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How to Set Up Approvals for Awarding, Disbursements & Reimbursements

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Micall Searles
Micall Searles
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Contents

Overview

This step-by-step guide shows Program Admins (Organization Owners, Program Owners, Program Managers) how to set up approvals for awarding, disbursements, and/or reimbursements in an award cycle in Next. 

⚠ Approvals must be enabled for your organization. If you would like this feature enabled, please contact Customer Success.

What Are Approvals? 

Approvals let you route awards, disbursements, and reimbursements through a structured review process before they move forward. 

You can control: 

  • Who approves
  • How many approvals are required
  • Which application sections/fields approvers can see

Approvals can be applied to: 

  • Awarding: Before notifying an award recipient
  • Disbursements: Before initiating a disbursement
  • Reimbursements: After an awardee requests reimbursement for eligible expenses 

⚠️Before You Begin: Enable Approver Role & Invite Approvers 

You must enable the Approver role and invite approvers to your program before setting up approvals. This ensures they are available to select when you create your approval groups in later steps. 

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1: Enable the Approvals You Need in the Cycle

Follow the steps for the approval type(s) you want to enable in the cycle:

How to Enable Awarding Approvals

  1. In the cycle, click Awarding in the top menu, then select Award Approvals from the left menu.


     
  2. Switch the toggle on the far-right of the screen to Enabled.


     

How to Enable Disbursement Approvals 

  1. In the cycle, click Post-Award in the top menu, then select Disbursement Approvals from the left menu.


     
  2. Switch the toggle on the far-right of the screen to Enabled.


     

How to Enable Reimbursement Approvals 

  1. In the cycle, click Post-Award in the top menu, then select Reimbursement Approvals from the left menu.


     

  2. Switch the toggle on the far-right of the screen to Enabled.

 

Step 2: Decide How Many Approval Groups You Need

This step is about how many groups you create, and who goes in each one. 

A. One Group (1 group of approvers reviews at same time)

  • All approvers in the group receive the request at the same time and review independently. 
    💡 Best when: You want a fast turnaround or the order of review doesn't matter.
    • How to setup: Create 1 group and add all approvers to it. This could be one person or a mix of people. 
    • Example: Program Admins + Finance Team review together

B. Multiple Groups (Multiple groups of approvers review in a specific order)

  • Each group has to finish before the next one is notified — this is called a sequential approval workflow, since the groups happen in order.
    💡 Best when: You have a strict chain of command or earlier decisions affect later ones
    • How to setup: Create Group 1 and add the first set of approvers. Create Group 2 and add the next set of approvers. Repeat as needed.
    • Example: Program Admins (Group 1) → Finance Team (Group 2) → Grant Director (Group 3).

Groups can be adjusted at any time; however, any changes apply to future approvals, not to items already sent for approval.

 

Step 3: Add Approval Group(s)

1. On the Award, Disbursement, or Reimbursement Approvals screen, click +Add group at the bottom.

Example: 



2. (Optional) - Click the pencil icon to rename the group. 


 

  • To expand or minimize the group settings, click the dropdown arrow on the far-right of the group. 
  • To delete a group, click the trash can icon. 

 

Assign Approvers

1. Use the “Assign approver” dropdown to select one or more approvers for this group. 

➜ If you' only need one approval group: Add all approvers to this group. 
➜ If you need more than one approval group (sequential approval): Add the approvers who belong in Group 1. You’ll create additional groups in future steps. 
 

 

⚠ Only approvers who've been invited to the program and existing Organization Members, Organization Owners, Client Admins will appear for selection. 

 

Step 4: Choose a Completion Rule

The Completion Rule decides two things: when a group is done reviewing, and whether that ends in approval or rejection.  

  1. Use the Completion Rule dropdown to select an option:  

  • Minimum Approvals Required: The item moves forward when the minimum number of required approvals is reached (minimum is set in Step 5 below). 

    💡 Best when: You need a set number of approvals before proceeding. (For example, requiring 3 approvals out of 5 approvers means the item won't move forward until at least 3 people approve it, no matter how quickly responses come in).
     
  • Minimum Decisions Required: A decision is any response — approve or reject. The item moves forward when the set minimum number of approvals is reached, or is rejected when the same minimum number of rejections is reached — whichever happens first ((the minimum is set in Step 5 below).

