Importing applications with Google Sheets importer

Using the Google Sheets importer available in the Integration marketplace, you can import your organisation’s applications in a few simple steps.

Should I use this feature?

Importing your program’s historical data—such as applications from previous years—can be useful for centralising information and reducing time spent searching across multiple systems. Importing past applications into Good Grants allows your team to keep everything in one place.

What will I need to have prepared?

To import applications you will need:

• A fully configured application form in Good Grants that matches your historical data
• A formatted Google Sheets document containing your historical data and the relevant Good Grants slugs

This guide covers best practices for both.

Step 1: configure your application form

If you previously collected applications outside Good Grants, you should already have an idea of the information you need. To set up your application form, configure categories, tabs, and fields.

Helpful guides include:

• Recommended steps to start application configuration
• Using forms
• Category configuration
• Tab configuration
• Add an application field

Step 2: format your Google Sheet for import

This is the most critical step; setting up your Google Sheet correctly ensures a seamless import. Think of it like preparing a wall for painting—without the correct preparation the paint job will fail. Similarly, if your spreadsheet is missing a required field (like Application name), the import will fail. 

Your spreadsheet must have the following required columns:

• Applicant email address
• Category slug
• Application name

The following optional columns can also be included on your spreadsheet:

• Chapter slug (if applicable)
• Application fields, with each field in its own column
• Status - can be in_progress, submitted or resubmission_required
• Application slug
• Season

Your completed sheet should resemble the example shown below.

Step 3: import applications

1. Open the Manage workspace and go to Settings > Integrations > Marketplace
2. Under 'Import', click Google Sheets importer
3. Click Configure
4. Provide a Name or keep the default, then click Next
5. In 'Google Sheets Connection', click Sign in with Google and follow the prompts
6. Close the tab after authorisation and click Next in Good Grants
7. Enter your Spreadsheet ID—this is the long string of characters between two forward slashes in the URL for your spreadsheet. 
   
   
8. Choose import options for applications—if some of the users and applications already exist you can choose to update these on import. 
9. Click Next
10. Select the worksheet to import
11. Choose your application form under 'Import destination'
12. Select the Title and Category fields
13. Set the local and external unique identifiers using your application slugs. When importing new applications we recommend having an empty column on your spreadsheet for the application slug. Once the import is complete we will add the slug for the application to the column in your spreadsheet.
    
    
     
14. Click Add to field map and pair each Good Grants field with the corresponding spreadsheet column. You must add mapping for the required columns from Step 2 above.
15. When field mapping is complete, click Next
16. Enter your email address to receive the import report
17. Click Finish

The import may take time to complete. A confirmation email will be sent when finished.

Good to know

• Each application field requires its own column, with the field name or slug as the header.
• Leave the 'Application slug' column blank when importing new applications.
• Set the 'Status' column to submitted—applications not labelled submitted will import as in progress. 
• Applications imported with the submitted status must include any required fields. 
• Up to 1,000 applications can be imported at once.
• Contributor fields, referee fields, and the table field type are not supported with the Google Sheets importer, but can be imported using the Good Grants API.
• Checkbox fields should use the value 'True', while checkbox lists should use assigned values separated by commas.
• Country values must use two-letter ISO country codes.
• Dates and times must follow YYYY-MM-DD (ISO 8601).
• Currencies should be imported as numbers only, without symbols or commas.
• If Google Sheets converts values (such as phone numbers) into hyperlinks, prefix them with a single apostrophe to prevent this.
• If you add new columns later, remove and re-add the Google Sheet in the Resources step—your field mapping will be preserved.
• Clear Short titles on Good Grants fields make field mapping much easier.