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Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Registrant Name dei_EntityRegistrantName GREAT-WEST FUNDS INC
Prospectus Date rr_ProspectusDate Apr. 30, 2018
Great-West SecureFoundation Balanced Fund  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading Fund Summary
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation and income.
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and Expenses of the Fund
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. This table does not describe the fee for the Guarantee (“Guarantee Benefit Fee”), which is described in a separate prospectus or disclosure statement describing the Guarantee, or the fees and expenses of any Permitted Account. If reflected, the fees and expenses shown would be higher.
Operating Expenses Caption [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesCaption Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination April 30, 2019
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading Portfolio Turnover
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s turnover rate was 9% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 9.00%
Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text] rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees The Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses may not correlate to the ratio of expenses to average net assets provided in the Fund's Financial Highlights, which reflects the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund (Underlying Fund) Fees and Expenses.
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example does not reflect the expenses of the Guarantee Benefit Fee or any fees and expenses of any Permitted Account. If the fees and expenses of the Guaranteed Benefit Fee or any Permitted Account were reflected, the fees and expenses in the Example would be higher.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and applies whether you hold or redeem all of your shares at the end of each period. The Example also assumes that any expense reimbursement is in place for the first year, that your investment has a 5% return each year, that all dividends and capital gains are reinvested, and that the Fund’s operating expenses are the amount shown in the fee table and remain the same for the years shown. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock Under normal conditions, the Fund will invest 50-70% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in Underlying Funds that invest primarily in equity securities and 30-50% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in Underlying Funds that invest primarily in fixed income securities.

GWCM uses asset allocation strategies to allocate assets among asset classes and the Underlying Funds. The Fund currently invests primarily in Underlying Funds designed to track the performance of a specified securities index (“Index Funds”). Each Underlying Fund has its own investment objectives and strategies and may hold a wide range of securities and other instruments in its portfolio, including, without limitation, U.S. and foreign equities (including those from emerging markets), fixed income securities, derivatives, and short-term investments. The Fund may also invest in the GWL&A Contract. The following table shows the Fund’s target allocation for the various asset classes and the Underlying Funds in which the Fund expects to invest as of the date of this Prospectus:
Large Cap 26.00% International 11.00%
Great-West S&P 500® Index Fund Institutional   Great-West International Index Fund Institutional  
Mid Cap 11.00% Emerging Markets 3.00%
Great-West S&P Mid Cap 400® Index Fund Institutional   Northern Emerging Markets Equity Index Fund  
Small Cap 9.00% Bond 35.00%
Great-West S&P Small Cap 600® Index Fund Institutional   Great-West Bond Index Fund Institutional  
    Short-Term Bond 5.00%
    GWL&A Contract  

The Fund will rebalance its holdings of the Underlying Funds on a periodic basis to maintain the appropriate asset allocations. GWCM reviews asset class allocations, Underlying Fund allocations, and the Underlying Funds themselves on a quarterly basis, or more frequently as deemed necessary. GWCM may add or delete asset classes, add or delete Underlying Funds, or change the target allocations at any time and without shareholder notice or approval.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal Investment Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock The following is a summary of the principal investment risks of investing in the Fund:

Conflict of Interest Risk - GWCM may be subject to conflicts of interest because its affiliate is the issuer of the Guarantee that you are required to purchase if you invest in the Fund.

Fund-of-Funds Structure Risk
  • Since the Fund invests directly in the Underlying Funds, all risks associated with the eligible Underlying Funds apply to the Fund. To the extent the Fund invests more of its assets in one Underlying Fund than another, the Fund will have greater exposure to the risks of that Underlying Fund.
  • Since the Fund invests in Underlying Funds, you will bear your proportionate share of expenses of the Fund and indirectly of the Underlying Funds, resulting in an additional layer of expenses.
  • The Fund is classified as non-diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), which means a relatively high percentage of its assets may be invested in securities of a limited number of Underlying Funds. As a result, the Fund’s securities may be more susceptible to any single economic, political or regulatory event than that experienced by a similarly structured diversified fund.
Single Issuer Risk - The GWL&A Contract in which the Fund invests has a stable principal value and pays a fixed rate of interest to the Fund. Both the principal and a minimum rate of interest are guaranteed by GWL&A. However, if GWL&A becomes unable to meet this guarantee, the Fund may lose money from unpaid principal or unpaid or reduced interest.

