How to Fund Conditions, Not Just Programs

Learn how to invest in the structural conditions that make grantee programs possible, not just the programs themselves.

About This Training

Most grantmaking funds programs: specific activities, deliverables, and outcomes. But programs depend on conditions: staffing capacity, organizational integrity, team cohesion, partnership quality, and community trust. When conditions are weak, even well-funded programs struggle to deliver. This training teaches foundation staff how to see, assess, and invest in the conditions that make grantee impact possible, drawing from the Conditions for Impact framework.

What You'll Learn

• The Conditions for Impact framework and how it reframes what organizations need from funders
• How to assess whether a grantee's conditions can support the program you are funding
• How to design funding strategies that strengthen conditions alongside programs
• How to talk about conditions-based funding with your board and colleagues
• How to measure and learn from conditions-based investments

Practical Takeaways

• A conditions assessment lens for grantee evaluation
• A framework for designing conditions-based funding strategies
• Language for advocating for conditions-based funding within your foundation

Designed for: Foundation staff, program officers, and grantmaking leadership interested in deepening their investment strategy.