The Challenge
The Michigan Department of Community Health’s Crime Victim Services Commission (CVSC) was in need of a grant accounting system. MDCH wanted to be more responsive to customers, more accountable to taxpayers, and more effective in managing program tasks and information. The system they were using was outdated and relied on paper-based data entry which left too much room for human error.

The Solution
Agate Software was commissioned to develop a new grant management system to provide an innovative and efficient solution. The new system would enable those applying for Victim’s Rights grants to fill out and submit all applications, reports, and agreement amendments online. Additionally, the new system increased the level of communication between the CVSC and its grantees. The CVSC Online Grant System (SIGMA) was created to allow grantees and applicants the ability to enter all of their relevant grant data online in an easy-to-use Web interface. SIGMA makes the once tedious paper application process bearable by including automatic error checking that ensures grantees’ applications meet predefined business rules. Cumbersome tasks, such as calculating budget totals, are now automatically done by the system, freeing both the applicant and the CVSC staff to concentrate on more important areas of the grant process. The SIGMA system was also designed to integrate with the State of Michigan’s legacy mainframe accounting system.

The Benefits
Not only does SIGMA track the funds for each grantee and each grant fund, it also gives up-to-the-second reports on the amount of money being disbursed to each grantee. SIGMA has proven itself an effective and dependable automated system that efficiently approves, tracks, and maintains the annual $12 million that it distributes. It has helped the CVSC manage the entire grant process from the beginning application stages, through the close-out and the final payment process.