Grantmakers gather in Melbourne to raise the standard

In a lively North Melbourne “grantmaking muster" on Wednesday, October 18, grantmakers from governments at every level joined philanthropic funders and other experts to discuss the latest grantmaking trends and techniques.

NSW government representatives Kate Steenkamp and Adam Young, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank’s Sharnie Curnow, and DFAT grants lead Glenn Williams took part in a panel discussion about rolling out grants standardisation at scale.

Grant nerds from across the country took advantage of a rare opportunity to share insights with like-minded professionals seeking the grantmaking “goldilocks zone”, where grant programs employ standardised processes that improve rather than hinder user experience.

The free half-day “Grantmaking Muster” will be hosted by the Institute of Grants Management (IGM) and SmartyGrants in the Queen Victoria Market precinct.

The event is billed as an intensive learning and networking opportunity for funders wanting to manage grants better.

Topics will include grantmaking analytics and data, creating better assessment panels and establishing how to map an entire grantmaking process.

SmartyGrants director of managed services Stephen Foxworthy said the event would appeal to emerging and experienced grantmakers alike with its focus on useful knowledge and topical issues. And while SmartyGrants users will find the event a natural fit, he said topic areas were applicable to all grantmakers across the government, philanthropic and corporate sectors.

“I’ll be talking about the value of establishing assessment panels that reduce conflicts, increase transparency, employ experienced assessors and ensure consistency in decision-making.”

He said he would also discuss the rise of artificial intelligence and how it could affect grant assessments, as well as its risks and limits.

Other SmartyGrants specialists will explore case studies and best-practice use of data and analytics, and building an effective business process to manage all stages of the grantmaking lifecycle.

Delegates were given a sneak peek into the latest tools being rolled out by SmartyGrants developers, insights from our data science team, and details of how the Outcomes Engine can measure grants impact.

Our Community group managing director Denis Moriarty said SmartyGrants had been working for more than two decades to improve grantmaking standards and processes through best practice education and training, and through the SmartyGrants software as a service (SAAS) platform.

He said SmartyGrants was part of one of several enterprises at Our Community aiming to build stronger community organisations.

“Ultimately standardisation aims to make the lives of community groups a whole lot easier, and that in turn makes things a lot better for grantmakers too,” he said.

SmartyGrants chaos controller and executive director Kathy Richardson told the 50-strong crowd that standardisation, done well, meant avoiding wasted effort, increasing the impact of grant programs and meeting government and other rules and guidelines.

“Good practice standardisation will help you achieve the efficiency, transparency, fairness that's being increasingly demanded by auditors, media outlets and citizens.”