KPIs in Grantmaking: the metrics funders use to judge program performance
In grantmaking, KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are the specific metrics a program uses to judge its performance.
They typically span three areas: reach (beneficiaries, communities), efficiency (cost per outcome, time-to-decision) and alignment (share of funding to priority causes). Choosing a focused set of KPIs at design time avoids the common problem of only being able to report activity rather than impact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related terms
The newest terms we've added, the words teams managing grants, sponsorship, and CSR come across most often.
Project Grant
A project grant is funding awarded for a specific, defined piece of work, with its own objectives, timeline and budget, rather than for the general running of the organisation receiving it.
It is the most common form of grant. The funder approves a described project and expects to be told what that project achieved, which is why project grants carry heavier reporting requirements than unrestricted funding.
International Grantmaking
International grantmaking is awarding grants to organisations based outside the funder's own country, which adds verification, currency, language and reporting requirements that domestic grants do not carry.
The additional work is front-loaded. Establishing that a foreign organisation can be funded is harder than paying it, and the route chosen at the outset determines the obligations for years afterwards.
Data Residency
Data residency is the country or region where a platform physically stores the data you put into it. It is a contractual commitment, not a technical preference, and a supplier should be able to state it in writing.
For grant, sponsorship and volunteering programmes the data in question includes applicant and employee personal data, which is what moves residency out of the IT conversation and into procurement.
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