    💡 Best when: You want a fast, first-come-first-served turnaround. (For example, with a group of 5 approvers, setting the minimum to 1 means the item is approved or rejected as soon as any single person responds — no need to wait on the rest).

 

Step 5: Set the Minimum Required 

1. Use the Minimum Required dropdown to set how many decisions (for "Minimum Decisions Required" setups) or approvals (for "Minimum Approvals Required" setups) are needed to finish the group's review. 

In sequential workflows, once this minimum is reached for a group, the next group is notified and can begin their approvals. 

 


💡Need help deciding on a minimum number? Use the table below: 

If you select… Minimum Approvals Required Minimum Decisions Required
1

Any one approval moves the item forward. Any approver in the group can approve. 

If all members in the group reject it, the item changes to "rejected."

(Example: 4 approvers; Min = 1 → Any one of the four must approve). 

Any one response decides it (rejected or approved).

(Example: 4 approvers; Min. = 1 → Any one approval or rejection changes the item's status).  
A number in between (example: 2 of 4)

This # of approvals is required to move the item forward. 

If enough people reject the item that it can no longer receive the required approvals, it changes to "rejected."  

(Example: 4 approvers; Min = 2 → Any two of the four must approve). 

Whichever type — approvals or rejections — reaches this # first decides it. 

(Example: 4 approvers → Min. = 2 → If two people approve, the item moves forward. If two people reject, the item is rejected. Whichever is reached first decides the outcome. 

📌 Note: If responses are split, the item remains pending until the required number of matching decisions is reached.
For example, if two approvals are required and the vote is split 1–1: a second approval approves the item; a second rejection rejects it — whichever comes first. 
The maximum value (example: 4 of 4)

Everyone in the group must approve. 

If even one person rejects, the item changes to "rejected."

(Example: 4 approvers; Min = 4 → All four must approve)

Everyone in the group must respond. 

(Example: 4 approvers → Min. = 4 → All four responses, either approvals or rejections, decide the outcome)

 

The completion rule and/or minimum decisions/approvals required can be changed at any time; however, changes apply to future approvals, not to items already sent for approval.

 

Step 6 (Optional): Select Fields to Show the Approver(s) 

  • Choose which fields from the profile form, intake form(s) and/or custom review feedback form(s) to show each approver during their review. Select only the fields that are relevant to the approver. 

    1. Click Show Fields. 

2. In the "Show application fields to approver" pop-up, select the checkboxes next to the sections and/or individual fields you want the approver to see. 
 

To view individual fields within a section, click the dropdown arrow next to a section to expand it, then select the individual fields you want to make visible to approvers.



  • For Reimbursement Approvals, you can also select which reimbursement fields you want to share with approvers.


 

Some reimbursement fields are required to show and cannot be changed.

 

3. Click Show Fields in the bottom-right corner of the pop-up to save your selections. 

 

What approvers see:

  • When approvers view their approval requests, the fields you selected appear in a single row for each awardee.

    Example:

    Approval.gif

 

Step 7 (Optional): Require a Certification Statement at Approval

Require approvers to agree to a statement before they can approve — for example, confirming a reimbursement meets your program's rules. Each group can have its own statement.

To require a certification statement: 

  1. Select the checkbox next to the text, "Require approvers to acknowledge a certification statement before approving."

You can uncheck the box at any time; however, changes only apply to future approvals, not to items already sent for approval. Approvals already recorded keep the certification statement captured at the time of approval.



 

2. Enter your statement in the Rich Text Editor. 


 

  • If the box is checked, you must enter a statement; it cannot be left blank. 
  • This statement applies only to the approval group you set it up in; if you want a statement in another group, you must set it up there. 


3. Proceed to Step 8 to save your changes. 
 

What approvers see:

  • If you require a certification statement, approvers see it in the approval pop-up after they click Approve in the upper-right corner of the screen. They must check the box next to the statement before they can approve the item — the Approve button in the pop-up stays disabled until they do.


     
  • Their agreement is saved with that approval for your records. 
     

Step 8: Save Changes

➜ If you' only need one approval group: Click Save Changes in the upper-right corner. 


➜ If you need more than one approval group (sequential): Repeat the steps 3-7 above for each group, Once you're finished adding the groups you need, click Save Changes in the upper-right corner. 


 

Next Steps

 

Related Articles

➡️Enable the Approver Role & Invite Approvers. 
➡️How to Request Approvals for Awarding, Disbursements & Reimbursements
 






 

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