What is grant management?
Grant management can seem like a daunting world to enter, for organisations of all sizes. With thirty years of experience, we wanted to share our learning with you to help you get started.
Firstly – a note. Some applicants and grant seekers refer to their process of finding funding as grant management. For the purposes of this article, we mean the administration, processing, giving of and reporting on grants and funds by charities, trusts, foundations, businesses, local authorities, research agencies and other organisations. In short, this is about grant management from the perspective of grantmakers.
For grantmakers, grant management is captured into a grant lifecycle. This cycle includes setting objectives, setting up the grant, reviewing applications, choosing recipients, disbursing grant payments, and reporting to ensure that the funds are used well.
- Stage 1
Set your objectives – you may also want to consider who your beneficiaries will be.
What do you want to achieve by giving out grants?
- Stage 2
Write your application forms and build your grant management system.
What questions do you need to ask to ensure that the right beneficiaries receive the money, in order to best deliver your objectives?
- Stage 3
Open your programme for submissions.
- Stage 4
Select recipients.
- Stage 5
Monitor payments and activities
- Stage 6
Report on what you funded and how it delivered against your objectives.
Good quality data gathered from a grants management system like AIMS will allow you to assess the impact of your scheme.
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