IVAR
IVAR
At Devon Community Foundation we are committed to making our grantmaking processes as straightforward and transparent as possible. In 2021 we were one of 50 funders who signed up to a new campaign calling on funders to adopt simpler, more flexible practices to make life easier for those we fund.
IVAR launched the Open and Trusting Grantmaking initiative in February 2021, aiming to build on and enhance the positive adaptations made by foundations in response to Covid-19 and establish them for the long term. More than 100 funders have now joined the Open and Trusting community, signing up to eight key commitments.
In March 2023 we attended an event hosted by IVAR bringing funders and charities together to celebrate the two-year anniversary of Open and Trusting Grantmaking. It was an opportunity to reflect on the progress of the initiative so far and to help shape how it will develop over the next 18 months. We heard from charities about their experience of applying for grants and from other funders about steps they had taken to become more open and trusting.
We have recently refreshed our own IVAR commitments so this was also a valuable chance to reaffirm these:
We screen applicants for eligibility early on in the process, and reject and redirect to alternative sources of funding as quickly as possible. We close schemes early if we are heavily oversubscribed. We have reviewed the clarity of our guidance and continue to fine-tune. We aim to introduce electronic signatures for grant agreements. We are piloting live briefing sessions for new schemes and continue to explore ways to make our processes more inclusive and accessible to everyone.
We use bespoke application forms and guidance documents for each grant scheme and test these prior to launch for clarity, language etc. We will explain more carefully why we are asking for information, and will aim to avoid having to go back to applicants for additional information by ensuring our questions are clear and comprehensive.
We are working with trustees to clarify our approach to capital and building work, and our guidance on safeguarding. We will continue our work to explain more clearly to applicants how we assess risk. We are developing plans for unrestricted grantmaking.
We will maintain our commitment to regular grant rounds, with agile turnaround. We will pilot new methods for decision-making and payments to ensure speedy process does not compromise the quality of decisions.
We will publish analysis of our applications on our website, along with examples of applications that were rejected for differing reasons, to help guide applicants. We will continue to give feedback to unsuccessful applicants. We will undertake to explain how we make decisions for each grant scheme.
We have adapted our interim communications to help open up communication with grantholders. We are aware of the need to balance flexibility with fairness.
We continue to take steps to encourage frank communication and supportive challenge. We regularly seek feedback from applicants on how we are doing. We will explore ways to involve stakeholders in the design of our grant schemes.
Wherever possible we aim for reporting to be an opportunity for mutually beneficial reflection. We tell grantholders in advance what reporting will be required, and we ensure this is relevant and proportionate. We will continue our use of telephone conversations as an alternative monitoring tool, and will explore outcomes-based reporting as part of unrestricted funding pilots.
