Grant Design & Governance
How do you work through the various elements of a well-designed and successful grant program?
Do any of these traps sound familiar?
You’re funding a terrific program, but do you know how (or if) it fits into your overall mission? Can you justify it to your Board or Council? To your donors?
Every grantmakers starts with the best of intentions, but may get bogged down with cumbersome administrative processes without ever engaging meaningfully with their applicants. Head counts can begin to creep up as staff struggle to keep up with the unanticipated workload.
Sooner or later the Board/Committee asks the question: “So what are we getting for our investment?” or “Is it working?” Too often, grantmakers are not able to provide a clear and comprehensive answer. Numbers of applicants and amounts distributed shed little light on the effectiveness of the program. Data may be collected, but convoluted. The link between process, performance and benefits gets lost in the shuffle if not planned for up front.
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Grants – A Popular Auditor Top 10 Hit
Grant programs tend to be on every auditor hit list. Many of the auditors concerns can be allayed by careful design and planning upfront. Almost every public audit report published in this country places question marks on consistent and fair assessment of each application, the failure to assess outcomes achieved, value for money and expensive administration. Does your grant program fall into this trap?
How I Can Help…
I help to ensure you have a well-designed grants program and good governance so that you can operate, report on and govern your program more efficiently and effectively. I take you through the essential elements to assist you in improving your program, step by step. I help you ensure a fair, transparent and unbiased awards process with strong financial oversight along with strong program design.