Inside the Greater Impact Grant Review Process

In the Greater Impact Grant Program, field of interest fund donors entrust the Distribution Committee to identify and recommend the most impactful community projects. This is a responsibility the committee and staff do not take lightly. While we would love to fund every project and program, limited resources require thoughtful, strategic decision-making.

Each question in the grant application is intentionally crafted to help applying nonprofits clearly communicate their plans, organizational capacity, and potential for impact. A great deal of thought has gone into aligning the application with our mission to ensure transparency and consistency.

The following factors are scored using a rubric to support fair and equitable review:

• Financial Stability – Is the applicant’s organization financially sound? Do the submitted financial documents raise any concerns?
• Organizational Stability – Is leadership consistent and dependable? Does the organization demonstrate long-term sustainability and growth?
• Capacity – Does the organization demonstrate the resources and infrastructure to successfully manage the proposed program?
• Project/Program Alignment – Does the proposal align with the applicant’s mission?
• Project/Program Planning – Is the plan thoughtful, strategic, and clearly articulated?
• Funding Strategy – Is the funding request realistic and well justified? Are other sources of support identified? Will the GGICF funds be used to leverage other funding sources?
• Ingenuity – Does the proposal offer an innovative or unique approach to solving a community need?
• Quality of Investment – Considering the cost per beneficiary, is this an appropriate use of funds?

These scores are combined with evaluations based on our Vision 2030 priorities and other organizational knowledge.

We believe transparency is a win-win. It empowers applicants to build strong, thorough proposals and gives evaluators the insight needed to make well-informed decisions. When everyone puts their best foot forward, the entire community benefits.