Grant Process Changes
We are a health-conversion foundation, serving parts of West Virginia and Southeast Ohio, that awards about $1 million in grants per year to support health-related projects. We are exploring different models for our grant application process for one of our grant programs, with a focus on how we can reduce the time from the opening of the cycle to grant award notifications to be more responsive to our grant partners. We would be interested in talking with other similar-sized foundations about the process that you use. Some particular topics we are thinking about include: deadlines (fixed vs. rolling), steps in the process (LOIs, site visits, full applications), easier renewal processes for partners whom we support regularly, and internal approval processes (staff vs. board). We would be very interested in hearing from others who have found ways to shortened the timeline for applications and decision making. If anyone has any advice or would be willing to set up a time for a conversation, please let me know!
Marian Clowes, Associate Director, Sisters Health Foundation
