Services
Below we have described some of the the types of services we can provide. You can pick and choose from these options, or we can build a custom quote for you.
In order for us to work most effectively with you, and to optimise the quality and efficiency of your grantmaking, we recommend that you engage with us as early as possible to discuss your grants policy and program design requirements.
Plan and Design
Why does your grants program exist, and what do you aim to achieve by it? How do you know that you are delivering on its goals? Can you confidently attest that you are providing appropriate stewardship for the allocated funds?
SmartyGrants will work with you to audit and articulate your program outcome goals, governance, and eligibility criteria. You can use SmartyGrants to safeguard your governance, to check grantee eligibility, and to track progress towards your outcomes.
| Services offered | Service category | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Audit/build program goals, ensure proportionate, risk-based governance processes and eligibility requirements & advise on improvements | SmartyGrants Consulting Services | May include program risk assessment |
| Create a line of sight from program goals to program outputs and outcomes (audit/build eligibility requirements; guidelines; application, progress and acquittal forms) | SmartyGrants Consulting Services | |
| Define methodology for tracking and reporting on program outcomes in accordance with articulated outcome domains, goals and KPIs | SmartyGrants Consulting Services | |
| SmartyGrants diagnostics: Annual health check; Data clean-up; Outcomes-readiness | SmartyGrants Consulting Services | Diagnostic report will include recommendations for remediation |
Record Keeping
Good grants management and record-keeping systems contribute to good governance, good outcomes, and good program data. You need to put in place an efficient, coherent grants management and record-keeping systems in order to satisfy the accountability demands of stakeholders and auditors. Your systems must be capable of recording every interaction with grantseekers from the first contact until the last. This includes inquiries, applications, assessments, agreements, payments, reports and acquittals. Our systems and consultants will help provide you with peace of mind that your methods for capturing and managing records are in good order.
| Services offered | Service category | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Business process planning; design, development and implementation of SmartyGrants build plan, including user testing | SmartyGrants Consulting Services | |
| Assess record-keeping systems; identify process gaps/blind spots | SmartyGrants Consulting Services | |
| Set up systems to manage and keep track of your workflow and actions through Stages, Tasks, File Notes and Audit History | SmartyGrants Administration Services | |
| Set up systems to store and manage Contacts and send and keep records of Mailouts | SmartyGrants Administration Services | |
| Set up appropriate system of reporting | SmartyGrants Consulting Services |
Identify Outcomes Agents
SmartyGrants systems and consultants can help you identify potential “outcomes agents” – the people and organisations that will help deliver your policy or other outcome goals. We can also help ensure you reach those best-placed to deliver on your aims.
| Services offered | Service category | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Articulate appropriate and proportionate outcome domains and goals; identify appropriate key performance indicators | SmartyGrants Evaluation Services | |
| Track and report on program outcomes in accordance with articulated outcome domains, goals and KPIs | SmartyGrants Evaluation Services | |
| Design & build outcomes-focused application forms | SmartyGrants Consulting Services | |
| Promote grants opportunity | Australia’s most-used grants database (Funding Centre) and other systems/services as appropriate | |
| Answer applicant queries – phone and email – and triage/escalate more complex policy queries | SmartyGrants Administration Services |
Assess & Decide
Every grants program needs an assessment and decision-making process that can stand up to internal and external scrutiny. SmartyGrants can help you put in place systems and processes that will provide assurance that you have fair and defendable assessment and decision-making process. And we can take on some of the heavy lifting involved in assessing applications and awarding grants.
| Services offered | Service category | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Receive and review applications | SmartyGrants Administration Services | |
| Monitor and report on application statistics (including unsubmitted applications) | SmartyGrants Administration Services | |
| Manage email/mail communications with prospective applicants | SmartyGrants Administration Services | Includes answering queries; triaging/escalating queries as required |
| Conduct eligibility review/assurance and reporting services | SmartyGrants Administration Services | May include desk reviews and/or site visits |
| Create and deliver to client application summary report pack | SmartyGrants Administration Services | Includes application statistics, editing of project title/description, etc |
| Manage application audit trail | SmartyGrants Administration Services | Includes managing stages and application status/eligibility (e.g. ineligible, approved, etc) |
| Manage recruitment and supervision of assessors | SmartyGrants Administration Services | Includes recruitment, screening, conflict of interest due diligence |
| Assess applications against program guidelines and provide merit-based recommendation report for delegate decision | SmartyGrants Administration Services | May include facilitating divergent score discussion with assessors and moderator/probity advisor and documenting reasons for decisions; may include draft media pack |
Notify
Skilled and empathetic staff combine with efficient systems to manage notification of grant decisions to successful and unsuccessful applicants, and to internal stakeholders and the public.
