Manage the entire process of assessing applications for your organisation’s financial support funds in one place: the Blackbullion platform. There’s no limit to how many funds you can manage in the FMS.
The FMS reduces the manual admin that comes with application assessment and management and lessens back-and-forth communication with students. This frees up significant time for staff to meet other demands of their role.
Save time, reduce staff workload and get funds to the students who need them quicker by opting to use our Instant Payments feature.
With department-specific access, you can use the FMS to manage every type of fund, scholarship, bursary and award at your organisation.
Students in need of financial support are already stressed and worried. Support them by providing an easier and faster way to apply for funds they may be eligible for at your organisation. Our platform guides them through the entire process.
No need to worry about security with the whole process happening in our full secure, GDPR-compliant platform. Say goodbye to paper forms, email threads, photocopies, spreadsheets and PDFs!
“Every staff member has said they couldn’t have coped without the FMS. It’s so easy and makes processing applications so much quicker, enabling us to do our job as best we can for the benefit of our students. We’ve heard nothing but positive feedback from students.”
The FMS automates manual actions like further evidence requests and letting a student know the decision on their application. Over 500,000 automated emails were sent to students last year by the FMS.
Students are more likely to provide all required evidence from the start - thanks to our guided application process and Open Banking feature. This, along with the automated notifications sent by the FMS, means much less back-and-forth communication with students for staff.
The FMS makes it so easy for multiple staff members to be involved in application assessment. With the ability to see all of the application’s history to date, one staff member can simply pick up where another left off.
Tools for staff include the ability to communicate with students through the Blackbullion platform (can only be initiated by the staff member) and reopen closed cases for an appeal or change of circumstances.
The entire application process for every type of support fund, scholarship and bursary at your organisation happens in one place. Our platform is accessible from anywhere, whether staff are in the office or working remotely.
A quicker, easier and less stressful way for your students to apply for support funds, scholarships and bursaries.
Students are guided through each step of the application process and automatically updated on the status of their application.
Our guided process increases the likelihood that students will include all required evidence alongside their application. Reducing the need for back-and-forth with staff and meaning the student will receive a decision on their application faster.
Students have the option to connect their application to their bank account (safely and securely) to provide bank statement-related evidence automatically. Where it would usually take around forty minutes for a student to provide these manually, 'Open Banking' lets them do it in just 3-5 minutes!
Students can choose to save their info for it to be automatically populated on any future applications.
of funds awarded to students through the Funds Management System
automated emails sent to students last year in relation to funding applications. Saving staff from sending these manually!
days collectively saved for staff last year, if we assume it would take 3 minutes to send each email manually. That's the equivalent of sending emails all day, every day for nearly 2 years!
faster for students to supply bank statement evidence
of students would recommend Blackbullion to a friend
students reported improved focus on studies as a result of applying for funding on Blackbullion
“A lot of the time I find it really difficult when I fill out a form, especially being
dyslexic. But the Blackbullion application form is easy to read and really straightforward. I prefer it to my university’s previous process.”
“The application process was straightforward and I didn’t need any help while I was applying. I just followed the instructions.”
We get you set up with an unlimited number of your organisation’s support funds, scholarships and bursaries in our Funds Management System (FMS)
Student searches for financial support on our Funding Hub and finds a fund at your organisation they may be eligible for
Student is guided through the application process, increasing the likelihood that they’ll provide all required evidence alongside their application
Staff member reviews the application, using the powerful tools in the FMS to automate parts of the process to reduce admin and save significant time. They can also collaborate with other staff members through the FMS if needed
If appropriate and relevant, the staff member has the option to assign a piece of learning to the student as part of the process, so they are supported with financial education as well as extra money
Staff member(s) decide if the student’s application has been successful or unsuccessful
The student is automatically notified of the decision on their application, to save the staff member from having to contact them manually (with the option for the staff member to add a message)
Opt to use Instant Payments for the ability to send your students a secure payment immediately (once their application has been assessed and payment approved). No need to worry about missed payment runs!
“If you’re a student in hardship needing funds, you need them quickly. The Instant Payments innovation ticks all the boxes: quick, secure and a big admin saver. It’s a perfect example of using smart tech to support student success and wellbeing.”
“The Funds Management System appeared at exactly the right time for us. I thought it would be amazing because we were using a very admin heavy, time-consuming process for financial support applications. We were looking at ways to rely more heavily on technology to cut down on time and manual admin.”
“It’s just so nice to have one platform that does everything. We’ve got four different funds in the Blackbullion Funds Management System now and to be able to administer those in such an easy way has been huge. It’s made a massive difference.”
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