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How to Import Applicant History

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Micall Searles
Micall Searles
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Contents

Overview

This step-by-step guide shows Organization Owners how to import applicant history into the Participant Network.
 

What is the “Applicant History” Import? 

  • The Applicant History Import feature allows you to import historical application and award data for individuals and organizations using a CSV file. This is generally used to bring in history for applicants prior to moving into Next. 
     
  • After the import, this information appears in the History tab within each user’s profile:

📌Note: Applicant History Import is only for adding historical records. If you have applicants who were awarded before moving to Next that will also need to submit deliverables in the system (e.g., progress reports), you must use a different feature. Learn more here ➡️Direct Awarding.
 

Before You Begin

⚠️Important Requirements

  • Profiles Must Exist First: To import applicant history, the applicant must already have an existing profile in Next. 

📌If you’re importing history for Organization Applicants: Currently, Applicant History Import only works for organization profiles that were originally created via Profile Import (Note: Individual Applicants are fully supported, regardless of how their profile was created).

➡️ Need to import profiles? See How to Import Applicant Profiles.
 

Step-By-Step Instructions

Prepare Your CSV File Template

Step 1: Download & Copy the Template

1. Download the Applicant History Import Template. 

2. Open the file and make a copy of the “Template” tab. 

💡 Download & Editing Tips (Use Before Entering Data) 

Editing in Google Sheets:

1. Make a copy of the template tab.
2. Enter your data in the copied template.
3. Download as CSV.
4. When uploading your CSV to Next, upload the CSV directly from your downloads folder.

Editing in Excel:

1. Download the template from Google Drive as .xlsx.
2. Make a copy of the template tab.
3. Enter your data in the copied template.
4. Save as CSV UTF‑8.

➜ IMPORTANT: Once saved as a CSV, do not re-open the file in Excel or Google Sheets to check your work, as it may auto-reformat your dates and cause errors with the import.

Step 2: Enter Your Data

1. Enter your information for each user into the CSV template: 

  • Each row represents one user (an individual or organization).
  • Fill in the columns with the corresponding information for that user.

⚠️ Formatting Rules 

  1. Don’t change the template—including deleting, adding, or reordering columns—to prevent import errors.

  2. The “Extra Field” column must contain data. It can be anything, e.g., “test” or a random number. (This does not display in the platform but is required for the import to run successfully).

  3. All dates must be formatted mm/dd/yyyy. To prevent auto-reformatting, add a single quote (') before the date in your CSV file, e.g., '03/04/2024.

✳️Required Template Fields for Import:

  • The table below lists the required fields for your import. Your CSV template must include data in these columns.

📌Note: You’ll see additional optional columns in the template (such as Collaborators or Description) that you can fill out or leave blank as needed.

CSV Column Header What to Enter (Data) Notes
*Applicant Type i or o  i = individual applicants
o = organization applicants
*Applicant Name

First Name Last Name; or 

Organization Name

individual applicants = enter their full name. 

organization applicants = enter the organization’s name.
*Applicant Email  Email address 

individual applicants = enter their email address. 

organization applicants = enter the email address for the organization’s profile owner. 

⚠️IMPORTANT:  This must match the Profile Owner’s email address exactly so the system can find the correct matching Organization Profile. 
*Program Name Name of the program This is for historical reference only. You can enter any name (it does not need to match any existing programs in Next).
*Award Name Name of the award This is for historical reference only. You can enter any name (it does not need to match any existing awards in Next).
*Award Decision

Awarded 

Declined

Pending 

Awarded = Selected for and accepted the award. 

Declined = Selected but declined the award. 

Pending = Applied to an ongoing cycle with no decision yet. 
*Date Applied

mm/dd/yyyy


⚠️IMPORTANT: Dates must be in MM/DD/YYYY format. If your spreadsheet changes the format automatically, try adding a single quote before the date to lock it in place (example: '03/12/2026). 

 Date of first application submission.
*Date of Decision mm/dd/yyyy Date the award was granted. 
Date Accepted 

(Required if Award Decision is “Awarded”)		 mm/dd/yyyy Date the award was accepted.
Awarded Amount

(Required if Award Decision is “Awarded”)		 Numbers only (Example: 5000) 




 

This must be a number with no formatting, such as $ or commas. 

