5: Grantees

Choose grantees wisely and help them deliver the best possible results

Other Information:

How Do I Work with Grantees? There are many paths towards making a difference in the world with your philanthropy. The most common path donors take -- which this question addresses directly -- is funding nonprofits. Since they -- not you -- are on the ground, doing most (if not all) of the heaviest lifting, it's really not much of a stretch to say that your single most important job is choosing your grantees wisely, then doing everything you can to help them deliver the best possible results... There are many paths towards making a difference in the world with your philanthropy. You might start your own nonprofit or advocate for something you believe in. Probably the most common path donors take -- which this question addresses directly -- is funding nonprofits. If you choose this path, it is important to acknowledge that it is they -- not you -- who are on the ground, doing most (if not all) of the heaviest lifting. So it's really not much of a stretch to say that your single most important job is choosing your grantees wisely, then doing everything you can to help them deliver the best possible results. How to do this? It might be helpful to break it down into what we call the "Six S's of Grantmaking" which includes a number of activities, namely:

Stakeholder(s):

• Grantees

Objective(s):

5.1: Sourcing

5.2: Screening

5.3: Structuring

5.4: Selecting

5.4.1: Authority

5.4.2: Input

5.4.3: Roles

5.5: Supporting

5.5.1: Organizational Health

5.5.2: Investment Scope

5.5.3: Skills

5.5.4: Priorities

5.5.5: Communications

5.6: Sustaining

Content