WizeHive Review: Flexible Grant and Award Management

WizeHive is a grant and award management platform built around Zengine, a highly configurable form and workflow engine. Its defining characteristic is flexibility: organisations with non-standard workflows, diverse programme types, or complex review structures that do not fit neatly into pre-configured systems often find WizeHive more accommodating than more opinionated platforms. It handles grant programmes, scholarship management, fellowship applications, award programmes, and prize competitions within a single unified platform — an unusual breadth that appeals to organisations running multiple programme types.

In 2022, WizeHive was acquired by Submittable. It continues to operate under the WizeHive brand, with Zengine as the underlying platform name, but the acquisition raises legitimate questions about long-term product direction and how the two platforms will evolve in relation to each other. For organisations evaluating WizeHive, understanding that context is part of making an informed decision.

What is WizeHive and what is Zengine?

WizeHive is the brand name for the organisation and the product suite. Zengine is the underlying platform engine — the configurable workflow and form builder that powers all WizeHive programmes. When evaluating WizeHive, you are primarily evaluating the Zengine engine's capabilities, because that is what determines how flexible the platform really is.

Zengine's design philosophy is that grant and award management should not force organisations to fit their programmes into pre-built templates. Instead, it provides a drag-and-drop form builder, configurable multi-stage workflows, role-based reviewer access, and real-time collaboration tools that allow each programme to be configured according to its specific needs. Conditional logic, custom fields, and configurable communications can all be adjusted without coding.

The practical result is a platform that can genuinely handle very different programme types without needing separate tools. A foundation that runs a community grant programme, a leadership fellowship, and an environmental prize competition can manage all three within WizeHive without forcing them into the same workflow structure.

What types of programme does WizeHive handle?

WizeHive's breadth is one of its genuine differentiators in the market. Where most grant management platforms are designed for a single use case — typically foundations distributing community grants — WizeHive handles:

• Grant programmes: Standard grantmaking from application through award, monitoring, and reporting. Multi-stage review, panel assessment, conflict of interest management.
• Scholarship management: Student applications, GPA and academic eligibility, institutional verification, award communication. This is a functionality most pure grant management platforms do not offer.
• Fellowship applications: Competitive selection processes with multiple review stages, interview coordination, and communication workflows.
• Award and prize programmes: Open competitions with public or peer nomination, judging panels, and finalist communication.

For organisations that run more than one of these programme types, WizeHive's ability to consolidate them into a single system is a genuine efficiency gain. The alternative — using different platforms for grants, scholarships, and awards — creates data silos and administrative duplication.

How does WizeHive compare with similar platforms?

WizeHive's flexibility advantage over Submittable is most evident in complex, multi-stage workflows and programmes with non-standard structures. Submittable is the better choice for standard programmes that need to launch quickly. CommunityForce competes directly on the scholarship and grant crossover, with a heritage more specifically in the higher education space.

What does WizeHive's configurability actually mean in practice?

The word "configurable" is used broadly across the grant management market, but WizeHive's configurability through Zengine is genuinely substantive. It means:

Form building without code. Application forms can be built with a drag-and-drop interface, including custom field types, conditional logic (show or hide fields based on previous answers), file upload requirements, and dynamic content. Changes can be made at any stage without developer involvement.

Workflow design without code. Multi-stage review workflows can be configured with different reviewer types at each stage, automated status transitions, conditional routing based on scores or data values, and role-based permission controls. A programme with five review stages and different panel members at each stage can be configured without technical staff.

Real-time reviewer collaboration. Reviewers can see each other's scores and comments in real time, or in blinded mode if you want independent assessments before moderation. Review panels can be managed centrally with automated invitation and reminder workflows.

Integration via API. WizeHive provides an API for connecting with other systems — CRM platforms, financial systems, HR tools. This is relevant for organisations where grant data needs to flow into other parts of their technology stack.

The practical limit of this flexibility is that it requires upfront setup time. More configurable platforms demand more configuration, and WizeHive is no exception. Organisations expecting an out-of-the-box experience will need to invest time in programme setup, and the quality of that setup directly affects the user experience for applicants and reviewers.

What are the main limitations?

Setup time and configuration overhead. WizeHive's flexibility is also its main challenge. Compared with more opinionated platforms (Submittable, Foundant GLM) where the core workflows are pre-built and configuration is relatively light, WizeHive requires more upfront design work. For organisations that want to launch quickly, the platform's open-ended configurability can feel like a barrier.

No UK compliance checks. There are no built-in Charity Commission verification, Companies House data integration, or OFSI sanctions screening features. UK funders who need these checks as part of their due diligence process must handle them through separate manual processes. As automated due diligence becomes more standard in UK grantmaking, this is a meaningful gap.

Acquisition by Submittable creates uncertainty. WizeHive was acquired by Submittable in 2022. Both brands continue to operate, but the long-term product roadmap — how WizeHive and Submittable evolve relative to each other, and where development investment is directed — is a reasonable concern for organisations making multi-year platform commitments. It is worth raising this directly with WizeHive during any sales conversation.

Limited AI capabilities. WizeHive has not developed AI-assisted assessment, automated due diligence risk scoring, or AI-generated impact reports. For funders where those capabilities are a priority, WizeHive's current offering is limited.

No free tier. Unlike some competitors (Plinth has a free tier; Bonterra offers a free trial), WizeHive is a paid platform from the outset with custom pricing that requires a sales engagement to determine.

