Template

Grant review meeting template

A funder's panel reviews grant applications against its published criteria, discusses the borderline ones, declares any conflicts, and decides who gets funded and how much.

90 minutesFor Grant panel members, programme staff and a chairAgenda room
Change the agenda first

The agenda, with a time for each part

  1. Conflicts of interest5 min
    • Does anybody have a connection to any applicant?
  2. The criteria and the money5 min
    • What are we funding, and how much is available?
  3. Clear yes and clear no20 min
    • Which applications do we all agree on?
  4. The borderline ones40 min
    • What tips each one, against the criteria?
  5. Final list and amounts15 min
    • Who is funded, how much, with what conditions?
  6. Feedback to applicants5 min
    • What do we tell the ones we turn down?

How the notes read afterwards

A made-up example, so you can see the shape. In a real call each line carries the words that were said and who said them.

Conflicts. Dana sits on the board of one applicant; she leaves for it.

Available. $500k for youth programmes.

Clear. 6 yes, 14 no.

Borderline. 5; funded 3, one with a condition to share outcome data.

Feedback. Two lines each, sent by the 30th.

Running it well

Ways to change it

Small funderTrustees score in advance; the meeting covers only borderline cases.
Rolling grantsMonthly, with fewer applications each time.

When to skip it. If the applications are few and clear, trustees can decide by written vote.

Questions

How are grant applications reviewed?

Usually panel members score each application against published criteria, declare conflicts of interest, then meet to discuss borderline cases and decide funding.

What is a conflict of interest in grant-making?

Any connection a reviewer has to an applicant — a role, a relationship or a financial interest — that could affect, or appear to affect, their judgement.

Should unsuccessful applicants get feedback?

Good practice is to give at least brief, specific feedback so they can improve future applications.

What happens in the room

Everybody joins from the link, with no account. The agenda sits beside the call and each item fills in with what was said about it, under the name of the person who said it.

More templates

Donor meetingA conversation with a supporter or possible major donor: thank them, show what their support made possible, listen to what they care about, and — when it fits — ask for the next gift.Board meetingHighlights, the numbers, the asks, and the votes — in that order.Investor update callFor the people who put money in: the numbers, what went wrong, and what you need from them.Nonprofit board meetingFor a charity or association board: approve the minutes, the money, the reports and the votes — in order, and on the record.Annual general meeting (AGM)The yearly meeting of members: the year's report, the accounts, the elections and the votes the rules require.Investor pitch meetingA first meeting with an investor: ten minutes of pitch, plenty of time for their questions, and a clear ask at the end.Advisory board meetingA meeting with advisers who have no vote: share the facts openly, bring two or three hard questions, and use their experience on those.Audit committee meetingBoard members check that the accounts are right, the controls work and the risks are watched: they hear from finance, the auditors and internal audit, and meet the auditors without management present.

All 162 templates →

Try Meetful

Meetings that take their own notes

Free video meetings in the browser: every line of the transcript under the name of who said it, and the summary and action items when you hang up. Nothing to install — guests just open the link.

Try Meetful freeSee what it does