Overview

This step-by-step guide shows Program Admins how to set up an award agreement template. 

Note: Adding awards to a program cycle in Next includes two steps:

1. Setting up the award details for the cycle: See ➡️Award Setup
2. Setting the terms awardees must accept to receive an award (the focus of this article)

🎥 Quick Video Walkthrough 

Watch this short video for a quick intro to award agreements before diving into the steps below.

What are Award Agreement Templates?

An Award Agreement Template is the agreement you build to send to awardees. It sets the terms an awardee must accept to receive an award. Instead of writing a new agreement for every awardee, the template holds your standard agreement language. An award agreement can go to a single awardee or be reused for many, but every agreement needs its own template before you can send it.

Who can edit and publish award agreements: 

• Organization Owners 
• Client Admins 
• Program Owners 
• Program Managers

Step-By-Step Instructions 

Access Agreement Templates 

1. Open the program, then click the gear icon to the far-right of the cycle to open Cycle Settings.
   
   
    

2. In Cycle Settings, click Awarding in the top menu, then select Agreement Templates from the left menu. 

   

    

   3. Any templates you've already started (draft or published), show up here. 

a. To create a new template, click Create New, then click Open on the new template that appears. 
b. To open a template you already started, click Open to the far right of it. 

Customize the Template 

⚠️ Important Notes

• Publishing is a separate step you take once the template is fully set up — see Publish the Template below. Once a template is published, it can no longer be edited, but you can duplicate it and edit the duplicated version.

Rename the Template 

1. All forms in Next are created with a default name — follow the steps in ➡️ Rename a Form if you want to give the agreement template a more specific name.

   

    

Customize Fields 

Every agreement template starts with four default fields. Learn more about each one by clicking into the hyperlink below: 

• Rich Text Editor
• Upload Required Documents
• Progress Report Schedule
• Disbursement Schedule. 

Hide Default Fields

You can hide any of these if you don't need them, but you can't delete them. 

1. Click into the field, then click the gear icon in the upper-right corner.

2. In the panel that opens, toggle Hide field? to Yes, then click Done to close the panel. 

3. Click Save in the upper-right corner of the field. 

Add Fields

Adding fields to the Agreement Template works the same as other forms in Cycle Settings. Follow the steps in ➡️Add a Form Field and ➡️Customize Form Fields to add and customize form fields. For an in-depth overview of each form field type, see ➡️Understanding Form Field Types.


 

Move Fields

You can move a default field the same way you move any other form field — see ➡️ Move Form Fields.

Rich Text Editor Default Form Field

Use the Rich Text Editor to add details about the agreement's terms, including links or images. 

Add or edit contents in the Rich Text Editor

1. Click anywhere inside the box to make the field editable. When the field is editable, a dotted line and field label will appear around it. 

   

2. Add or edit the contents as needed.
3. When finished, click Save in the upper-right corner.
   
   

Personalize with Variables in the Rich Text Editor

You can add variables to the Rich Text Editor to fill in each recipient's details automatically, instead of manually editing every agreement.

Types of Variables

Static Variables: Program-level details that stay the same across all agreements, like Program Name, Cycle Name, and Award Amount.

Dynamic Variables: Applicant-specific details pulled from the Profile Form or an Intake Form, like text answers, multiple-choice responses, and dates.

To add a variable: 

1. In the Rich Text Editor, click where you want the variable to appear.

   To add a Static Variable:

   • Select the program setting field you want to include (Program Name, Cycle Name, Award Amount)
   • The static value will appear immediately in your template

   To add a Dynamic Variable:

   • Select the form you want to pull from (Note: Profile Form will only be an option after the final review round) and the section (if your form has sections)
   • Choose the specific field you want to include from that form

📌Note: Variables appear in your template as a placeholder, like {{variable_name}}. When the agreement is sent, Next automatically fills in the actual data. 

4. When finished, click Save in the upper-right corner of the Rich Text Editor.

Upload Required Documents Default Form Field

Use the Upload Required Documents field to collect supporting documents from awardees, such as a "wet signature," tax documentation, or other documentation required for acceptance. 

Customize the Upload Required Documents field

1. Click anywhere inside the field to make it editable. When the field is editable, a dotted line and field label will appear around it. 
2. (Optional) Click into the field name box to rename it, as needed. (Example: "Proof of Enrollment")
3. (Optional) Enter help text to provide instructions to awardees.  (Example: "Upload a copy of your current class schedule or an enrollment verification letter from your school's registrar. This confirms you're enrolled for the term this scholarship covers").
4. When finished, click Save in the upper-right corner of the field. 

Progress Report Schedule Default Form Field

A progress report is an update awardees submits during their award period, showing they're meeting the terms of the agreement. In the Progress Report Schedule field, you build a schedule of the reports you require — setting a name, reporting period, report form, and due date and time zone for each one. 

💡Tip: If your program doesn't require progress reports, hide this field — see ➡️Hide Default Fields above.

Set Up the Progress Report Schedule field

1. Click anywhere inside the field to make it editable. When the field is editable, a dotted line and field label will appear around it. 
2. Select a time zone from the Time Zone dropdown. This sets the time zone used for the due date of the reports awardees submit.
   
