How to Apply: Using ALA Apply, ALA’s Grants Management System

To begin, open the ALA Apply link and bookmark it in your browser: https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=AMALA

If you think that you or someone at your organization has already registered in the system, do not create a new account. Please contact ​the Public Programs Office at publicprograms@ala.org to receive your username and login instructions via email. This process helps us avoid duplicate organizations in the system and keep all of the applications from one organization under one record.

Please note that ALA Apply is a separate platform from ALA.org. Even if you are an ALA member with login credentials for ALA.org, you will need to create a login for ALA Apply.

If you are certain that your organization is not registered in ALA Apply, you can proceed with the account creation process by clicking on “Create New Account” and complete all the required information fields.

• A username that will be your email address
• Your contact information
• Your organization’s information (if you are uncertain what to enter for your organization, please email the Public Programs Office at publicprograms@ala.org)
• Contact information for the organization’s Executive Officer
   

After completing the account creation process, you will be instructed to check your email for a confirmation email from administrator@grantinterface.com This step is to ensure you receive emails from this system about your applications. If you do not see an email from American Library Association <administrator@grantinterface.com>, look in your junk or spam folder and add administrator@grantinterface.com to your contacts list.

Upon logging in for the first time, you will see the list of current available grants and select one to start a new application. If you have started an ALA Apply application before, you will see your applicant dashboard with a list of previous grant activity when you log in; click on "Apply" in the upper left corner to see the list of current opportunities available.

You may add a collaborator to your application or any follow up forms by clicking the “Collaborate” button in the upper right corner on the form. This will generate an email invitation that you can send to someone at your organization or a partner organization who you would like to be able to view, edit, and/or submit the application.

Your application can be saved as a draft, and you can log in again to make edits and submit the application. Each account maintains a record of the application history that you can access at any time.

You can access your applications in progress from the Applicant Dashboard (House Icon). Do not access the application from the Apply icon at the top of the screen; doing so will lead you to start a blank, duplicate application.

To submit your completed application, click on “Submit Application”. If you have missed any required fields, or if the deadline has passed, then you will not be able to submit and an error message will appear informing you of the questions missed or the deadline. If you experience any issues with submitting your application, please reach out to publicprograms@ala.org.

Please refer to the specific opportunity project website for more information about when you can expect to receive a decision on your application. Once a grant is awarded, you will use ALA Apply again to see the status of your grant, check due dates, and submit electronic grant reports.

To-Do panel

The To Do panel of the applicant dashboard displays actions that can be taken on any active or collaboration requests assigned to you. It contains two tabs: Assigned To You and Upcoming.

The Assigned To You tab is open by default and displays collaboration requests and any forms assigned to you as the applicant. Applicants can Accept, Continue, or Start any requests from this tab. Forms will be ordered by the due date.

The Upcoming tab displays any sequential follow up forms for an opportunity that are upcoming but cannot be submitted yet because a prior form must be completed first.

Click the See Opportunities button to navigate to the Apply page where a new request can be started.

Request section

The request section of the applicant dashboard contains request information in three columns: Action Needed, No Action, and Historical/Completed.

• The Action Needed column displays any forms that are due.
• The No Action column displays forms that do not need further action from the applicant as administrators process the request.
• The Historical column displays requests from the applicant that have been closed, denied, or abandoned.

The quick search bar can be used to find specific requests from any column.

A red alarm clock icon will appear next to forms that have a due date within the next two weeks.

A yellow calendar icon will appear next to forms with a due date further out than two weeks.

A blue calendar icon will appear next to a submitted form when there are no other upcoming forms required or other actions required for that process and it is under review.

A green calendar icon will appear next to an approved or awarded grant process that does not have any pending forms due.

If you have an grant process in the “No Action” or “Completed” section, you may see an “Approved” date. This is the date that the grant or opportunity was originally awarded to you; this should not be confused with the submission or completion date of any of the follow-up forms.

Click on a request card header to go to the request summary and view any decision and award details associated with the request.

Click the document drop-down menu to view and access all previous submitted forms and files associated with the request.

You can download a PDF copy of any completed forms by opening the form from the drop-down menu, and clicking “Follow up packet” in the top right section of the form.

The first person to register enters the organization’s information; this creates the organization’s profile. It’s important to enter this information accurately at registration.

We recommend consolidating all applications into one user account; this will enable you to view the full history of your organization’s applications and awards. If you are unsure whether your organization already has an account or if you need to be added to an existing account, please contact the Public Programs Office at publicprograms@ala.org to discuss your options. (Additional users can be added by ALA staff.)

If you need to update your organizational information, click on your name in the upper right corner and then click Edit Organization. Please note that the organization editing option is limited to executive officers at your organization. If you do not have the “Edit Organization” option, please reach out to publicprograms@ala.org and we can help you make changes to your organization’s record in ALA Apply.
 

Once your account is set up, your account dashboard is displayed on screen every time you log in. From the dashboard, you can do the following:

• Edit your contact information
• Begin the application process
• Access application drafts and submitted applications
• View details and complete the report process for grant awards

To edit your personal account information, click on your name in the upper right corner and then click Edit My Profile. You can also reset your password via the “Forgot your password” link on the ALA Apply login page.

A user account can only be connected to one organization at a time. If you are a grant writer for multiple organizations or if you are applying on behalf of multiple library branches, please contact the Public Programs Office at publicprograms@ala.org to discuss your options.

Optimal browsers for accessing ALA Apply

For the best user experience, we suggest you access ALA Apply with one of the following browsers: Google Chrome 14 or higher, Firefox 9 or higher, or Safari 4 or higher. Internet Explorer also works, but you may encounter some minor technical issues.

For the best user experience, we suggest you access ALA Apply with one of the following browsers: Google Chrome 14 or higher, Firefox 9 or higher, or Safari 4 or higher. Internet Explorer also works, but you may encounter some minor technical issues.