Grants Best Practices

Please reference the following information addressing continuous improvement efforts, recommendations, and quality grants practices.

State Resources
Cross-Sector Resources
Federal Resources
Evaluation

State Resources
Reminder: Check suspended and debarred vendor list prior to issuing grants.
- Financial Reconciliation Resources: Developed from 2016 cross-agency workgroup
- State Grantee Focus Group Synopsis
- Office of Grants Management
  Report from three focus groups held with state grantees
  State Grantee Focus Group Synopsis (PDF)
Cross-Sector Resources
- Evidence-based Policymaking: A Guide for Effective Government
  Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative
- Results-Based Accountability
- Diversity and Inclusion in Grantmaking
  Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity
  Grantmaking with a Racial Equity Lens
  Grantmakers for Effective Organizations
  What is a justice funder?
  Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Philanthropy
- Grantcraft
  The Ford Foundation
  A collection of guides, cases and videos on the art and the science of grant-making
  Grantmaking & Philanthropy: GrantCraft - Practical Wisdom for Grantmakers, Foundations & Philanthropic Organizations
- Improving Grant Application and Reporting
  Please reference this information about improving grant making practices from Project Streamline
  Data Foundation, Transforming Federal Grant Reporting
- The Nonprofit Sector and Government: Clarifying the Relationship
  The Aspen Institute
  An overview of key principles for government-nonprofit relationships
Federal Resources
Federal Grants to State and Local Governments – Guidance from the G.A.O

An Introduction to Financial Management for Grant Recipients – Guidance from the National Archives
- Practical information on what is expected from grantee organizations in terms of fiscal accountability.
Best Practices and Resources: Government Finance Officers Association
Evaluation
- AEA Statement on Cultural Competence in Evaluation
  American Evaluation Association
  A brief overview on the importance of cultural competence in evaluation.
- Beginner Evaluation Guides
  Gene Shackman Ph. D. The Global Social Change Research Project
  A series of beginner friendly pamphlets on evaluation basics.
- Better Evaluation
  Many evaluation tools and resources, including the Rainbow Framework which organizes over 300 evaluation approaches into 7 clusters.
- Doing Evaluation In Service of Racial Equity - Every Child Thrives
  W.K. Kellogg Foundation
- Gather Credible Evidence
  Program Performance and Evaluation Office-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  Choosing data sources for an evaluation and creating a data source table for an evaluation plan.
- Logic Models
  Program Development and Evaluation-University of Wisconsin Extension
  Information about making logic models, free online training in logic models, logic model templates, and sample logic models.
- Lucid Chart
  Inexpensive, easy to use online flow chart design tool that is helpful for making logic models.
- Minnesota Evaluation Association (MNEA)
  Info about MNEA events and trainings, member directory, and evaluation resources.
- Program Evaluation: Is it Really That Hard?
  Dr. Vanessa S. O'Neal, Founder of the National Society of Grant Writing Professionals, Inc.
  Tips on writing an evaluation plan for a grant proposal from a Federal grant reviewer.
- Utilization Focused Evaluation (UFE) Checklist
  Michael Q. Patton
  A useful checklist for planning and conducting utilization focused evaluations.
- Guidelines and Framework for Designing Basic Logic Model
  Authenticity Consulting
  A basic guide to creating logic models