflow

```
Lodge fills out online application (includes shipping address field)
        │
        ▼
System queries Ninox → checks lodge's remaining annual balance
        │
        ├─ Funds NOT available → automated rejection notice to lodge
        │
        └─ Funds available → lodge prompted for online payment (CC or ACH)
                │
                ▼
        Payment confirmed
                │
                ├─ AED / FST / Jump Bag → automated email to vendor with shipping details
                │
                └─ All other grants → automated notification to Christina to mail check
```

**Key design notes:**
- The shipping address field already exists on the payment links Adam built; it captures where the item should be delivered (not necessarily the lodge address).
- For non-vendor grants, the lodge uploads a photo of their own check (e.g., $500 to a school); the Foundation then matches with its own check mailed by Christina. This physical mailing step cannot be eliminated.
- Approval criteria are simple: recipient must be a 501(c)(3) or government agency. No discretionary review board — Erika confirms eligibility and enters into Ninox.

---

## Key Decisions

- **$4,000 unrestricted pool** — As of the most recent board meeting, all grant types draw from a single $4,000 annual limit per lodge. Application form language and any program-specific caps need to be updated to reflect this.
- **Two fulfillment paths** — Automation will branch on grant type: vendor-fulfilled (AED/FST/jump bag) vs. check-mailed (everything else).
- **Fund check before payment** — The new flow inverts the current sequence: system checks Ninox *before* the lodge is asked to pay, eliminating returned-check rework.

---

## Action Items

- [ ] **Mark Hope** — Build process map from this recording and share for review
- [ ] **Mark Hope** — Design and implement online CC/ACH payment integration for the grant application
- [ ] **Mark Hope** — Integrate grant application with Ninox for automated fund-balance check
- [ ] **Mark Hope** — Build vendor email automation (AED/FST/jump bag fulfillment path)
- [ ] **Mark Hope** — Build internal notification automation (Christina check-mailing path)
- [ ] **Adam** — Email Tom Stevens to confirm DNS issue is resolved

---

## Open Questions

- What exact data does the vendor email need to contain? (Lodge name, contact, shipping address — confirm full field list.)
- Does Ninox need to be updated automatically when a grant is approved, or does Erika continue to enter grants manually after the fact?
- Should the system send a confirmation email to the lodge after payment is received? (Assumed yes — not explicitly confirmed.)
- Fiscal-year rollover: who resets (or initializes) lodge balances in Ninox each May 1?

---

## Related

- [[wiki/clients/current/wi-masons/_index]]