Leave blank if you did not award money (e.g., a fellowship)
*Currency Id USD USD must be entered here even if you did not award money; if this is left blank, you’ll get an error in your response file.
*Is Non-Monetary TRUE or FALSE

TRUE if no money was awarded (e.g., a fellowship).

FALSE if money was awarded.
*Source Import ⚠️IMPORTANT: You must enter “import” for every row of data being imported 
*Extra Field Any text  ⚠️IMPORTANT: You must enter a value for every row being imported. It can be any random value (e.g., a number or word). 

 

Complete the Applicant History Import

Step 1: Access “Import Data” in Participant Network 

1. Log in as the Organization Owner. 

2. Click Participant Network in the top menu. 

3. In Participant Network, click Import Data in the upper-right corner. 

4. In the pop-up window, select Applicant History.

Step 2: Upload Your CSV File

1. Under Upload Document, click Choose File > Choose your completed CSV file > Click Next.

💡Reminder: If you edited your CSV in Google Sheets and downloaded it to your device, upload the file directly from your downloads folder. Don’t re-open it in Excel, as it may auto-reformat things. 

Step 3: Review Field Mapping

1. If the required columns in your CSV File match the Applicant History Fields, the fields will automatically map.

What to Check:

✅ If everything has a green checkmark → The import can proceed. 

❌ If you see red X icons → You will not be able to click Continue. 

➜What to do: 

  1. Click Cancel.
  2. Correct the required fields in your CSV file to ensure they match the Applicant History Fields.
  3. Try the import again. 

❓ If you see question mark icons → The system does not detect a matching field. The import can still proceed. (Note: The “Extra Field” at the end typically displays a question mark)

2. Once all required fields are successfully mapped, click Continue in the upper-right corner. 



3. Click Import CSV in the upper-right corner.

 

Download the Response

1. After clicking Import CSV, a download option appears in the pop-up. (If it doesn’t appear, click Cancel and restart the process to try again). 

2. Click Download Response. 


3. A confirmation message appears in the bottom-left confirming that your response was successfully downloaded. 

 

Interpret Your Results

1. Open the Download Response file to confirm how each row was processed. 

How to read the response file: 

  •  In the downloaded file, you’ll see two new columns before your original data:
     
    • “Status:” Shows whether each row (applicant) was Imported or Failed. 
    • “Errors:” Describes the reason for a failed import (For example: missing required fields, unmatched profiles, invalid formatting, etc.) 

🔍 Example: 

  • Rows 2 and 5 were successfully imported. 
  • Rows 3 and 4 failed because the system could not find a profile match. 

If rows failed:

1. If any rows failed, correct the errors directly in your CSV file and restart the import.

💡 Tips & Tricks for Common Errors 

  • “invalid dateApplied, expect mm/dd/yyyy date”: The system isn’t recognizing the date formatting in your CSV.

    ➜ Try this: 

1. Add a single quote (') before the date in your CSV template, e.g., '03/04/2024. 
2. Save the file and try again.
3. If it still fails, follow the download tips.
 

  • “invalid Missing applicantType”: "Missing" errors like this happen when a required field is missing data in your CSV. They also sometimes happen when blank rows exist in your CSV. 

    ➜ Try this: 

- Double-check that each row in your CSV has i or o in the Applicant Type column. Then:

1. Click the first blank row below your data.
2. Press Shift + Ctrl + Down Arrow to select all remaining blank rows.
3. Right-click > Delete.
4. Save the file and try the import again.

  • “code:401 status: Unauthorized”: Usually a session expiration issue.

➜ Try this: 

1. Refresh the page; or 
2. Log out and back in; or 
3. Open an incognito/private window and import again.

  • “Could not find profile with email [x] and profile type organization”: No matching profile for the organization applicant.

➜ Try this: 

1. Go to Participant Network > Organization > Organization Members and verify the email listed under Profile Owner matches your CSV exactly (no extra spaces, no hyperlinks).


⚠️ IMPORTANT: Applicant History Import currently only works for organization profiles imported via Profile Import.

 

After a Successful Award History Import

After applicant history is imported:

1. Go to Participant Network in the top menu.


2. Click the name of the participant. 


3. From the participant’s profile, click History in the left-hand menu.


4. You’ll see a list of all the awards that you imported. Click the dropdown arrows on the far-right of each award to see more details. 

📌Note: Applicants will not see imported awards in their Applicant Portal. Currently, only Admins can see imported awards. 
 

Related Articles

➡️How to Import Applicant Profiles

 
 

 

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