Implementing Equitable Grantmaking Practices

Forget best practices. Well, at least set them aside for now. We suspect many of those practices support the status quo. If we were to design the grantmaking process to support grantseekers and grantees and contribute to a more just and equitable world, what would that look like?

This workshop will help participants get specific about the types of grantmaking practices that support – or hinder – equity. During this session, we’ll work through a design-thinking exercise to help us answer the question: “If we were to design the grantmaking process to support grantseekers and grantees and contribute to a more just and equitable world, what would that look like?” If you are a grantmaker that has embraced the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion, this workshop is for you.

Critical questions focused on grantmaking practices include:

• Do one-size-fits-all application requirements and reporting metrics hide bias?
• Are small, emerging, and grassroots nonprofits, more likely to be led by people of color, treated equitably in the review process?
• Are opportunities to learn about, apply for, and receive grants designed with equitable access in mind?
• If a funding recommendation is made, do grant size and monitoring requirements differ for some organizations – and why?
• When is “building relationships” code for who you already know and trust?

This interactive workshop will help participants consider ways to implement more equitable grantmaking practices and work from their position to build consensus for change inside their organization. 

Workshop Leader

Melissa Sines is the Effective Practices Program Manager at PEAK Grantmaking, a national association for grantmaking professionals. In this role, she works to articulate and highlight the best ways to make grants and improve the practice of grantmaking.

Prior to joining PEAK Grantmaking, Melissa was the Education and Accreditation Director at Maryland Nonprofits and the Standards for Excellence Institute, where she oversaw nonprofit accreditation and the association’s learning community.

Melissa is currently a board member at the Maryland Center for Economic Policy and on the advisory board for the Business and Economic Department at the Notre Dame of Maryland University. She also serves as Co-Chair for the United Philanthropy Forum's Program Committee and on the Planning Committee for the Frederick County Nonprofit Summit. She has served on committees for Independent Sector, the Maryland Philanthropy Network, the Frederick Giving Project, and numerous other nonprofits in her local community. She received her MPA from the University of Baltimore and her BA from Hood College.

Melissa is a self-professed nonprofit dork and accidental techie. She is passionate about organizing people and projects to promote social justice.

This program is for Maryland Philanthropy Network members only.