Karan LadlaGrant automation for foundations

An automation system for your foundation.Built around how you already work.

An automation system that takes your grant cycle out of the inbox: applications read and checked, reviewer scores collected, the board packet ready. Built around how your foundation already works, in your own accounts.

This is not a generic grant management tool. It's an automation system, built for your foundation around what you'd want to change and add.

Hollis Creek Family Foundation · Fall cycle 2026automation running
Review
Board

This week

Built for you overnight: what came in, what needs you, and when the board meets.

18applications
0need you
13 of 18reviews in
8 daysuntil the board meets
✉
1 application arrived by email overnightOpen Door Family Readers, read and filed as SP27-020
New
!
1 needs youValley Story Wagon: board list missing
Needs you
↻
Marcus has 1 review past his dateReminder sent this morning
Reminded
▤
Scholarship is ready for the boardAll reviews in for 3 applications
Ready

Applications

Every application in one place, however it arrived.

✉
Open Door Family ReadersSP27-020 · Youth Literacy · $44,000 · by email
New
Received→Documents read→Checked→Reviewers assigned→In review
Every file read and matched to Youth Literacy's required list
✓
Project narrativenarrative.pdf
✓
Budget, fiscal year 2026-27budget.xlsx
✓
Board listboard-of-directors.pdf
Program panel assigned PSMBDO
Priya Shah, Marcus Bell and Dana Ortiz, due Oct 22

Needs you

Only what a person should look at. Everything else moved on by itself.

!
Valley Story WagonSP27-004 · Youth Literacy · $40,000 · web form
Checking
✓
Project narrativeFound: "A mobile library route through three apartment complexes"
✓
Budget for 2026-27Found: "Operating budget, fiscal year 2026-27"
✓
IRS determination letterFound in irs-letter.pdf
✕
Board listNot in any of the 4 files. Youth Literacy requires one.
Request drafted for your approvalThank you for applying. To complete your application, please upload your current board list on your status page.
Approve and sendEdit

Reviewers

Scores arrive here as reviewers submit from one link.

Priya Shah
4 of 4 in
Marcus Bell
3 of 4 in
Dana Ortiz
4 of 5 in
Conflict recorded
Dana sits on Maple Street's board. Maple Street is locked for her, and the recusal goes into the board packet.
Reminder sent to Marcus
1 review past his date of Oct 18. Sent once, automatically; the next one waits for you.

Board packet

First-Generation Scholarship. One click, then it assembles itself.

Generate the packet
Cover
Board meets Thu, Oct 29
Recommendations
Maya TorresFund $6,000
Lucia RamirezFund $6,000
Noah BennettDecline
Scores, notesattached
Maya Torres · 3.6 of 5
Reviewer notes · recusals · donor intent: Margaret Hollis Scholarship Fund
Version 2 saved · numbered, so you always know what the board saw

Letters

Drafted from the board's decisions. Nothing goes out until you approve it.

✓
Board vote recordedScholarship: 2 funded as recommended, 1 declined
✎
Award letter: Maya Torres, $6,000Amount taken from the board's vote
Draft
✎
Decline letter: Noah BennettWith the reviewers' notes for the applicant, word for word
Draft
Dear Maya,
On behalf of the Hollis Creek Family Foundation, I am pleased to tell you that the board has approved a scholarship of $6,000...
Approve and sendEdit
The problem

Monday starts with an inbox, a spreadsheet and a guess at what's waiting.

What the automation does
  1. Reads and files everything that came in overnight
  2. Pulls only what needs a person into one list
  3. Reminds late reviewers, once, on its own
  4. Counts the week for you and says what's ready for the board

You decide: what to do with the short list. Nothing is decided for you.

The problem

Applications arrive as attachments and form entries, and someone renames, files and routes each one.

What the automation does
  1. Receives the email or form entry and matches it to the program
  2. Reads every file and matches it to your required documents
  3. Runs your rules: eligibility, fiscal year, past reports
  4. Assigns the program's reviewers to a clean application
  5. Moves it to In review and records every step in History

You decide: the rules and the reviewer panel, once, in Program setup.

The problem

Missing documents are found late, after someone has read every file by hand.

What the automation does
  1. AI reads each file and matches it to the program's required list, quoting where it found each one
  2. Flags what's missing, with the reason
  3. Drafts the request to the applicant for your approval
  4. Sends it from your email and resolves the check when the file is uploaded

You decide: every request is approved by a person. Nothing is declined automatically.

The problem

Scores come back in spreadsheets and emails, and conflicts are handled informally.

What the automation does
  1. Collects each score as the reviewer submits it from one link
  2. Locks an application for a reviewer with a declared conflict, and records it
  3. Sends one reminder when a review passes its date

You decide: reviewers score. The AI's suggested score appears only after they submit.

The problem

The board packet is copied together by hand the week of the meeting.

What the automation does
  1. Gathers recommendations, scores and reviewer notes per program
  2. Adds recusals and the fund's donor intent to every page
  3. Builds the packet in one click and saves it as a numbered version

You decide: the recommendations. The packet just never needs assembling.

The problem

After the vote, letters are typed one by one, and amounts get copied by hand.

What the automation does
  1. Records the board's vote in one step
  2. Drafts award letters with the amount the board approved
  3. Drafts decline letters with the reviewers' notes for the applicant, word for word
  4. Sends from your own email once you approve

You decide: nothing goes out until you approve it.

The automation behind the example build, on a sample cycle. Yours is built around your process.
Why automation

Software gives you another tool.
Automation takes work off your desk.

