Grantmaking 101: What Makes a Good Grant Programme?
When people talk about grant programmes, the conversation often starts with technology.
- What system should we use?
- What should the application form look like?
- Can we automate the assessment process?
They’re all reasonable questions, but in my experience, they’re rarely the first ones that should be asked. Over the years, I’ve worked with organisations running everything from small community grant schemes to large national funding programmes. One thing I’ve learnt is that good grant programmes don’t start with software. They start with clarity.
What are you trying to achieve? Everything else tends to follow from there.
Start with the Outcome, Not the Process
It’s surprisingly easy to design a grant programme around administration rather than purpose. Application forms become longer than they need to be. Assessment criteria become more complicated. Reporting requirements grow with every funding round. Before long, applicants are spending more time navigating the process than explaining why their project deserves support. That’s usually a sign that the programme has lost sight of its original objective.
A good grant programme starts by asking a few simple questions.
- What problem are we trying to solve?
- Who are we trying to support?
- How will we know whether we’ve made a difference?
- What information do we genuinely need to make good funding decisions?
Those answers should shape everything that follows.
Keep Grant Programme Design Proportionate
This is probably one of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt over the years. Not every grant programme needs the same level of complexity. A £2,000 community grant sThis is probably one of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt over the years. Not every grant programme needs the same level of complexity. A £2,000 community grant shouldn’t require the same application process as a £2 million capital project. Equally, a programme funding innovative medical research will quite rightly ask for more evidence than a small local events fund.
The principle is simple. The effort required from applicants – and from the organisation administering the programme – should be proportionate to the value, complexity and risk of the funding. Sometimes we forget that every additional question, document request or approval stage has a cost. If it doesn’t genuinely improve decision-making or governance, it’s worth asking whether it’s really needed
Think About the Applicant Experience
One question I often ask is: “If you were applying to this programme yourself, would you understand what was being asked of you?”
Applicants shouldn’t need to become experts in government policy or grant administration just to complete an application.
- Good guidance matters.
- Clear eligibility criteria matter.
- Plain English matters.
Applicants are usually experts in their own work. It’s the grantmaker’s job to make the funding process as straightforward as possible. That doesn’t mean making decisions easier. It means making the process easier to understand.
Design the Assessment Before Writing the Application Form
This sometimes surprises people. There’s a temptation to start by designing application questions and only later think about how applications will be assessed. I’d usually do it the other way round.
- Decide what good applications should look like.
- Agree on the assessment criteria.
- Think about how reviewers will make decisions.
Only then write the application form. If a question doesn’t help someone assess the application, it’s worth asking why it’s there.
Good Governance Should Not Feel Like Bureaucracy
Governance is essential in grantmaking, particularly where public money or charitable funds are involved.
- Applicants need confidence that decisions are fair.
- Funders need confidence that money is being spent appropriately.
- Auditors need confidence that decisions can be explained.
None of that necessarily means creating complicated processes.
In fact, the best governance often feels almost invisible.
- Clear responsibilities.
- Consistent assessment.
- Transparent decision-making.
- Good records.
Simple controls applied consistently are usually far more effective than layers of unnecessary administration.
Build Learning into the Grant Programme from the Beginning
Grant programmes often spend a great deal of time thinking about applications and awards. Less attention is sometimes given to what happens afterwards.
- How will progress be monitored?
- What outcomes are you hoping to see?
- What information will help improve the next funding round?
Monitoring isn’t just about accountability. It’s also one of the best opportunities to learn what’s working and what isn’t. The best grant programmes evolve over time because they’re designed to learn from experience.
Technology Is Important, But It Is Not the Starting Point
People sometimes assume that technology defines how a grant programme operates. I’d argue the opposite. A well-designed grant programme should work on paper before it’s implemented in software.
Technology should make the process more efficient. It should reduce administration, improve consistency, support collaboration and provide better reporting. But it can’t compensate for unclear objectives or poor programme design. Good technology makes a good process better. It rarely rescues a poor one.
Where Does AI Fit into Grantmaking?
It’s difficult to talk about modern grantmaking without mentioning artificial intelligence. There’s no doubt AI has the potential to make some aspects of grant administration more efficient. Summarising applications, helping reviewers find relevant information, identifying duplicate submissions or supporting reporting are all promising areas.
Used well, these tools could reduce administrative effort and allow people to spend more time applying judgement rather than searching through documents. But I don’t think AI changes the fundamentals of good grantmaking. Funding decisions are rarely based on information alone. They involve context, experience, policy objectives and, ultimately, human judgement. That’s why I see AI as something that should support grantmakers rather than replace them.
It’s also why governance matters. As organisations begin exploring AI, questions around transparency, bias, data privacy and human oversight are becoming just as important as the technology itself. Frameworks such as the EU AI Act are encouraging organisations to think carefully about how AI is used in decision-making – particularly where public services and public funding are involved.
In many ways, AI makes good programme design even more important. If the underlying process isn’t clear and well governed, introducing AI won’t fix it.
One final thought: What makes a Successful Grant Programme?
People often ask what makes a successful grant programme. There isn’t a single answer. Every programme is different because every funding objective is different. But the best programmes I’ve seen all have something in common.
- They’re clear about what they’re trying to achieve.
- They ask applicants only for the information they genuinely need.
- They make fair, transparent decisions.
- They learn from every funding round.
- And they use technology to support good grantmaking – not to define it.
Everything else should flow from those foundations.
This article was written by Steve Buckley, Commercial Director at AIMS Software, drawing on more than 25 years’ experience working with governments, research funders and charitable organisations to design and deliver grant programmes.
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