   

3. Complete the report rows 

• Each report row has three icons available:

Save a report - you must click this to save your entry. 

Preview a report - preview the report form and schedule details.

Delete a report - remove the entry.

• For each report you want to include in the schedule, complete the following:
  
  

1. Report Form: Select a post-award report form from the dropdown. 
   ⚠️IMPORTANT: If no post-award report forms have been published, nothing will show in this dropdown.  (Please see the article titled ➡️ Create New Post Award Report Form for more information about creating that form.)
   
   Note: A published post-award report form can be used multiple times over many reporting periods.
    
2. Report Name: Enter a name for the report 
3. Reporting Period: Select the date range this report covers using the calendar dropdowns. (For example, a report capturing first quarter data may have a reporting period of January 1 to March 31).
4. Due by: Select the due date and time using the calendar and time dropdowns. (Remember that the time is associated with the Time Zone selected above). 
5. Click the checkmark icon to save the report schedule.
   ⚠️IMPORTANT: After a report schedule is saved, it cannot be edited.  If a mistake is made and the report schedule needs to be changed, it needs to be deleted, then a new one created with the correct information.

• To add another report, click + Add Report and repeat the steps above.
  
  
   
• When all reports are scheduled for this specific agreement template, click Save in the upper-right corner of the field.
  
  

Disbursement Schedule Default Form Field

The Disbursement Schedule form field establishes when disbursements are sent for awards assigned with the corresponding Award Agreement Template. 

Configure the Disbursement field

1. Select anywhere within the form field to make it actively editable.  The dotted line around the form field along with the field label showing, indicates the form field is active.

2. Name the disbursement:

a. Select inside the Title field.

b. Enter a desired title for the disbursement.

c. Select anywhere outside the field to accept the name.

3. Select the paper clip icon in the Dependencies column to open a configuration window.

--- IMPORTANT ---

If there are no progress reports set up in the Progress Report Schedule field above, the Dependencies option will not be available to configure; dependencies are only used and configured when progress reports are set up.

a. Select the checkbox to the left of applicable report names to mark them as a dependency for the disbursement; this means the report(s) must be submitted for the disbursement to execute.

b. Select the Add Report Form button to confirm the set up of the dependencies.

c. Notice the number of dependencies is noted on the Dependencies button.

--- REMEMBER ---

Disbursement schedules do not need to have any dependencies to be set up; if no dependencies are needed, this field can be left blank.

4. Enter the disbursement amount in the Amount field.

5. In the Duration of Disbursement column, enter the time frame where the disbursement is valid; if it the disbursement is a one-time payment as is common with scholarships, select a duration that aligns with the period of time when awards are distributed.

--- REMEMBER ---

The Duration of Disbursement is almost exclusively used with grants and defines the time period when the disbursement is valid or when the awardee can use the funds, it may not be relevant to other types of monetary awards.

6. In the Initiate column, enter the date when the disbursement will begin or be sent.

7. Once a disbursement schedule is completely set up, select the check mark icon to save it.

After a disbursement schedule is saved, it cannot be edited.  If a mistake is made and the report schedule needs to be changed, it needs to be deleted, then a new one created with the correct information.

8. When another disbursement is required for the award agreement, select the + Add Disbursement button.

--- REMEMBER ---

Disbursement schedules within the same Award Agreement Template can have different dependencies (including no dependencies), duration of disbursement, and initiate dates.

9. Repeat the steps above to create the next disbursement schedule.
10. When all disbursements are scheduled for this specific Award Agreement Template, select the Save button for the Disbursement Schedule field.

Acknowledgment Statement

The Acknowledgement Statement is a required element of the Award Agreement Template and cannot be moved or hidden.  However, the statement is editable.

To edit the Acknowledgement Statement:

1. Select the Edit icon above the statement.

2. Edit the text as needed in the text box.
3. Select the Save button when finished.

--- REMEMBER ---

The text on the Decline and Accept buttons is not editable.

Preview the Award Agreement Template

Once the Award Agreement Template is complete, it can be previewed to see how it will appear to award recipients by selecting the Preview button.

The preview shows the full Award Agreement Template including all form fields that are not hidden.

If a disbursement schedule is set up with reporting dependencies, they can also be previewed by selecting the Dependencies icon from the preview window.

If there are multiple report forms required for a disbursement, they will each show as a button and can be previewed if selected.

To close the dependent report forms preview, select anywhere outside of the preview window. 

To close the preview of the Award Agreement, select anywhere outside of the preview window.

Publish the Award Agreement Template

When the Award Agreement Template is finished, it should be published and made available to send to award recipients.

To publish an Award Agreement Template:

1. Select the Publish button in the upper right corner of the screen.

2. On the confirmation popup, select the Submit button.

3. A notification briefly appears on the screen confirming the publication of the template.

--- IMPORTANT ---

Published Award Agreement Templates cannot be edited, so be sure it is completely set up before publishing.  If a mistake is made, simply duplicate the agreement and edit the new one without having to start over with a blank template.

Create as many Award Agreement Templates as needed for the awards in the program cycle.

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