The following are risks associated with Underlying Fund investments that may indirectly result in a loss of your investment in a Fund. There can be no assurance that an Underlying Fund will achieve its investment objective.

Currency Exchange Rate Risk - Adverse fluctuations in exchange rates between the U.S. Dollar and other currencies may cause an Underlying Fund to lose money on investments denominated in foreign currencies. Currency risk is especially high in emerging markets.

Derivatives Risk - Underlying Funds may invest in derivative instruments such as futures, swaps, and structured securities. Using derivatives can disproportionately increase losses and reduce opportunities for gains when stock prices, currency rates or interest rates are changing. An Underlying Fund may not fully benefit from or may lose money on derivatives if changes in their value do not correspond accurately to changes in the value of the Underlying Fund’s holdings. The other parties to certain derivative contracts present the same types of credit risk as issuers of fixed income securities. Derivatives can also make a fund less liquid and harder to value, especially in declining markets. There can be no assurance that an Underlying Fund’s use of derivative contracts will work as intended.

Developing and Emerging Markets Risk - Stocks of companies located in emerging markets may be substantially more volatile, and substantially less liquid, than the stocks of companies located in more developed foreign markets. Emerging market countries may experience higher inflation, interest rates and unemployment, greater social, economic, regulatory and political uncertainties, and greater volatility in currency exchange rates than more developed countries.

Equity Securities Risk - The value of the stocks and other securities owned by the Underlying Funds will fluctuate depending on the performance of the companies that issued them, general market and economic conditions, and investor confidence.

Fixed Income Securities Risk – Investments in fixed income securities will be subject to interest rate risk (the chance that bond prices will decline because of rising interest rates), income risk (the chance that income will decline because of falling interest rates), credit risk (the chance that a bond issuer will fail to pay interest and principal in a timely manner, or that market perception of the issuer will cause the price of a bond to decline), and call/prepayment risk (the chance that bond issuers will redeem bonds prior to their maturity dates).

Foreign Securities Risk - Foreign markets can be more volatile than the U.S. market due to increased risks of adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, currency valuation or economic developments.

Geographic Concentration Risk - Geographic concentration risk is the risk that economic, political and social conditions in the countries or regions in which an Underlying Fund invests will have a significant impact on the performance of the Underlying Fund.

Liquidity Risk - Underlying Funds may invest in securities that cannot be sold, or cannot be sold quickly, at an acceptable price. When there is little or no active trading market for specific types of securities, it can become more difficult to sell the securities at or near their perceived value. In such a market, the value of such securities and the Fund’s share price may fall dramatically. Extraordinary and sudden changes in interest rates could disrupt the market for fixed-income securities and result in fluctuations in the Underlying Fund’s net asset value. Increased redemptions due to a rise in interest rates may require the Underlying Fund to liquidate its holdings at an unfavorable time and/or under adverse or disadvantageous conditions which may negatively affect the Underlying Fund. Investments in many, but not all, foreign securities tend to have greater exposure to liquidity risk than domestic securities.

Management Risk - A strategy used by the portfolio managers may fail to produce the intended results.

Market Risk - Markets are volatile and can decline significantly in response to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market or economic developments in the U.S. and in other countries. Market risk may affect a single company, industry sector of the economy or the market as a whole.

Small, Medium and Large Size Company Securities Risk - The stocks of small and medium size companies often involve more risk and volatility than those of larger companies. Among other things, small and medium size companies are often dependent on a small number of products and have limited financial resources, and there is generally less publicly available information about them. Securities of small and medium size companies have lower trading volume and are less liquid than securities of larger, more established companies. Companies with large market capitalizations go in and out of favor based on market and economic conditions, and could underperform returns of smaller companies.

Tracking a Benchmark Index Risk - Index Funds are mutual funds designed to track the performance of a specified securities benchmark index. The benchmark index may perform unfavorably and/or underperform the market as a whole. In addition, an Index Fund may not be able to precisely track the performance of its benchmark index.

An investment in the Fund or Underlying Funds is not a deposit with a bank, is not insured, endorsed or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government agency, and is subject to the possible loss of your original investment.

