Creating an Application - Guidance

*The initial steps will differ based on whether you are a New Applicant or an Existing Grantee. Please see the relevant section for the first steps. Creating an application will be the same process for all.

*Note for all applicants: Throughout this process, you will not be able to submit or advance to the next section unless certain required information is entered. If anything is missing, you will see a red box at the top of your screen listing the required items. Those fields with an asterisk (*) are required for saving information, and fields with the yellow triangle icon ( ) are required to submit your application.

Existing Grantees – Logging In

1. Arrive at the Hex Portal login page

2. Enter your login credentials (username and password) in the top right corner of the page. Write to proposals@ned.org for help if you forgot username and password.

3. From the homepage, click on the “Opportunities” tab on the purple bar

4. Once open, find the relevant Application Cycle and click on the ‘View icon’ under the “Actions” tab. This will give you an overview of the opportunity information and application deadline for the upcoming cycle

5. If you have any questions, scroll to the “Q&A Information” section and click “Ask a Question?” Another window will pop up, and you can fill in the relevant fields and send your question to someone at NED. Click “Submit” when finished.

New Applicants – Registering in the Hex Portal

1. Open the Hex Portal

2. In the top right corner click “Register”

3. After reading through the information under “Organization” click “Begin Registration”

4. Read through the Legal Disclaimers and click “Agree”

5. Complete the Eligibility Quiz by answering the listed questions

5a. Under Project Target Country, scroll down the list until you locate the project’s target country. To select the country, click on the arrow pointing to the right. If you would like to remove a Target Country you selected, highlight it, and click the arrow pointing left

Add country:

Remove country:

5b. The same steps apply to selecting “general objectives”

*The target country is the country in which the project will take place.

6. Click continue

7. Fill in “Organization Information” and upon completion click “Continue”

8. Complete the “Organization Representative” section (Insert your own email address as the email)

9. Complete “Primary Representative Information”

*The primary representative is the person filling out the application.

10. Click “Continue”

11. Verify Captcha

12. Click “Submit”

13. You will receive a system email confirming registration from a Salesforce email. Follow the steps to create your own password.

You have now signed up for the Hex Portal.

Creating an Application

1. Log in using your email and password

2. Select “Opportunities” from the top bar

3. Under “Published Opportunities” click on the image of the ‘View icon’ under the “Actions” tab - this will give you an overview of the opportunity information and application deadline for the upcoming cycle

18. Click on “Create Application” located in the top right corner of the page

19. A pop-up box will appear, fill in the “Project Title” field and click “save and continue”

20. This is the “Application Overview” page - go through each subsection and fill in the relevant information

a. Opportunity Overview – This subsection shows your unique opportunity ID and upcoming board cycle for which you are applying

b. Application Overview – Complete all 5 fields in this subsection. Required fields are marked with a red asterisk*

c. Organization Information - Click on the organization link to either complete (if you are a new applicant) or revise (if you are a returning applicant) your Organization Profile information. *All information must be complete and up to date for your application to be considered.

i. The link will take you to your Organization overview page – at the top, please note your organization name, organization ID, and status – continue to fill out each subsection.

1. Organization – Fill in all fields if possible. Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*)

2. Other Office Locations – If you have offices at other locations than the one listed under Organization, please list them here by clicking “New” at the top right of this subsection. Fill out all relevant fields and click “save.” Repeat for each additional office.

3. Staff Organization Contacts – Add all organization contacts that might serve as contacts to NED staff to this subsection. To add a new contact, click “New” at the top right corner of this subsection. Fill in the relevant information and click “save.” Repeat for each additional contact.

a. Once you have added all contacts for your organization, you will be able to filter (funnel icon) by name and position, search contacts (magnifying glass) and view (‘View’ icon) or edit (‘Edit’ icon) each contact.

4. Board Organization Contacts – Add all board contacts of your organization to this subsection. To add a new board contact, click “New” at the top right corner of this subsection. Fill in the relevant information and click “save.” Repeat for each additional contact.