| Services offered | Service category | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Manage email/mail communications with successful/unsuccessful applicants, including notification of application status and feedback | SmartyGrants Administration Services | Includes notification of ineligibility; successful/unsuccessful application |
| Create and deliver successful applications summary report pack | SmartyGrants Administration Services | |
| Convene grant announcement/ celebration events | SmartyGrants Administration Services | |
| Manage appeals in line with stated appeals process | SmartyGrants Administration Services |
Agreements
Skilfully crafted grant agreements and contracts not only provide legal and administrative surety but can present an opportunity to build relationships, capacity, skills and understanding.
| Services offered | Service category | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Draft contracts/agreements, including milestones, proportionate with size of grant and risk profile of grantees (right-sized grant agreements) | SmartyGrants Legal Services | |
| Issue agreements and payment requests & monitor proper execution & filing | SmartyGrants Administration Services | |
| Monitor receipt of invoices and approve payments (including scheduled/milestone-based payments) | SmartyGrants Administration Services | |
| Set up (and run, as required) payment & ongoing reconciliation reports | SmartyGrants Administration Services | Word or Excel as per client requirements |
Monitor
Monitoring the progress of activities funded by grants is an ongoing responsibility of both the grantmaker and the grant recipient. The benefits of monitoring flow both ways, providing opportunities for both parties to build their relationship, share knowledge, and improve or refine their processes. SmartyGrants can help you set up systems that will ensure you know how you’re doing and can put in place steps to change direction as required.
| Services offered | Service category | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Design & build outcomes-focused progress forms (including drawing in data from grantees’ application form) | SmartyGrants Consulting Services | |
| Schedule progress forms for each grantee, aligning due dates to agreed grant milestones | SmartyGrants Administration Services | |
| Onboard new grant recipients | SmartyGrants Administration Services | Includes clarification of milestones, outcome expectations and administrative/contractual requirements. |
| Track and report on program outcomes in accordance with articulated outcome domains, goals and KPIs | SmartyGrants Evaluation Services | |
| Assess grant recipients’ performance and progress towards outcomes | SmartyGrants Administration Services | |
| Monitor compliance with funding agreement and escalate issues and risks | SmartyGrants Administration Services | May include implementing client’s issues management response |
| Provide quarterly progress report, including summary of grantee outcomes/KPIs and recommendations re issues management | SmartyGrants Administration Services | May include consultation with SmartyGrants Legal Services, as required |
| Assess requests for variations and provide recommendations to client for endorsement, as well as quarterly variation summary report | SmartyGrants Administration Services | May include agreement variation response |
Close the Grant
SmartyGrants can give you peace of mind that your financial acquittal processes support the overall purpose of the grants program, including its objectives in relation to capacity-building, capability-building, fraud management, and value for money.
| Services offered | Service category | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Design & build outcomes-focused grantee report forms (including drawing in data from grantees’ application and progress forms) | SmartyGrants Consulting Services | |
| Schedule acquittal forms for each grantee, aligning due dates to agreements | SmartyGrants Administration Services | |
| Conduct final assessment of each grant and provide report to client, including recommendations re issues management, recommendations for unspent funds (e.g. recover, rollover, write off), and findings re outcomes and KPIs, and assessment of grantee organisational capacity/performance | SmartyGrants Administration Services | May include issues management / funds recovery response |
Evaluate & Share
Program evaluation means reviewing the overall success of your whole grants program. It investigates not only the program outcomes achieved by the sum of all the projects (the ‘what’), but also the management and delivery processes (the ‘how’).
| Services offered | Service category | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Create aggregate report, incorporating summary of progress towards outcome goals, case studies, highlights, lessons and recommendations for program improvements, dissemination of results and future funding | SmartyGrants Evaluation Services | Aggregate reports can be per-round, per-program or per-time period |
| Disseminate lessons learned (appropriately de-identified) | Centre for What Works |