Grantmaking Process: Examples + Inspiration

Examples questions to answer about your grantmaking process

As you form your Community Fund, consider how the fund will give money to charities.

We find that transparency around your grantmaking process is a helpful way to share your operating principles with potential supporters, and establish the fund as a trustworthy giving vehicle.

Our grantmaking process

The following questions and responses are examples intended to guide your thinking on how your Community Fund will distribute grants to charities, based on our experience with a variety of fund managers.

These are just examples - feel free to modify the questions and responses included on your fund page to fit your story.

Who primarily makes grant decisions?

Example responses:

• The fund manager(s) directly

• The hosting charity (for giving syndicates)

• A committee of decision makers

• A democratic group of supporters (e.g., via voting system)

How are grant decisions evaluated?

Example responses:

• This fund has pre-selected charities that we support: Charity Name 1, Charity Name 2, etc.

• Charities may apply for grants from our community fund. We evaluate grant requests according to the following criteria: alignment to mission, effectiveness, etc.

• Charities are nominated for consideration by fund supporters, and evaluated based on the following criteria: alignment to mission, effectiveness, etc.

How frequently are grants made?

Example responses:

• Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly

• After fund reaches $X in available balance

• At the discretion of the fund manager

How is the size of the grant determined?

Example responses:

• In accordance with the size of charity need

• In fixed increments (e.g., always grants of $X)

• Proportionally, based on our level of support (e.g., we give X% of our quarterly grant value to the charity with the most votes from supporters, X% to the charity with the second most votes, and so forth)

Will grants be designated for specific purposes?

Example responses:

• No, grants are able to used wherever needed by the charity

• Some grants will be restricted to specific purposes, projects, or campaigns

• Yes, most of our grants to organizations may only be used for specific purposes