Grant Management Best Practices for Nonprofits and Foundations

Expert recommendations to improve efficiency and compliance in your grant programmes.

By Plinth Team

Grant Management Best Practices for Nonprofits and Foundations

A few disciplined habits make grant programmes fairer, faster and easier to audit.

  • Be clear: Publish criteria, processes and timelines; use plain English.
  • Be consistent: Standardise due diligence and decisions; record reasons.
  • Be proportionate: Match monitoring to risk and size, not one‑size‑fits‑all.

Foundations to get right

  1. Set objectives and eligibility in writing; map to your charitable purposes.
  2. Use structured forms with guidance and examples to lift application quality.
  3. Run proportionate checks using trusted registers and policy reviews.
  4. Keep a decision record for every case – including declined – with constructive feedback.
  5. Tie payments to milestones; collect concise progress updates with outcomes and spend.

Operational checklists

  • Pre‑launch: objectives agreed, criteria and FAQs published, conflicts process confirmed.
  • Assessment: eligibility filter applied, due diligence complete, scoring notes saved and feedback drafted.
  • Award: agreement issued, schedules and conditions set, communications prepared.
  • Monitoring: reminders automated, outcomes tagged, budget versus spend reconciled.
  • Learning: portfolio summary produced for trustees, case studies compiled and criteria refined.

Accessibility and equity

Provide example answers, word count hints and eligibility checks before submission. Offer optional drop‑ins or recorded webinars. Publish decisions and share constructive feedback with all applicants.

Why teams choose Plinth

Plinth standardises due diligence, drafts feedback automatically and turns reports into portfolio insights. It reduces administrative burden while improving transparency, helping staff spend more time supporting grantees.

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Frequently asked questions

How do we keep panels consistent?

Use a standard scoring framework, provide exemplars, and keep a short rationale for each score. Plinth captures this and drafts feedback.

How can we reduce burden on applicants?

Provide early eligibility checks and allow re‑use of common information. Keep questions specific and focused on outcomes.

What does proportionate monitoring look like?

Small, low‑risk grants might need a short outcome update; larger awards require budget vs spend and milestones. Automate reminders.

Should we publish success rates and criteria?

Yes – transparency builds trust and improves future applications.

Citations and trusted sources

About the author

Written by the Plinth Editorial Team. Updated August 2025.

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