SmartyGrants' education arm, the Institute of Grants Management (IGM), has released a white paper designed to help grantmakers become more outcomes focused.
Shifting to Outcomes-Orientated Grantmaking is for anyone who’s ever asked “Are our grants actually making a difference?”
The white paper, which has been written for a global audience by SmartyGrants UK lead Kathy Richardson and chief impact officer Jen Riley, was launched by Australia's Assistant Treasurer Dr Andrew Leigh at the 2025 Grant Impact Forum, in Melbourne, before an audience of more than 80 leading Australian funders.
The paper calls on grantmakers to consider outcomes at every stage of the grants lifecycle:
- In the design process: Set out with clear, achievable and measurable aims and outcomes for your grant programs.
- In the applications process: Seek applications from those who are most likely to help you achieve your aims.
- In the assessment process: Assess the likelihood that applicants will help shift the dials that matter to you.
- In the contracting process: Keep grantees focused on your overrarching program goals when setting milestones and reporting requirements.
- In the reporting/acquittal process: Go beyond receipts, gather information about what worked, what didn’t, and why.
The white paper provides practical advice to assist grantmakers to better understand the impacts of their funding. The advice can be applied independently or in conjunction with SmartyGrants Outcomes Engine functionality.
