How We Redesigned Grants to Reduce Compliance Work

In a recent piece in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, our grantee partners at New America’s New Practice Lab shared what happened when we joined them and four other funders to address a long-standing challenge for nonprofits: the heavy administrative burden posed by traditional grant requirements. 

Together, we explored how to update our respective grant structures by aligning around a single, shared goal, committing to flexible funding and streamlining reporting requirements.  Ultimately, this approach led to a 55% reduction in grantee compliance paperwork—freeing up over seven weeks of their staff time annually—and a 36 percentage point increase in time spent on high-value, mission-related activities. 

The shift also changed how we as funders work with our grantees. Instead of measuring their progress against rigid plans, our conversations focused on how we could support them in refining and adapting their strategies, opening the door to a closer, more trusting dialogue. 

“I see it as one model of philanthropic best practice,” shares Meeghan Prunty, Senior Adviser to Schusterman Family Philanthropies. “Centering grantees and providing multiyear general operating support so organizations can plan with confidence. It’s collaborative and it demonstrates what it looks like when funders truly trust and support their grantees.”