Risks Associated with the Guarantee - The Guarantee provides guaranteed income for the life of a designated person(s) provided all conditions are met. Investors who allocate account value to the Fund will be subject to certain risks associated with the Guarantee including, without limitation, the possibility that no benefits may be payable under the Guarantee depending on your pattern of share redemptions, your lifespan, the Fund’s investment performance, and other variables; the Guarantee may be terminated under certain circumstances; GWL&A or GWL&A of NY may increase the Guarantee Benefit Fee; if GWL&A or GWL&A of NY determines that the Fund is ineligible, you would be required to transfer to another eligible fund and you may be subject to higher fees and charges; and there may be tax consequences associated with the Guarantee. Any payments under the Guarantee depend on GWL&A’s or GWL&A of NY’s long-term ability to make such payments. Neither Great-West Funds nor the Fund is responsible for any payments under the Guarantee. The Guarantee does not guarantee the investment performance of the Fund.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney is subject to the possible loss of your original investment.
Risk Nondiversified Status [Text] rr_RiskNondiversifiedStatus
  • The Fund is classified as non-diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), which means a relatively high percentage of its assets may be invested in securities of a limited number of Underlying Funds. As a result, the Fund’s securities may be more susceptible to any single economic, political or regulatory event than that experienced by a similarly structured diversified fund.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text] rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution An investment in the Fund or Underlying Funds is not a deposit with a bank, is not insured, endorsed or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government agency,
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Performance
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investment in the Fund by showing changes in the performance of the Fund’s Investor Class shares in each full calendar year since inception and by comparing the Fund’s average annual total return to the performance of a broad-based securities market index, a secondary index, and a Composite Index which has investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. The Composite Index is derived by applying the Fund’s target asset allocation among the asset classes over time to the results of the following indexes: the S&P 500® Index (large blend); the S&P MidCap 400® Index (mid blend); the S&P SmallCap 600® Index (small blend); the MSCI EAFE® Index (international large blend); the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (diversified emerging markets); the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (intermediate term bond); and the Bloomberg Barclays 1-3 Yr Credit Bond Index (short term income/cash). See Appendix A for more information regarding the Composite Index. The returns shown below are historical and are not an indication of future performance. Total return figures assume reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions and include the effect of the Fund’s recurring expenses, but do not include fees and expenses of any Permitted Account. If those fees and expenses were reflected, the performance shown would have been lower.

