About the Helios Education Foundation
Client: Helios Education Foundation
Industry: Education Foundation
Key Stakeholders: Erika Morse (Grants Management Director)
Client Since: 2013
Tools Used: SmartSimple Cloud
Overview
The Helios Education Foundation is dedicated to ensuring postsecondary education is within reach for all individuals in Arizona and Florida, with a particular focus on historically underserved communities. Their initiatives span early childhood through higher education, and are driven by values of Community, Equity, Investment, and Partnership.
Challenges
Helios was relying on a six-year-old, in-house server-based system that was no longer meeting their operational needs. Key pain points included:
- No remote access
- Difficult and fragmented data retrieval
- No intuitive reporting functionality
- Limited organizational usage and staff adoption
- Documentation and records stored in silos
With increasing demand for transparency, collaboration, and actionable reporting, it was clear the system had become a bottleneck to progress.
Solutions Implemented
Helios turned to the Idealware Consumers Guide to Grants Management Systems and conducted a rigorous vendor review process. Among the systems evaluated, SmartSimple Cloud stood out for one major reason: they listened. The Helios team worked hand-in-hand with SmartSimple to ensure a platform that truly fit their workflows. Though the implementation took longer than anticipated, the extra time allowed for:
- Streamlined data entry processes
- Custom reporting formats
- Full organizational buy-in
Impact & Outcomes
Grants Management Director Erika Morse became a key driver of the new system, despite not having an IT background. Now, even non-programmatic departments like marketing and policy research are integrated into the platform. All data is accessible, trackable, and reportable from a single, centralized location.
- Full remote access for field staff
- Robust, intuitive reporting tools for real-time decision-making
- Organization-wide usage, expanding from 4 users to full adoption
- Integrated contract and user tracking for broader operational needs
Client Testimonials
“It’s easy to use, easy to adapt, and the team behind it genuinely cares about what they’re building and who they’re building it for.”
— Erika Morse, Grants Management Director
Key Takeaways
SmartSimple Cloud has not only replaced a legacy system for Helios, it has elevated how the foundation operates. The shift to a centralized, cloud-based grants management platform has improved accuracy, accountability, and efficiency across the organization.