Saving an opportunity puts it in your pipeline, where deadlines start tracking automatically. Both grants and contracts can be saved; contract items are marked as such in the pipeline view.
The six statuses
Move an item along as work progresses:
- saved — the default on a first save. Worth a look.
- researching — you are reading the notice and checking fit.
- drafting — you are writing.
- submitted — it is in.
- awarded — you won.
- declined — you did not.
Awarded and declined items move to a closed section rather than disappearing, which is what makes your own win rate visible over time.
Saving is an upsert
Saving the same opportunity again updates it in place rather than creating a duplicate. That is how you change status: save it again with the new one.
Notes
You can attach a note up to 500 characters. Notes replace on update rather than appending — so if you are keeping a running log, write it somewhere else and use the note for current state (“waiting on letter of support from the district”).
Why save early
Two reasons, both practical.
Deadlines only track for saved items. An opportunity you meant to come back to is not being watched. See Deadline tracking and urgency.
Declined data is worth having. Most organizations never record what they lost, so they never learn which funders were never realistic. Marking declined costs one action and gives you a real denominator.
Plan limits
Some legacy accounts are capped at 10 saved grants. Current subscriptions are unlimited — if you hit a cap, that is what it means, and the message will point you to upgrading.