Avoiding jargon
Grantmaking is surrounded by words. Words describe overall missions and goals; they explain…
Goals & governance
Benchmarking basics
Benchmarking can assist you with planning and with continuous improvement. You can do it any time;…
Building compliance from the beginning
Grants evaluation is not just about increasing efficiency. It's also about gaining the knowledge…
Consumer review
To ensure that the programs you fund meet the needs of consumers, you should involve consumers in…
Covering core costs
Core costs are not a popular target for grants funding, but if grantseekers can't cover core costs…
Designing or redesigning your grants program
It can be difficult to know where to start in designing a grants policy and program. This help…
Disaster grantmaking
As the world grapples with climate change, natural disasters such as bushfires, floods, droughts…
Enabling innovation and risk-friendly grantmaking
It is often assumed that in funding innovative or high-impact projects, grantmakers take a big risk…
Engaging in strategic grantmaking
Switching from a small, one-off grants program to strategic, multi-year partnerships can help…
Funding collaboratives
Many of the issues grantmakers seek to tackle are complex, and large: the scale and complexity is…
Funding innovative projects and organisations
Funding innovation can involve pushing boundaries or funding the testing of ideas and theories. In…
Grantee partnerships: adding depth to your grantmaking
Grantmakers who form true partnerships with grantees can address complex social problems - problems…
Grantmaking during an economic downturn
There are times when the government has to increase its spending to compensate for falling…
Grantmaking in a COVID-19 world
The novel coronavirus has caused an unprecedented global health and economic crisis that is…
How to respond when disaster hits
If there's one thing we have no shortage of these days, it is disasters: record-breaking heat and…
How to survive a media storm
The way an organisation deals with a crisis is often remembered long after the crisis itself has…
Impact Frameworks
Coming up with a list of outcomes or an outcome framework can be a daunting task, especially when…
Managing your grants staff
Grants staff have a tough gig - they are often pressed for time and juggling numerous roles. They…
Maximising the grants officer role
Expanding the grants officer's role can have many positive knock-on effects. When a grants…
Opening your grants to groups through accessibility
Opening your grants up to a wide range of organisations will give you the best chance at securing…
Reviewing, rebranding and reconnecting: a case study
If a program review results in significant changes to a grantmaking program, the program will…
Table Hotspot: Inserting good governance into highly political processes
Attendees at the 2016 AIGM Grantmaking in Australia Conference participated in a lively series of…
Table Hotspot: Learning from failure
Attendees at the 2016 AIGM Grantmaking in Australia Conference participated in a lively series of…
The basics of program design
Running a great grants program is not as simple as signing cheques and handing them out.…
The role of a grants facilitator
A grants facilitator can assist community groups with their grant applications as well as…
The SmartyGrants Grantmaking Toolkit
This toolkit is designed to walk you through the process of building, reviewing or refreshing a…
The SmartyGrants Grantmaking Toolkit
SmartyGrants experts have delved into the myriad of ways that proper risk management will ensure…
Tips on collaborating with other grantmakers
Pooling resources with other grantmakers can increase the overall impact of the collaboration and…
Tips to increase resources for local government grantmakers
Local government grantmakers need to be positive, persuasive and resourceful to bolster the reserve…