The Cleveland Foundation recently issued a survey asking for feedback about our process for applying for grants. It is part of our ongoing commitment to listening to the grantee community and in recognition of implementing a new system later this year. We appreciate your positive feedback and suggestions for how we can improve!

Overall, we learned that most of you believe that our application’s open-ended questions give grantees the flexibility to frame projects in a manner that accommodates the type of organization and project. In addition, we heard that grantees appreciate our quick response to funding requests via our monthly grantmaking and that our program staff is approachable and supportive with requests for technical assistance and feedback.

We heard clearly that our budget form could be improved as it can be confusing and difficult to utilize. We also heard that our website can be challenging to use. Many of you commented that it was difficult to navigate and hard to find resources that support your organization in applying for a grant. We agree, and changes are in progress over the next few months.

In terms of the new system, grantees hope that the coming technology will provide greater efficiencies for the nonprofit community. Currently grantees appreciate the online accessibility being used by some organizations as an electronic history of requests to the Cleveland Foundation and hope to see this expanded to other functions, such as including designated grants and reporting.

Finally, we heard some apprehension about implementing the new system. Grantees shared that providing more information would be helpful in easing those concerns and suggested a frequently asked questions (FAQ) document, technical assistance sessions, etc. We promise that our staff will be as available and responsive as always during the transition. We will have community meetings later this year to address questions and concerns, and we will provide ongoing information. Thanks for sharing your feedback with us.