Once your fund closes and you’ve received applications from community groups, it’s time to move on to the decision-making stage. Scoring projects is a simple, structured way to ensure funding goes to the projects that best align with your goals and deliver the greatest impact.
This article outlines how to score project applications fairly and effectively.
Why scoring matters
Scoring helps funders compare applications consistently and transparently. It allows you to assess each project against clear criteria, so decisions can be made based on merit—not preference or guesswork.
We recommend that more than one person scores each application to reduce bias and encourage balanced decision-making.
Getting started
Your Customer Success Manager can provide:
- A CSV download of all your matched projects
- A scoring template to help you record and track scores
Core scoring criteria
We suggest using the following four criteria for every fund. Each should be scored on a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high):
- Community need – Is there a clear understanding of why the project is needed in the local area?
- Community impact – Will the project deliver a strong, positive impact? Is there clarity on how this will be measured?
- Attainability – Are the goals realistic and achievable within the proposed timeframe and budget?
- Effective use of funding – Will the funding be used to achieve tangible and meaningful outcomes?
Optional criteria
Depending on your fund’s focus, you may want to include additional criteria, such as:
- Fund alignment – Does the project clearly support the fund’s purpose or theme?
- Inclusivity – Does it benefit underrepresented or marginalised communities?
- Public benefit – Is the project open and accessible to the wider community?
Final steps
Once scoring is complete, compare the results to identify the strongest applications. Scores can be used to support group discussions and final funding decisions.
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If you have any questions about scoring or need help setting up your evaluation process, please reach out to your Customer Success Manager or contact us at customersuccess@actionfunder.org.