Updated performance information may be obtained at www.greatwestfunds.com (the website does not form a part of this Prospectus).
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investment in the Fund by showing changes in the performance of the Fund’s Investor Class shares in each full calendar year since inception and by comparing the Fund’s average annual total return to the performance of a broad-based securities market index, a secondary index, and a Composite Index which has investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund.
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress www.greatwestfunds.com
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture The returns shown below are historical and are not an indication of future performance.
Bar Chart [Heading] rr_BarChartHeading Calendar Year Total Returns
Bar Chart Does Not Reflect Sales Loads [Text] rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads Total return figures assume reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions and include the effect of the Fund’s recurring expenses, but do not include fees and expenses of any Permitted Account. If those fees and expenses were reflected, the performance shown would have been lower.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock
  Quarter Ended Total Return
Best Quarter September 2010 8.45%
Worst Quarter September 2011 -9.75%
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31, 2017
Great-West SecureFoundation Balanced Fund | Institutional Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.10%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Shareholder Services Fees rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets none
Total Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets none
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets 0.18%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.28% [1]
Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.03% [2],[3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.25%
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 26
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 87
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 154
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 353
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 26
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 87
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 154
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 353
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 13.27%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 7.03% [4]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate May 01, 2015
Great-West SecureFoundation Balanced Fund | Investor Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.10%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Shareholder Services Fees rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.35%
Total Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.35%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets 0.18%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.63% [1]
Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.03% [2],[3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.60%
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 61
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 199
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 348
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 783
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 61
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 199
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 348
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 783
2010 rr_AnnualReturn2010 11.02%
2011 rr_AnnualReturn2011 0.96%
2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 11.77%
2013 rr_AnnualReturn2013 16.09%
2014 rr_AnnualReturn2014 6.13%
2015 rr_AnnualReturn2015 (0.66%)
2016 rr_AnnualReturn2016 8.73%
2017 rr_AnnualReturn2017 12.94%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Best Quarter
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Sep. 30, 2010
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 8.45%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Worst Quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Sep. 30, 2011
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (9.75%)
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 12.94%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 8.49%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 8.19% [5]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Nov. 13, 2009
Great-West SecureFoundation Balanced Fund | Service Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.10%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.10%
Shareholder Services Fees rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.35%
Total Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.35%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets 0.18%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.73% [1]
Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.03% [2],[3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.70%
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 72
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 230
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 403
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 904
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 72
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 230
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 403
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 904
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 12.84%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 8.37%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 8.09% [5]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Nov. 13, 2009
Great-West SecureFoundation Balanced Fund | Class L  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.10%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Shareholder Services Fees rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.35%
Total Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.35%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets 0.18%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.88% [1]
Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.03% [2],[3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.85%
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 87
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 278
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 485
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,082
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 87
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 278
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 485
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,082
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 12.64%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 8.21%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 7.48% [6]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jan. 31, 2011
Great-West SecureFoundation Balanced Fund | Wilshire 5000 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Institutional Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 20.99%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 11.94% [4]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate May 01, 2015
Great-West SecureFoundation Balanced Fund | Wilshire 5000 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Investor Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 20.99%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 15.67%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 14.18% [5]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Nov. 13, 2009
Great-West SecureFoundation Balanced Fund | Wilshire 5000 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Service Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 20.99%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 15.67%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 14.18% [5]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Nov. 13, 2009
Great-West SecureFoundation Balanced Fund | Wilshire 5000 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Class L  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 20.99%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 15.67%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 13.45% [6]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jan. 31, 2011
Great-West SecureFoundation Balanced Fund | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Institutional Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 3.54%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 2.04% [4]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate May 01, 2015
Great-West SecureFoundation Balanced Fund | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Investor Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 3.54%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 2.10%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 3.49% [5]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Nov. 13, 2009
Great-West SecureFoundation Balanced Fund | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Service Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 3.54%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 2.10%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 3.49% [5]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Nov. 13, 2009
Great-West SecureFoundation Balanced Fund | Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Class L  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 3.54%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 2.10%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 3.20% [6]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jan. 31, 2011
Great-West SecureFoundation Balanced Fund | Composite Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Institutional Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 13.56%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 7.21% [4]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate May 01, 2015
Great-West SecureFoundation Balanced Fund | Composite Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Investor Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 13.56%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 9.11%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 8.96% [5]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Nov. 13, 2009
Great-West SecureFoundation Balanced Fund | Composite Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Service Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 13.56%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 9.11%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 8.96% [5]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Nov. 13, 2009
Great-West SecureFoundation Balanced Fund | Composite Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Class L  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 13.56%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 9.11%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 8.34% [6]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jan. 31, 2011
[1] The Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses may not correlate to the ratio of expenses to average net assets provided in the Fund's Financial Highlights, which reflects the operating expenses of the Fund and does not include Acquired Fund (Underlying Fund) Fees and Expenses.
[2] GWCM has contractually agreed to reduce its management fee by 0.35% of the amount such Fund is allocated to a GWL&A Contract. The agreement’s current term ends on April 30, 2019. The agreement automatically renews for one-year terms unless it is terminated by Great-West Funds or GWCM upon written notice within 90 days of the end of the current term or upon termination of the investment advisory agreement.
[3] GWCM has contractually agreed to reduce its management fee in an amount at least equal to any compensation (including Rule 12b-1 fees) received from registered open-end management investment companies that are not part of the same “group of investment companies” (within the meaning of Section 12(d)(1)(G)(ii) of the Investment Company Act of 1940) as the Fund (“Unaffiliated Fund(s)”) by GWCM, or an affiliated person of GWCM, in connection with investment by the Fund in the Unaffiliated Fund. The agreement’s current term ends on April 30, 2019. The agreement automatically renews for one-year terms unless it is terminated by Great-West Funds or GWCM upon written notice within 90 days of the end of the current term or upon termination of the investment advisory agreement.
[4] Since inception on May 1, 2015
[5] Since inception on November 13, 2009
[6] Since inception on January 31, 2011