Research & Development
Our unique mix of grantmaking experts, experienced developers, and data specialists mean that SmartyGrants is able to work on revolutionary initiatives to change the social sector for good.
CLASSIE
Tracking the flow of funding and other support to social sector organisations in Australia has historically been difficult because of inconsistencies in categorisation, or the absence of categorisation entirely.
Our Community developed CLASSIE to serve as a universal classification system for Australian social sector initiatives and entities.
CLASSIE (Classification of Social Sector Initiatives and Entities) taxonomy draws from the US Foundation
Center’s well-respected Philanthropy Classification System, as well as a
deep well of knowledge contributed by a team of more than 50 subject
matter experts across Australia and New Zealand.
Developing a common language helps us join the dots and derive insights that cut across a range of government, business and community activities.
CLASSIEfier
Grantmakers can now use CLASSIEfier to instantly classify their past and current grants.
Once CLASSIE was developed, some of its sections were incorporated into SmartyGrants. However, manual classification – using humans to read and classify each application – is time consuming. Moreover, current and future applications represent only a fraction of the data we would like to classify.
Against this background, CLASSIEfier was born. CLASSIEfier is an
algorithm designed to automatically classify grant applications, or
indeed any relevant social sector data. Initially, CLASSIEfier
classified against the CLASSIE taxonomy, but later versions of the
algorithm now offer other dictionaries to classify against, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Reports
What are the priorities and directions of Australian grantmakers?
The first part of an analysis of funds distributed on the SmartyGrants platform between 2013 and 2020.
The ethics of automated classification: a case study using a dignity lens
We evaluated a dignity lens analytic tool released by the Centre for Public Impact. This white paper demonstrates how the tool helped SmartyGrants audit each decision made in CLASSIEfier’s development.
Ethical considerations in multilabel text classifications
You may have heard of CLASSIEfier, a tool based on CLASSIE that automatically identifies the subject and beneficiaries of grant applications. But how trustworthy is an automatic classification tool? What assurances do SmartyGrants users have that the tool is accurate?
Grantseeker studies
The Grants in Australia research study is the nation’s largest survey of community organisations and not-for-profit, seeking their views about grants and grantmakers.
A resource for both grantmakers and grantseekers, the study is aimed at improving the process of both obtaining and delivering grants.
We have produced ten reports since the study began in 2006.
Over two thousand people completed the latest survey, conducted in May 2018.
The survey informs the work of Our Community and its enterprises (most notably SmartyGrants and the Funding Centre), as well as providing important data and key reference points for Australian grantmakers and grantseekers, academics, social sector enablers, and others interested in the field.
