Grant Making Process

Upakriti makes all grants on a non-discriminatory basis using an objective selection criteria. Our grant lifecycle comprises three phases: grant selection, grant disbursement, and grant monitoring. These phases are described below. The various grant documents referred to in this section can be found on the Grant Application Package page.

Grant Selection Phase

1. Preliminary Proposal Screening – This is a pre-appraisal phase in which Upakriti reviews information about the organization, problems and issues the proposed effort will address and the estimated overall budget for the project. Organizations whose preliminary proposals are deemed to have sufficient merit may be asked to submit a detailed grant application.
2. Grant Application Evaluation – If the proposal passes the pre-appraisal phase, the grant application is evaluated. This application contains detailed information such as description of the organization, its activities, annual budget, detailed information on the nature of the project and its expected impact, the project’s staff and their qualifications, and the proposed project budget. Based on the summary of strengths and weaknesses of the application, a decision on the grant is made.
3. Site Visit – The site visit involves meeting the organization’s staff, officers and directors to make sure that the organization’s mission is aligned with Upakriti priorities. Although every effort is made to undertake a site visit prior to arriving at the final funding decision, this may not always be possible.

Grant Disbursement Phase

1. Signed Agreement – Once the grant application has been approved, a grant agreement is signed between the organization and Upakriti. This agreement describes the terms of the grant.
2. Grant Disbursement – After the grant agreement has been signed, the first round of disbursal can take place.

Grant Monitoring Phase

1. Regular Reports – The organization will submit regular project reports to Upakriti based on the agreed-upon time frames specified in the grant agreement. These reports will contain details such as accounting of fund usage, progress made on the program, and any specific results accomplished.
2. Site Visits – Upakriti representatives will visit the project on a regular basis to monitor the program and understand any challenges the organization may be facing. The site visit may also include a financial audit of the Upakriti-funded program.
3. Final Evaluation – After a program is completed, the organization sends a final report to Upakriti. This report provides information such as the overall impact of the program, major activities and outcomes, any obstacles encountered while implementing the program, and lessons learnt.