GRANTS EVALUATION, PROCESS & REPORTING
Grants Committee members read each application and conduct due diligence and research on each organisation, including the area of concern the organisation works within and addresses.
Evaluation Criteria
Each submission is graded across the following criteria
- The direct beneficiaries are young and/or adult women, or young and/or adult women together with their families, located in Greater Melbourne, and their demographic and need information is clear and compelling
- The need for the activity is clear, evidence-based, and compelling
- The activity's key actions are clear and monitored, well thought out, and reasonable in scope and timing
- The intended outputs are clear and monitored, well thought out, and feasible
- Overall activity implementation plan, including timeline, is well thought out and feasible
- The organisation has, or has access to, the necessary capacities across resources, skills, experience, financial management, and governance to competently conduct the activity.
- The expected outcomes are clear and monitored, well thought, out and feasible
- The budget is clearly thought-out, itemised to reflect activity resource needs, and feasible
- Intended expenditure of the MWF grant is important to the activity and well-aligned to MWF granting preferences
- The activity is an important initiative for the organisation and is not supported by government funding at a level significant to the activity budget
GRANTS PROCESS
The grants process, governance and final shortlist is overseen and approved by Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation.
MWF Grants Committee is responsible for the following
Researching
non-profits working for the benefit of Melbourne-based women and their families
Inviting
non-profits that meet our eligibility criteria to apply
Evaluating
these organisations and their grant applications
Assisting
them to strengthen their overall grant-seeking capacity
Selecting
the final six to be voted on by MWF members at the Annual Grant Awards Celebration
Supporting
our winners throughout the grant term
Reporting
Nurturing and Signature Grant recipients report on the progress of their project every six months, 31 July and 31 January. A final report is due on the next reporting date after the grant is fully expended.
Merit Award recipients can expend their award funding on any organisational need, with only one report required to be lodged on 31 July following receipt of funds.
Grant recipients must use the correct report template for the grant awarded. Templates can be downloaded below.
2023 Grants Committee Members
Susan Feldman
Co-Chair
Diane Carey
Co-Chair
Committee Members
Deputy Chair
Caroline Rhodes
Committee
Frances Millane
Jean McMullin
Sarah Davies
Sue Coonan
Christine Darcas (MWF EO/ Advisory)
Joining the Grants Committee
If you are an MWF member and interested in joining the Grants Committee, please contact our Grants Committee by clicking here. An expression of interest doesn’t guarantee a committee place, as this can depend on established committee size and skill needs. However, we aim to be as inclusive as possible regardless of a member’s experience.
We are committed to acting with integrity in all of our relationships and in selecting grant recipients through an honest and fair process. In support of this commitment, our Conflict of Interest policy and Conflict of Interest Register require disclosure of relationships between our Grants Committee members and any grant applicant or potential grant applicant. We also require Grants Committee members to recuse themselves from discussion and/or collective choosing on any topic where a conflict arises. Please also refer to our Conflict of Interest Grants Committee for more information.
Melbourne Women’s Fund is a Charitable Fund Account of Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation