It is no exaggeration to say that the current system of application and reporting has grantseekers and grantmakers alike drowning in paperwork and distracted from purpose. Indeed, that is the clear finding in the detailed scan of grant application and reporting practices in U.S. foundations today. Such practices may be only a small part of the bigger picture of grantmaking effectiveness, but they threaten to undermine other grantmaking effectiveness efforts by creating barriers to nonprofit success.

This report is the result  of a scan of grant application and reporting practices, their impact on grantseekers and grantmakers, and the implications for the field. Its goal is to spark thinking and dialogue on this topic across a wide range of grantmaking stakeholders of all shapes and sizes.