How can you improve your grant evaluation process?

1 Define your evaluation purpose and questions

Before you start evaluating your grants, you need to have a clear idea of why and what you are evaluating. What are the main objectives and outcomes of your grantmaking strategy? What are the key questions you want to answer about your grants? How will you use the evaluation results to inform your decisions and actions? By defining your evaluation purpose and questions, you will be able to focus your efforts and resources on the most relevant and meaningful aspects of your grants.

2 Choose appropriate evaluation methods and tools

Depending on your evaluation purpose and questions, you will need to select the most suitable methods and tools to collect and analyze data. For example, you may use surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, case studies, or experiments to gather qualitative or quantitative information from your grantees, beneficiaries, partners, or other stakeholders. You may also use logic models, theories of change, indicators, rubrics, or dashboards to organize and display your data. You should choose methods and tools that are reliable, valid, feasible, and ethical.

3 Engage your grantees and other stakeholders

Grant evaluation is not a one-way process that only involves the grantmaker. It is a collaborative and participatory process that involves your grantees and other stakeholders who have a stake in the grant outcomes. By engaging them in the evaluation design, implementation, and reporting, you will be able to build trust, foster learning, and enhance ownership and accountability. You will also benefit from their insights, feedback, and perspectives that can enrich your evaluation findings and recommendations.

4 Plan and manage your evaluation resources and timeline

Grant evaluation can be a complex and time-consuming process that requires careful planning and management. You need to allocate adequate resources, such as staff, budget, and technology, to support your evaluation activities. You also need to establish a realistic and flexible timeline that aligns with your grant cycle and reporting deadlines. You should communicate your evaluation plan and expectations to your grantees and other stakeholders, and monitor and adjust your progress as needed.

6 Learn and improve your evaluation process

Grant evaluation is not a one-off event, but a continuous learning process that can help you improve your grantmaking performance and outcomes. You should reflect on your evaluation process and results, and identify what worked well and what can be improved. You should also solicit and incorporate feedback from your grantees and other stakeholders, and document and share your evaluation lessons and best practices. By learning and improving your evaluation process, you will be able to enhance your grantmaking quality and effectiveness.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?