Grant software asks your team to fit its way of working, and the work still happens by hand inside it. I start from how your foundation already runs its grant cycle and automate the parts that eat your week.

Off-the-shelf grant software

Hands you a tool and a setup guide.

  • You change your process to fit it
  • Your team still does the filing, chasing and copying
  • Changes wait for the vendor
Your automation system

Does the work around the work, the way you already run your cycle.

  • Built around your programs, reviewers and board
  • Filing, checking, chasing and assembling done for you
  • Changed for you when your process changes
  • In your own accounts. You own it.

Already on Foundant, Submittable or another system that mostly works? Keep it. I automate what it doesn't cover and connect the two.

What clients say

What clients say about
working with Karan.

★★★★★
I worked with Karan over an 8-week sprint to build Nalah, an AI-powered workflow solution for an SDR team. Karan supported architecting the solution in n8n and managing complex integrations, including a challenging Salesforce integration. What stood out most was his ability to iterate rapidly based on user feedback. He was organised, communicated clearly, and showed remarkable resilience when requirements shifted, often requiring him to rework significant portions of his work. He bounced back quickly every time. Beyond his technical skills, Karan brought a genuine passion for creating a positive impact for the client. He was a pleasure to work with, and I highly recommend him.
FelipeAgentic AI consultancy · 8-week build for an SDR team
★★★★★
We worked on a difficult automation and Karan went above and beyond to make it a success and get it to do exactly what we wanted. He even reflected on the automation and rebuilt it again from scratch to reduce the number of operations it takes to complete. He worked very independently, is a great communicator and it was very smooth working with him. We'll work on more automations with him soon.
LarsAI agent for ad data analysis · Hong Kong
★★★★★
I highly recommend Karan as a Strategic Automation Advisor, specializing in RPA Architecture and Quality Audit. Karan consistently demonstrated exceptional technical and leadership capabilities. What truly sets him apart is his "owner" mindset; he approached the project with a deep sense of responsibility, as if it were his own. His expertise was instrumental in significantly enhancing the quality and efficiency of our RPA solution. Karan is always eager and open to collaborate; besides he is a very dedicated and a very proactive professional, delivering results.
AndresRPA architecture and quality audit
★★★★★
Karan Ladla is doing a fantastic job and we will recommend him to everybody. Highly skilled, highly educated, highly driven, and above all very friendly. We will do a lot more jobs in the future.
Sven and YozySocial media marketing agency · Netherlands · client since January 2025
★★★★★
Working with Karan has been amazing. He understands what you are trying to accomplish and gets things done in a really professional way. I'm looking forward to have a chance to work again with him, and highly recommend him.
Pierre-OlivierProduct availability tool
★★★★★
Karan was outstanding from start to finish. He quickly understood my complex n8n automation needs and delivered creative, reliable solutions ahead of schedule. Communication was seamless, and he kept me informed throughout the project. He even provided helpful documentation and support after delivery. If you're looking for a true automation expert, Karan is your guy. I'd gladly work with him again!
DanielContent creation automation
★★★★★
Karan was great to work with! He quickly understood the project requirements and delivered exactly what I needed: a fully functional automation using Make.com that connects Calendly to Google Sheets and WhatsApp for real estate appointment reminders. He was responsive, knowledgeable, and patient with all my questions. Would definitely work with him again and highly recommend him to anyone looking for help with automation workflows.
ShayaanReal estate appointment reminders · Canada

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Who builds it

I'm Karan. I build the automation,
and I stay to support it.

Karan Ladla
After my engineering degree
Software engineer, promoted to lead engineer

Built and shipped production software, then took on the lead engineer role.

After my MBA
Product manager

Helped companies grow by thinking from the customer's side first: what they need, where they get stuck, what actually gets used.

The last year and a half
Full-stack AI automation specialist

Building automation systems that teams use every day, for a construction manufacturer, a marketing agency and a finance consultancy. One agency client has hired me project after project since January 2025.

How it works

Automated before your next cycle,
in three steps.

STEP 1A 20-minute call

We go through how your cycle runs today and what you'd like automated.

STEP 2Scope decided, price fixed
Starter setups from $1,200, including
  • A complete web interface for your team, with the automations in place behind it
  • Applications out of the inbox, filed in one place
  • Missing documents caught and requested for you
  • A one-page summary of every application
  • Reviewer scores collected from one link, late reviewers reminded
  • The board packet built in one click

On the call we agree what's included and what you'd change, then the price is fixed before any work starts. After launch, a small monthly fee covers hosting and support.

STEP 3Live in 2 to 3 weeks

In your own accounts, ready for your next cycle, with support after.

Before we connect

What does it cost, including after launch?

Starter setups begin at $1,200. The exact price depends on what you'd want automated, and it's fixed after a 20-minute call, before any work starts. After launch, a small monthly fee covers hosting and support. You'll know both numbers before you commit to anything.

Is the 20-minute call a sales pitch?

No. We go through how your cycle runs today, I show you how the parts you'd automate would work, and you decide in your own time. If it isn't a fit, I'll say so.

What happens to our data, and what if we stop?

Everything runs in your own accounts, so your applications and records stay yours. The AI only reads application documents to summarize and check them; it never decides who gets funded. If we stop working together, the system and your data stay with you.

Tell me which parts of your cycle
you'd like automated.

A line or a voice note is enough. I reply within a day, with a short video of how it would work for you or a 20-minute call, whichever suits you.

What would you like automated, or made easier?Tell me about any part of your grant cycle that takes your team time. For example: chasing missing documents, collecting reviewer scores, building the board packet, or writing award and decline letters.