5. System Information – This subsection provides a snapshot of who created the information, when it was last updated and by whom. You do not need to do anything with this information.

ii. Click “save” at the bottom of this page – you will be redirected to the top of the page – click on Organization Bio

1. Unique Organization Information – Fill in all relevant fields. Required fields are marked with an asterisk

2. Organization Profile – Fill in all relevant fields. Under “Type of Organization” select your org type in the Available column and move it over to the Chosen column

iii. Click “save” at the bottom of this page – you will be redirected to the top of the page – click on Additional Organization Details

1. In this section you will enter more information about your organization, including structure and governance and financial

information. Click the green icon to view each section. You have the option to edit the information. 

a. Organization Structure and Governance -fill out the relevant fields. The first two questions under “Board Oversight” are required to save your application and to submit. Click “Save” when finished. 

 b. Organization Financials  – Click “Edit” to make updates. Each field must be completed to submit your application. 

i. The first section, “Organization Financials” is prepopulated from when you first registered your organization. If any of this information has changed, however, please update the appropriate information.  

ii. In “All Grant or Contact Funding Details,” you will list other organizations from which you receive funding. Click “Add” and fill in all relevant fields. You may click the red “x” under “Actions” to remove. Click “Save” when finished. (This section will only appear if you answer “yes” to the previous question, “Has your organization had grant or contract funding in the last twelve months?”) 

iii. The section labeled “Other Sources of Income” must be completed to submit your application.  

iv.  Click “Save” to log any changes or “Back” to return to the previous page. 

 

iv. Go to Attachments – upload attachments as requested, that are specific to your organization (not the application) and click save

1. For example, the organization registration documents for registered organizations that are not 501c3s

d. Organization Last Modified Information – This subsection shows you when your org information was last updated.

e. Project Contacts – This subsection is for contacts directly related to the project. To add a new project contact, click “New Staff Contact.”

i. Fill in all relevant fields, then click “Save”. Those marked with an asterisk (*) are required.

a. In the “Reports To” field, you can click the magnifying glass to pull up a list of people in the organization. Click “Select” next to the relevant person.

ii. To add a current staff person, click “Existing Contact.” Select the relevant person. Fields with asterisks (*) are required.

a. Note: “Existing Contact” means selecting a contact from your organization that has been previously entered.

iii. To add a board member, click “New Board Contact” and fill in the relevant information. Fields with asterisks (*) are required.

a. Add either existing contacts, staff contacts, or board contacts by clicking the blue tabs at the top right.

b. Note: “Add Existing Contact” means selecting a contact from your organization that has been previously entered.

iv. Once contacts have been added, make sure you’ve filled out the fields under “Office Phone” or “Main or Back Up.” Those fields are required.

f. Project Target Country – Enter the country in which your project will take place. You may pick more than one.

i. Click “New” in the top right corner of the subsection.ii. Click on the dropdown menu to select your country.

iii. Save before continuing.

g. Subrecipient Information (If Applicable) – Subrecipient is an organization that receives funds from a NED grantee. If you have subrecipients for this project, fill in all fields in this subsection. Depending on your answers, you may need to submit additional information.

i. “Are there any circumstances which may present challenges to your organization…” If you answer “Yes,” you will be asked to explain.

ii. Does your organization have a subrecipient agreement / Do you have written procedures to monitor subrecipients? If you answer yes to this question, you will be required to upload this document.

h. Subrecipient Details (If Applicable) – To add the organization name of each subrecipient and the amount, click “Add” in the top right corner of this subsection. Click “Save” when finished.

i. Acknowledgement – Check the box next to “I agree” to verify that the information provided is accurate and complete.

j. Click “save” at the bottom right of the page – this completes the Overview section – click on Application Forms to move on to the next part of the submittal process.

