GO Smart Help Center

GO Smart Help Center

Set Up Grantee Reporting Requirements

Create a Flex Form

A Flex Form is an additional cycle used when you need to offer alternative forms, such as reimbursement requests, invoices, or standalone interim or final reports, that fall outside the single standard application and its two associated reports (Interim and Final) within a grant cycle.

Last updated on 05 May, 2026

⚙️ How to Create a Flex Form

  1. Go to the Grant Editor tab → Program Cycles subtab.

  2. Select the Program and Cycle.

  3. Go to the Clone Tools tab and click Create New Cycle.

  4. From the Configure Cycle section, change the Cycle Name to something such as '[Original Cycle Name] - Q1 Invoice'.

  5. Set the Active Cycle Order number to come after the cycle it's connected to (i.e., the primary cycle is sequence 4, the flex form is sequence 5).

  6. Set the Open Applications and Application Deadline fields for this flex form.

  7. Edit the Program Description, Program Message, Application Submission Text, and Application Confirmation Text for the flex form and save the updates.

  8. Go to the Grant Editor tab → Cycle Pages subtab and remove any Intent to Apply, Interim Report, or Final Report pages.

  9. Edit existing pages or add new pages to your flex form.

  10. Go to the Status Mailers subtab. Delete, edit, or create new status mailers as needed.

🎥 30-second video demonstrating an administrator navigating to the Grant Editor tab, then the Program Cycles subtab. The video then shows the administrator going to the Clone Tools section and clicking 'Create New Cycle' to make the flex form. Finally, the video shows the user renaming the cycle to clearly link the new cycle to the original one.


Alerts, Context, and Tips

⚠️ Alerts:

  • Creating an additional cycle within the same program can incur additional fees. Be sure to discuss your plans with a member of the GO Smart team.

  • Add new pages to your flex form as 'main' application pages (peach-colored pages). Do not use the Intent to Apply, Interim Report, or Final Report pages for the Flex Form.

📝 Note: Creating a Flex Form requires cloning an existing cycle to create a new one, as a Flex Form is, technically, a new application cycle.

💡 Tips:

  • Using Flex Forms isn’t possible when using a single cycle for your entire grant process from start to finish.

  • Instead of cloning a cycle to create a flex form within the same program, clone a cycle to create a new program specifically for a particular flex form (e.g., Program: Operational Grant Quarterly Reimbursement Forms).

  • Include the original cycle name in the new title so applicants know they are linked.


🧐 When to Use a Flex Form

Use a Flex Form if:

  • You conducted the application and/or interim report in another system or offline, but want to offer the interim and/or final report in GO Smart.

  • You are asking applicants to submit an associated form that does not conform to the standard report format (e.g., Reimbursement Requests or Invoices).

  • Your application process requires multiple steps, such as numerous eligibility phases beyond an Intent to Apply, or multi-year projects that necessitate more forms than a single main application, an Interim Report, and a Final Report.

Did you find this tutorial helpful?
Previous

Clone Limited Applicant Data for Multiple Year Grants

Next

© 2026 GO Smart™ | Creative West (formerly WESTAF)

InstantDocs Logo