A payment schedule in Dapple splits an award into one or more payments, each with a name, an amount, a due date and a payment method. You set it up on one submission's Award tab:
Click Schedule payments.
Pick a template and click Use template, or build your own with Add payment.
Optional: tick a box to apply the same template to every other award in the fund that doesn't have a schedule yet.
Use Edit schedule to change names, dates, amounts and methods.
You can also hold any payment until a condition is met or a milestone is reached.
Where do I set up a payment schedule in Dapple?
Payment schedules are set up on a single submission's Award tab. There's no separate bulk screen. To schedule a whole cohort:
Pick one submission whose award is typical of the group.
Set up its schedule from a template.
Tick the box to apply the same template to the fund's other awards.
The award must exist first. If the Award tab says "No award yet", award the submission before you schedule anything.
After selecting "Add award", fill out the options to award the funds. The awardee will not be notified when you do this; this can be done later.
Once awarded, you will then be brought to the award amount and details.
How do I schedule payments using a template?
Open the submission and click the Award tab.
On the award, click Schedule payments.
Under Start from a template, open Choose a template and pick one. You can customise these and create your own templates in the settings.
Click Use template. Dapple fills in the payments below, based on the template.
Optional: tick Use this template for the other awards in the fund that don't have a schedule yet.
Check the payments, then click Save schedule.
Template | What it creates |
Single payment | One payment for the full award |
Two payments (50/50) | Two payments, each half of the award |
Quarterly (4 × 25%) | Four payments, each a quarter of the award |
Milestones | Payments released when the milestones you set are reached |
How do I apply the same schedule to every award in the fund?
Before you save, tick Use this template for the other awards in the fund that don't have a schedule yet. Dapple applies the same template to every award in the fund that has no schedule yet. You set up one submission, and the rest of the cohort is scheduled too.
Awards that already have a schedule aren't changed.
Each award can still be adjusted afterwards — open its Award tab and click Edit schedule.
How do I build a bespoke schedule without a template?
Skip the template and click + Add payment. Each click adds one payment for you to fill in. Use this when one applicant has their own timeline — for example, a final payment tied to a specific event date.
Below the payments, Dapple shows a running total, such as "£0 of £2,000 scheduled · £2,000 not scheduled yet". Keep adding payments until the full award is scheduled. You can't schedule more than the award.
What do I see once the schedule is saved?
The payments appear in a table on the Award tab, and Schedule payments becomes Edit schedule. The bar above the table moves the amount from Not scheduled to Scheduled, not paid.
Column | What it shows |
Payment | The payment's name, such as "First payment" |
Amount | How much this payment is |
Due | The date the payment is due |
Release when | Any condition or milestone the payment is waiting for. A dash means none. |
Status | Where the payment is — for example, Scheduled (due later), Ready to pay (due now) or On hold (waiting for a condition) |
The buttons on each payment depend on the fund's Two-person sign-off setting:
Two-person sign-off | What you'll use |
On | Approve first. Then someone else uses Mark as paid. |
Off | Mark as paid straight away. No approval step. |
How do I edit payment names, amounts, dates and methods?
Click Edit schedule on the award. Every payment opens as an editable row.
Field | What you can change |
Name | The payment's title, such as "First payment" or "Final payment on delivery" |
Amount | How much this payment is |
Date | The due date. Click the calendar icon to pick one. |
Release when | Whether the payment waits for a condition or milestone (see the next section) |
Method | How the payment will be made |
Bin icon | Deletes the payment |
Click + Add payment to add another payment, then click Save schedule.
Careful with templates here. If you pick a template while editing, it replaces every payment on the award. The screen warns you: "Using a template replaces the payments below."
How do I hold a payment until a condition is met or a milestone is reached?
Use each payment's Release when setting. A payment that's waiting for something can't be approved or marked as paid, even after its due date.