At this point you have completed the Overview Section, the next section for completion is the “Application Forms”

21. Select “Application Forms”

22. This is the Application Forms section – you will need to complete the “Objectives–Activities–Evaluation” and “Narrative” which are listed in the table.

a. Click on the ‘Edit icon’ under “Actions” to edit (or fill in) the Objectives-Activities-Evaluation portion.

i. Read the descriptions under Project Objectives, Project Activities, and Evaluation Plan. Scroll down to the text fields.

ii. Input your information directly into each section (following the section descriptions that you just reviewed). You make copy and paste from a Word document.

iii. Click “save” at the bottom right corner of the page. You will be able to review what

iv. This will redirect you to the top of the page. Click “back” to return to the Application Forms overview page.

6. Click on the Attachments tab to move on to the next section.

b. Click on the ‘Edit icon’ under “Actions” to edit (or fill in) the Narrative portion.

i. Fill in the Project Summary, Project Background, and Organization Background in the text fields. Descriptions for each section are marked with an asterisk and located directly above each text box.

ii. Organizational Background – proposal submissions – Click “add” to provide the name and contact of any other funding organizations to which this proposal is also being submitted.

iii. Organizational Background – References – Click “add” to provide names and contact information for two or more individuals who know the organization’s work or the work of its key staff and volunteers.

iv. Click “save” at the bottom right corner of the page and you will be redirected to the Application Forms overview page

23. Click on the Attachments tab to move on to the next section.

a. Supporting Documents Checklistv. You must fill out and submit your project budget to submit your

application. Click “View” under the “Template Link” column to download the budget template.

vi. Fill out the budget template and save on your computer. vii. Click the upload icon under the “Actions” column. Upload the document.

b. Application Files – upload any other documents relevant to your application, including proposal details in another language.

c. Notes – include any notes about your application.

7. You are now ready to submit your application. Click “Submit Application” at the top right corner of the page.

a. If you have failed to complete required fields, there will a red pop-up box identifying the fields that you are missing.

b. Otherwise, your proposal will be submitted to our database and the initial submittal process is complete.

For example:

26. Once the application is submitted the status will change to “Submitted to Grantor”

9. History – Shows snapshot of your application history.

10. Collab – Use this tab to communicate with NED staff about any questions or issues you have with your application

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Do I need to register as an organization in order to apply for a grant?Yes. We do not provide funding to individuals.

If my organization has applied for a grant before, but I don’t have access to the log-in information, do I have to register again?No. Please reach out to us using the Needs Assistance form to retrieve your organization’s access information. Please be prepared to provide verification of your affiliation with the organization.

Can I update my organization’s information after registration?Yes, once the organizational account is activated, you may update organization information when necessary.

I indicated that my organization was legally registered, but I don’t know where to upload my registration certificate.You will be prompted to provide that documentation at a later stage of the application process.

Does the person registering now have to be the organization’s Primary Representative?No, the person registering on behalf of the organization can be the Primary Representative, but not necessarily. The Primary Representative is the main point of contact, and is tasked with submitting

required documents and managing other user accounts tied to the organization.

Does the Primary Representative have to be the organization’s executive?No. The Primary Representative does not need to be the organization’s executive.

Can I register multiple organizations?If you are affiliated with more than one organization, you must register each of them separately.

I received a message saying that my organization was not eligible for funding. What is my next step if I believe my organization is eligible?If you believe your registration was not approved in error, please contact us using the Needs Assistance form.

What is the Password Policy?

Passwords must contain a minimum of 16 characters and include at least 1 alpha and 1 numeric character. We recommend using a phrase containing unrelated words, perhaps with numbers representing letters (e.g., Tr33FaceBroomChair), but something that you’ll easily remember.

Passwords will expire in 180 days, and you may not reuse any of your previous 3 passwords. Your password hints may not contain your password. You may not change your password more than once in a 24-hour period. After 5 invalid login attempts, your account will be locked for 30 minutes and further login

attempts will be rejected. You may attempt login again after 30 minutes. Accounts without login activity will be deactivated after 1 year.