Making funding decisions can be complex — but it’s also a chance to build trust with applicants and stakeholders. Taking a fair and transparent approach ensures the process is not only equitable but also credible and aligned with your organisation’s values.
Here are our top tips and recommended best practices to guide your decision-making process.
1. Be clear on your objectives
Start by defining what your fund sets out to achieve. This will guide every step of your decision-making process — from how you shortlist applications to who you invite to join panels or vote.
Ask yourself:
- What kind of impact are we looking for?
- Are there particular communities or outcomes we want to support?
- What does a ‘strong’ application look like for this fund?
A clear objective helps ensure decisions are aligned with your fund’s purpose and helps applicants understand what you’re looking for.
2. Use consistent scoring criteria
If you’re reviewing applications yourself or with a panel, use a scoring framework to ensure every project is assessed consistently.
We recommend including core criteria such as:
- Community need
- Community impact
- Attainability
- Effective use of funding
You can also add fund-specific values such as Inclusivity or Alignment with organisational goals.
Tip: Score each application on a scale of 1–5 per criterion to keep things balanced.
3. Involve diverse perspectives
If you’re hosting a judging panel or using the ActionFunder voting tool, aim to include a variety of voices in the decision-making process. This can include:
- Internal colleagues
- Local stakeholders
- Community representatives
- Subject matter experts
Diverse perspectives reduce bias and strengthen your decisions.
4. Plan ahead for judging panels
If you’re using a judging panel:
- Schedule sessions in advance
- Keep the panel size manageable (no more than 6 people)
- Share scoring criteria and project summaries ahead of time
- Use a structured scoring system to guide discussion
Your Customer Success Manager can facilitate the session if you’d like a neutral party to lead.
5. Document your process
Keep a clear record of how decisions were made. This could include:
- Scoring sheets or notes from review sessions
- A summary of decisions and rationale
- Panel member names and affiliations (if relevant)
This documentation is helpful for transparency, internal reporting, and responding to any applicant queries.
6. Communicate outcomes respectfully
Let all applicants know the outcome of their application, whether successful or not. If possible, offer short feedback to unsuccessful groups — it shows respect and encourages stronger applications in the future.
We’ll help you manage this part through the ActionFunder platform.
7. Consider a resident or stakeholder vote
Our voting tool is a great way to invite residents, employees, or other stakeholders into the decision-making process. You can control how votes are cast and who receives the link. It’s a powerful way to deepen engagement and give people a say in how funding is used.
Talk to your Customer Success Manager if you’d like to include voting in your process.
Need support?
If you have any questions about designing your decision making process or would like help setting up a scoring framework or panel, contact your Customer Success Manager or email us at customersuccess@actionfunder.org — we’re here to help.