Release when | What it does | Example |
no condition | The payment is released on its due date | An initial payment on award |
condition met | The payment waits until someone on your team ticks off a condition you name | "Grant agreement signed" |
milestone reached | The payment waits until a milestone you set is marked as reached | "Project launch" |
When you choose condition met, a box appears next to it. Type the condition there, such as "Grant agreement signed". Name it so anyone can tell what "done" means.
For milestone reached, add the milestones the payment depends on. The payment is released once the milestone is marked as reached.
Grant agreements and monitoring reports aren't part of Dapple yet. Track them as named conditions you tick by hand.
How do I release a payment that's on hold?
A payment that's waiting for a condition shows as On hold on the Award tab. Its Release when column shows the condition next to a tickbox, such as "Grant agreement signed". While it's on hold, the payment has no Approve or Mark as paid button — only the ••• menu.
Open the submission and click the Award tab.
Find the payment marked On hold.
Once the condition has been met, tick the box next to it in the Release when column.
The payment is released, and Mark as paid appears on its row.
Each condition is ticked separately. If an award has two held payments — for example, "Grant agreement signed" and "Final work is submitted" — ticking one releases only that payment.
How do I choose how a payment will be made?
Each payment has a method list, which starts as No method set. Choose how the payment will go out, for example:
Bank transfer (BACS)
Faster Payment
International transfer
Cheque
PayPal
Other
The list is shared across your organisation and can include custom methods your team has added. Choosing a method doesn't send money. It records how the payment is made, so finance can match it later.
What else can I do with a single payment?
Click the three dots (•••) at the end of a payment's row to see more options.
Option | What it does |
Mark as processing | Shows the payment has been sent to your bank or finance team but isn't confirmed yet |
Remind applicant… | Sends the applicant a reminder about this payment — for example, about a condition they need to meet |
Edit reference and notes… | Adds or changes the payment reference and internal notes |
Cancel payment | Cancels the payment. The amount goes back to the award, ready to reschedule. |
How do I record a payment as paid?
Click Mark as paid on the payment. The Record as paid window opens and shows the payment's name and amount, for example "Q1 payment, £2,500". Dapple doesn't move any money. This window records a payment you've already made from your own bank.
Check the Date paid. It's set to today's date, so change it if the payment went out on a different day.
Choose the Method, such as Bank transfer (BACS).
Enter a Reference that matches your bank statement, such as "BACS run 203029".
Optional: switch on Let applicants know and pick a message from Choose a message template.
Click Record as paid.
Can I tell the applicant they've been paid?
Yes. Switch on Let applicants know in the Record as paid window and choose a message template. Dapple sends that message to the applicant when you record the payment. To include this payment's details, add /PaymentAmount and /PaymentReference to the template. Dapple fills them in automatically, which helps the applicant match the payment to their own bank statement.
Create your payment templates before your first payment run, so they're ready to choose when you record a payment.
Can applicants track their payments themselves?
Yes, if the project shares awards with applicants. Turn on Show award and payment schedule to applicants in the project settings. Applicants then see their award, what's been paid and each payment's date and status in their Applicant Dashboard. Recording a payment as paid updates their view straight away. If the setting is off, the Award tab tells you: "Hidden from the applicant. The project doesn't share awards with applicants."
What happens when a payment is marked as paid?
Dapple records the payment as paid and updates the totals:
Award: the award's bar moves the amount into Paid.
Fund: the amount is added to the fund's Paid figure.
Budget: if the fund draws from a budget, the budget is updated too.
Dapple doesn't move any money. You pay from your own bank, then record the payment here so your team and finance see the same numbers.
Best practice
Set up the schedule on one typical award and apply it to the fund, rather than scheduling each award by hand.
Start from the template closest to your grant terms, then fine-tune with Edit schedule.
Give payments names your finance team will recognise.
Set a payment method on every payment before it falls due.
Use condition met for paperwork and milestone reached for timing that depends on the applicant.
Schedule the full award. Leave part unscheduled only on purpose.