Is Submittable still right for your program?
The quote, your exports, and who answers your email: three things arts and panel-reviewed funders weigh when their applicants include organizations with fiscal sponsors.
Who this page is for
You run programs where panels review applications from organizations, often with fiscal sponsors. Several members of each organization need to work on the same application.
Your staff want to change application statuses and program forms themselves after training. You decide which sections appear by role and application status.
Not for
- This page is not for applicants and writers looking for a Submittable login.
- ApplyCycle is not for buyers who want self-serve software, because Zivtech sets it up with you and trains your staff.
- ApplyCycle is not SOC 2 certified, so it does not fit buyers who need that certification today.
An integration requirement is scoped and quoted after feasibility review, not a reason by itself to stay or leave.
ApplyCycle and Submittable, side by side
We read Submittable's classic product pages on the date shown below; tell us if anything has changed.
| Capability | ApplyCycle | Submittable |
|---|---|---|
| Who applies | Organizations apply, several members can share one application, and fiscal sponsor details stay separate on the organization's profile. Your staff approve registrations before profiles or applications; an invite-only path also exists. | Several Submittable users can work on one submission from separate accounts. Fiscal sponsors on the applicant side: not described on Submittable's public pages. (checked ) Source: Submittable, Who applies |
| Who sees what | You show form sections and fields by role and application status, with fields that depend on earlier answers. Panelists see only assigned applications whose status permits viewing and only the sections their role and status allow. | Reviewer permission levels and custom roles; Conceal Responses hides the submitter's name, email and file names from reviewers at or below a chosen level. Sections shown by stage or status: not described on Submittable's public pages. (checked ) Source: Submittable, Who sees what |
| Stages and statuses | After training, your staff define statuses, their emails, edit rules, and panel visibility. Cycles open and close by date, application limits apply per organization, and staff email selected applications with templates. | Statuses are New, In-Progress, Accepted, Declined, Completed, and Withdrawn. Multiple Stage Reviews is an add-on; staff at levels three to five can open submissions for editing. Source: Submittable, Stages and statuses |
| Panel review | Your staff assign panels or reviewers; the reading pane has next, previous, and jump controls. Each reviewer gives one score per application, with no rubrics; comments are panel-visible or staff-only. | Yes, No, and Maybe reviews come with all plans. Custom review forms use rating fields for numeric scoring hidden from applicants. Source: Submittable, Panel review |
| Exports and records | Choose CSV columns and download combined PDFs or a cycle's zip; compare or restore revisions. At setup Zivtech matches the layout to your board report; four yearly layout changes are included. No dashboards or charts: the export is the report. | Staff at levels four and five export submission data as CSV and full submissions as PDF. Standard reports come with all accounts; Advanced Reporting adds charts and pivot tables. Source: Submittable, Exports and records |
| After the decision | You record award amounts and payment statuses; organizations can see their payments. There are no grant agreements, installment schedules, grantee progress reports, or multi-year disbursement plans. | Funds Tracking records funds, awards, and payments. Funds Management adds budget categories and reimbursements; a DocuSign integration is documented. Source: Submittable, After the decision |
| Recordings and media | Applicants submit recordings and video links; reviewers listen and watch inside the application. | File fields accept audio and video among more than 70 file types, with a default size limit per file and per submission. Submittable's VR Days customer story describes reviewers viewing large video files inside the application beside review forms. Source: Submittable, Recordings and media |
| Support | Zivtech sets up your programs, statuses, forms, panels, and exports with you and trains your staff. Zivtech stays on as the team that answers; a person replies by email. | Help centres per product and a status page; Enterprise lists premium support and implementation. Organization support hours are 9am to 5pm Mountain Time, with a stated aim to respond within 24 business hours. Per-tier terms are not described on Submittable's public pages. Source: Submittable, Support |
| Integrations | ApplyCycle has no shipped integrations; data moves by CSV and PDF. Integration work is scoped and quoted as part of your engagement after a feasibility review. | A public API supports reading and writing data and is enabled under Integrations. Zapier and DocuSign integrations are documented; the API's plan tier is not stated. Source: Submittable, Integrations |
| Price | ApplyCycle starts at $7,500 a year per site, plus setup quoted after a walkthrough. | Custom plans have no public price. The pricing page lists Grant & Application Management, CSR Platform, and Enterprise; cost depends on program size. Source: Submittable, Price |
Where Submittable is stronger
Submittable offers custom review forms with numeric scoring, blind review, reporting charts, funds tracking, a public API, and documented Zapier and DocuSign integrations.
Submittable Next adds weighted criteria scoring and a question that lets reviewers declare a conflict of interest.
Its Smart Summary and Smart Reviewer are in Beta for organizations with a signed Beta Agreement; no plan tier is stated.
Checked on . Tell us if something here has changed.
See it with your program
Bring your current program to a live walkthrough, from registration through panel review, exports, and payment records.
Register one organization
- One sample organization with two members and a fiscal sponsor registers. Your staff accept it before the members create its profile and application.
Draft the application together
- The two members draft one application together, save it, and return to it. Sections appear as the application's status and each member's role allow.
Move through your statuses
- Your staff move the application through the statuses you use. Each status sends its configured email when the application enters it.
Review and compare scores
- Panelists see only assigned applications and the sections their role and status allow. Each gives one score; your staff see individual scores, minimum, maximum, and average.
Export the application
- Download the agreed CSV columns and one combined application PDF with its attachments. A cycle's application PDFs download together as a zip.
Record the award and payment
- Your staff move the application to a status flagged as an award and record the amount. Record its payment status; the organization can see its payments.
What switching involves
Submittable's export documentation covers submission data as CSV and full submissions as PDF. It also suggests the API for backups.
Your staff import application and payment data into ApplyCycle by CSV. Zivtech sets up your programs, statuses, forms, panels, and exports with you and trains your staff.
Zengine customers
WizeHive (Zengine, NextZen) became part of Submittable in 2024. Submittable lists separate help centres for its classic product, Submittable Next, Zengine and Bright Funds.
If you are evaluating where to go next, the same walkthrough applies. Bring your current program and see its forms, statuses, panels, and exports configured with you.
Extending ApplyCycle
ApplyCycle runs on Drupal, where Zivtech also builds AI. So staff-side AI assistance and integrations are built as part of your engagement, scoped and quoted with you, rather than shipped as modules. Any AI we build works for program staff and reviewers; it never scores, ranks or recommends decisions on applicants. Nothing of this kind ships today, and nothing is built unless you ask for it.
Questions program officers ask
Can our panelists see budgets?
Yes, if the application is assigned to them and its status allows panel viewing. The budget section must also be visible to their role in that status.
Can we change a status email ourselves?
Yes. After training, your staff change the email for each status themselves. That email goes out when an application enters the status.
What happens to our Submittable data?
You export submission data as CSV and full submissions as PDF from Submittable. Its documentation also suggests the API for backups. Your staff import application and payment data into ApplyCycle by CSV.
Does it connect to our CRM or accounting system?
No. Bring your CRM or accounting requirement to the walkthrough for a feasibility review. Zivtech scopes and quotes integration work; today, data moves by CSV and PDF.
Does ApplyCycle offer rubrics or blind review?
No. Each reviewer gives one score per application. There are no rubrics, scoring per criterion, blind review, or conflict-of-interest declarations. Your staff see each reviewer's score and the minimum, maximum, and average.
Bring your program
Bring your current program to a live walkthrough. Work through your application, panel review, exports, and payment records with Zivtech.