Where does the money go?
It's the question every member asks, and the one that sits in the back of every potential member's mind. In this episode, Alicia Curtis sits down with Kristy Rodwell, 100 Women's Grants Chair, to pull back the curtain on how the grants process actually works.
Kristy is a professional grant maker by day at Lotterywest, one of Australia's largest grant making organisations. By night, she's the volunteer who designed every part of 100 Women's grants infrastructure from scratch. The guidelines, the assessment criteria, the application process, the acquittal process. Across 13 years, she has reviewed more than 1,500 grant applications.
This first episode of a two-part conversation covers who Kristy is, why she got involved with 100 Women in the very first year, and how the organisation built a grants process rigorous enough to be worthy of the trust members place in it.
IN THIS EPISODE
- Kristy's background in social investment and philanthropy, and what brought her to 100 Women
- Why collective giving was a relatively new model in Australia when 100 Women started in 2013
- What grant makers actually look for in a strong proposal
- How 100 Women balances risk and rigour when funding pilot projects
- The expression of interest process and what happens in that first review room
- Why 100 Women asks organisations for less paperwork upfront than most funders
- How volunteer expertise is matched to applications to get the best assessment outcomes
- What "sustainability" means in grant making, and why it matters for members
GUEST
Kristy Rodwell, Grants Chair, 100 Women. Senior Grants Development Officer at Lotterywest and holder of a Masters in Social Investment and Philanthropy. Kristy has been volunteering with 100 Women since the founding year and has shaped every part of the grants process the organisation uses today.
HOST
Alicia Curtis, Co-Founder, 100 Women. Co-founder of the organisation since 2013 and host of Community Kind.
ABOUT 100 WOMEN
100 Women is a national giving community with a global reach. Members across Australia contribute from $300 a year. Together, that becomes $200,000 or more each year, granted directly to grassroots organisations supporting women and girls in health, education, safety, and economic opportunity, here in Australia and around the world. Every member gets a vote on where the money goes. Since 2014, 100 Women has funded 49 projects and gifted more than $1.69 million to women and girls in need.
BECOME A MEMBER
Membership starts from $25 a month. 100% of your donation goes directly to grant making. Find out more at 100women.org.au
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