For State Agencies

The California Grants Portal offers two methods for submitting grant opportunities and for submitting post award data. Review the methods below to determine which is appropriate for your agency and visit the State Grantmaker’s Guide in your dashboard for detailed instructions.

Online Form
JSON File

Online Form

This option is best for:

Departments without IT staff to support JSON file development
Departments not currently using WordPress

How it works:

Create an account
- Your agency’s Grant Editor must approve all new Grant Contributor accounts. If your agency does not have a Grant Editor or you’re not sure who your Grant Editor is, contact the Grants Portal team at CAGrantsPortal@library.ca.gov.
Once your account is verified, visit your grants dashboard to submit grant opportunities using the online form
Enter grant information into the form and submit
- The form includes the option to publish a forecasted opportunity
- “Save and Finish Later” functionality gives you the flexibility to complete the form over time as grant details are determined and finalized
- Edits to in-progress or submitted grant data (and the addition of new grants) are possible by logging into your dashboard
Per AB132, grantmaking agencies are required to submit post award data on each awardee for grants closing on or after July 1, 2022. Refer to the State Grantmaker’s Guide for additional details and submission instructions.

view list of data collected via the online form

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to enter grant data into the form all at once?

When submitting grant opportunity information, you do not need to enter grant data into the form all at once. The form is separated into five different sections. You will have the option to save the form at the end of each section and then come back and enter information for the following sections later.

When submitting post award data via online form, you must enter all of the information at once. You can use the data dictionary to identify all needed information in advance of submitting the form.

How do I post a forecasted opportunity?

The grant submission form includes the option to post a grant as “forecasted” before providing the full grant details. The following data are required for forecasted opportunities:

Grant Title
Grant ID
- If an ID is not assigned by the grantmaking agency, a Portal-assigned ID will be used
- Grantmakers may later edit the grant to include an agency ID (i.e. it’s not a “now or never” scenario)
Grantmaking Agency
Grant Description
Anticipated Open Date (Approximately when applicants can expect full grant details to be made available)
- May be entered as a specific date, a month, “Q1,” “Summer 2020,” etc.

Will I be able to edit grant data entered into the form?

If I submit a grant using the online form, does that preclude me from using the other grant submission methods in the future?

Can I access grants submitted by others in my agency?

Is my department required to submit post award data?

What is the timeline for submitting post award data?

Where can I find more information about submitting grant opportunity information and post award information?