Here at the Foundation, we recognise the importance of learning from experience. 

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As part of our final reporting and acquittal process, we ask grantees to detail the lessons they've learnt throughout the course of their project.

This feedback is valuable to the Foundation as a funder, providing us with on-the-ground insights into the factors that make for successful – or less than successful – programs. 

Grantee Learnings

We have distilled the collective learnings reported to the Foundation by grantees since 2009 and made them available for download.

In addition to general learnings, which provide an overview of grantee feedback that is applicable to all program areas, we have also produced program-specific learnings for each program area. We aim to update these once a year.

These documents contain key insights into all phases of the grant process, from preparing applications to final evaluation. 

Learnings from previous Disability grants have been incorporated under Community Wellbeing. Similarly, all relevant learnings from previous Education grants are now incorporated under Early Childhood Development.

Our Learnings

Our Learnings 2021

The Ian Potter Foundation continues to review its own grantmaking practices and processes. When reviewing our grants, our Research & Evaluation Manager compiles examples of what works, what doesn't, and areas where further improvements can be made.

Our learnings can be downloaded below. They are organised by timeframe (‘before’, ‘during’ and ‘after’ the grant) and grouped by themes. 

Further resources

There are also several articles by Dr Squirrel Main, the Foundation's Research & Evaluation Manager, which summarise the Foundation's learnings to date.