Measuring Grant Impact: Strategies for Funders

How to track outcomes and report the impact of grants, including tools for data collection and analysis.

By Plinth Team

Measuring Grant Impact: Strategies for Funders

Impact measurement should be proportionate, reliable and useful for learning – not just compliance.

  • Define outcomes clearly: Agree what success looks like before funding.
  • Collect the minimum useful data: Prioritise indicators you will actually use.
  • Tell the story: Pair numbers with short case studies that show lived experience.

From outputs to outcomes

Start with a simple theory of change. Track outputs (what was delivered), outcomes (changes for people/places) and, where feasible, longer‑term impact.

Example indicators include qualifications achieved, job starts and retention for skills and employment; changes on a validated wellbeing scale such as WEMWBS and activity attendance for health and wellbeing; regular participation and progression to leadership roles for youth engagement; and events delivered, volunteer hours and local partnership projects for place‑based outcomes. Data sources may include provider records, participant follow‑ups, programme management systems and volunteer logs.

Practical reporting cadence

  • Light‑touch quarterly updates for small grants; semi‑annual for larger multi‑year awards.
  • A brief end‑of‑grant report with outcomes, learning and a short beneficiary story.
  • Use common tags for theme, geography and population to enable portfolio analysis.

Turning reports into insight

Reading dozens of narrative updates is time‑consuming. Plinth reads reports, extracts outcomes and locations, and generates case studies and portfolio summaries automatically – so trustees see the bigger picture without extra burden on grantees.

Frequently asked questions

How many KPIs should each grant report?

Keep to a small set (5–8) aligned to programme outcomes and the agreed budget headings.

How do we compare across different projects?

Use shared definitions and tags, then view results at portfolio level. Plinth handles this automatically.

Can qualitative stories be rigorous?

Yes – collect quotes with consent, note context and selection criteria, and pair with quantitative indicators.

How do we avoid burdening small organisations?

Use proportionate reporting and reuse data you already hold. Offer templates and examples.

Citations and trusted sources

About the author

Prepared by the Plinth Editorial Team. Updated August 2025.

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