When is WizeHive the right choice?

WizeHive makes most sense for organisations in a specific situation: they have multiple programme types with genuinely different workflow requirements, and they want to manage everything in a single platform rather than maintaining separate tools for grants, scholarships, and awards.

In that scenario, WizeHive's breadth and configurability deliver real value. The alternative — using a dedicated grant management platform, a separate scholarship management tool, and another system for award programmes — creates administrative overhead, data fragmentation, and reporting complexity that WizeHive consolidates.

WizeHive also suits organisations with complex review processes that do not fit standard panel models: multi-round assessment, mixed reviewer types within a single round, custom scoring rubrics, or staged filtering before a final panel.

Where WizeHive is a weaker fit: organisations that need to be operational very quickly (Submittable deploys faster), those that need UK-specific compliance checks built in, those prioritising AI-assisted assessment, and smaller foundations for which the configuration overhead is disproportionate to programme size.

What does WizeHive cost?

WizeHive uses custom pricing, so a specific figure requires engaging with the sales team. It is generally positioned as mid-market — comparable to Foundant GLM and CommunityForce rather than at the enterprise pricing level of Fluxx or SmartSimple. For most organisations, the price point is accessible relative to the enterprise alternatives.

Because pricing is custom, the actual cost depends on programme volume, number of users, and required features. The absence of a free tier or published starter pricing makes the initial evaluation stage less transparent than platforms with public pricing.

Implications of the Submittable acquisition

The 2022 acquisition of WizeHive by Submittable is a fact that prospective customers should understand clearly. WizeHive continues to operate as a distinct brand, and Zengine continues to be the platform engine. There is no indication the product is being wound down.

However, when a platform is acquired by a competitor, several things become relevant for potential customers: long-term product investment and roadmap direction, how the two products will differentiate over time, what happens to customers if the brands eventually consolidate, and whether the support and development focus shifts over time.

These are not reasons to avoid WizeHive, but they are questions to ask explicitly during evaluation. Understanding the vendor's stated position on the WizeHive roadmap, the relationship between WizeHive and Submittable Zengine, and what the acquisition means for feature development will inform a more confident procurement decision.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between WizeHive and Zengine?

WizeHive is the brand name and the organisation. Zengine is the underlying platform engine — the configurable form and workflow builder. When WizeHive was acquired by Submittable, the product began to be referred to in some contexts as Submittable Zengine, though the WizeHive brand continues to operate independently. In practice, evaluating WizeHive means evaluating the Zengine engine.

Who acquired WizeHive?

Submittable acquired WizeHive in 2022. Submittable is itself a grant and application management platform. Both brands continue to operate independently, but they are now part of the same group.

Is WizeHive good for scholarship management?

Yes. WizeHive is one of the stronger platforms in the grant and scholarship crossover space, alongside CommunityForce. It can handle the specific requirements of scholarship programmes — academic eligibility checking, institutional verification, multi-stage competitive selection — within the same Zengine platform used for grant management. This is a genuine differentiator from most pure grant management platforms.

How does WizeHive compare with Foundant GLM?

Foundant GLM is a more opinionated platform: it has well-defined grant management workflows built in, which makes it faster to deploy and easier to use out of the box. WizeHive is more configurable, which makes it better suited to non-standard workflows and multiple programme types but requires more setup time. Foundant GLM is widely regarded for its customer support quality; WizeHive's support experience may vary. For standard grantmaking, Foundant GLM is often the simpler choice. For diverse programme portfolios, WizeHive's flexibility is an advantage.

Does WizeHive have AI features?

WizeHive's current AI capabilities are limited. It does not offer AI-assisted application assessment, automated due diligence risk scoring, or AI-generated impact reports. The AI for funders landscape is evolving rapidly, and for organisations where AI-assisted grantmaking is a specific requirement, WizeHive is not the most developed option available.

What are the main alternatives to WizeHive?

For organisations that need similar flexibility: SmartSimple offers comparable configurability at enterprise scale. For fast deployment with good applicant experience: Submittable (same group). For scholarship and grant crossover with education heritage: CommunityForce. For UK funders needing built-in compliance checks and working AI features: Plinth is purpose-built for the UK context with Charity Commission, Companies House, and OFSI checks, AI-assisted assessment, and a free tier.

Is WizeHive suitable for UK funders?

WizeHive can be used by UK funders, but it does not include UK-specific features. There are no Charity Commission checks, Companies House verification, or OFSI screening built into the platform. UK funders managing grants to charities, who typically need those checks as part of their due diligence process, will need to run them separately. The platform's configurability does not address this gap — it can be configured to collect information, but it cannot automate compliance checks against external UK regulatory databases.

Recommended next pages

• Grant Management Systems Compared — A full comparison of 16 grant management platforms including WizeHive, Submittable, CommunityForce, Foundant GLM, and Plinth.

• Automate Reviewer Workflows — How configurable review workflows reduce manual coordination in grant assessment.

• How to Automate Due Diligence in Grantmaking — Why built-in compliance checks matter and how to evaluate them across platforms.

• AI for Funders: The Future of Grantmaking — How AI is changing application assessment, monitoring, and impact reporting.

• Generic SaaS vs Purpose-Built Grant Software — How to evaluate the trade-offs between flexible platforms and those designed specifically for grantmaking.

Last updated: February 2026