Understanding Participatory Grantmaking: Shifting the Power in Philanthropy
Participatory grantmaking (PGM) is a funding model that moves decision-making power from foundation staff or board of directors to the communities the funds will support. At its core, PGM is rooted in the belief that people with a lived experience of an issue are best positioned to know what solutions will work, and therefore, should play a key role in how funds are distributed within their communities.
Participatory grantmaking highlights the importance of collaboration and transparency, and having flexible grant management technology that can be customized to meet organizational needs is an essential component of a successful PGM program.
Flexible Technology is Essential for Managing a Successful Participatory Grantmaking Program
A successful PGM program requires a technology platform that supports collaborative decision making as well as the entire grantmaking process from application submission and review to disbursement and reporting. Some organizations running PGM programs have multi-step applications and robust committee review procedures, and a flexible system that can be customized to match organizational needs, programs and values is essential for PGM success.
Outbound Funds Module: A Flexible Salesforce-based Grant Management System
One popular and widely used Salesforce-based Grant Management System that can be customized to meet PGM needs is Outbound Funds Module (OFM). This free, open source product is installed directly into Salesforce and uses existing Salesforce features and tooling. Its highly configurable architecture streamlines the management of everything from funding programs and requests to application submission, review, disbursement and reporting.
For organizations like Bush Foundation, moving from foundationConnect to OFM was a game changer in terms of their ability to manage and improve all elements of their grantmaking.
One of the major challenges with the old system was that tech limitations hampered our strategy. We needed to provide grantees with an open and accessible platform that was easy to use. With the new Outbound Funds Module system we can more easily tailor how the apps and reports look. And the grantee portal now allows us to customize the design with branded materials and photos.
With OFM, Bush now has a powerful grant management system in place that is representative of their work, programs and values, while also being relatively simple for staff and grantees to use.
NEO Philanthropy also utilizes Outbound Funds Module for an initiative focused on implementing a new participatory approach to their grantmaking systems that includes both a multi-step application and a committee review process.
Since NEO was already using Salesforce it was fairly straightforward to add and customize OFM for grants management. The addition of Experience Cloud also allowed NEO flexibility for managing their letter of interest and reviewer portal process.
Outbound Funds Module allows us to align our grantmaking practices with our organizational values. The high level of configurability has made it easier to manage participatory processes at scale, while providing a better experience for grantees and community reviewers and streamlining the way we administer, evaluate, and communicate funding decisions.
Participatory grantmaking represents a shift in power dynamics that requires organizations to practice change management on both an operational and technological level. When organizations have flexible technology in place to manage their grantmaking programs they are better able to meet the needs of the communities they serve.
To learn more about how Bush Foundation and NEO Philanthropy utilize the power of flexible, solution oriented technology, please join us on June 26, 2025 for a free webinar: How Technology Is Transforming Participatory Grantmaking: Tools & Strategies for Funders.
About North Peak
North Peak provides Salesforce-based services for nonprofits, foundations and the affordable housing sector who want to utilize the power of high-functioning CRM and GMS platforms. We achieve this through a holistic set of services, tailored to the needs of our clients.
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