TEN YEARS GRANTMAKING – WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?

Jon Blyth of the Mott Foundation is one of those individuals described by Helena Ackerman as having become "institutions in their own right in this region". Alliance asked him if he had any tips he would want to pass on others considering grantmaking in Central and Eastern Europe and Russia. This is what he came up with. We’ve found that most principles for good grant-making that apply to our domestic operations make sense for CEE and Russia too. But there are some important differences. 

Rely heavily on shoe-leather philanthropy
There is no alternative to time spent in the field for understanding local issues, culture and organizations, and for building all-important contacts. With hindsight, our mistakes have been largely due to making funding decisions in Flint or Prague based upon the charm and English-speaking skills of applicants and/or on proposals without sufficient fieldwork. We learned early on through such mistakes.
 Be prepared to invest considerable staff time
Because of the fieldwork required and cultural, language and related issues, including legal requirements in making grants to foreign grantees, we spend at least 30 per cent more time per project working in CEE and Russia compared to our domestic projects.
As our average grant size in this region is smaller than in the States, staff time requirements increase in relation to both number of grants and funds granted.
 Be cautious about relying on Western grantees, agendas and programmes
Western-driven initiatives rarely make sense for objectives related to changes in policies, institutions and communities in the region. Flying the "Marriott brigades" of Western consultants into Warsaw (staying at the Hotel Marriott) on contract from the EU or a Western donor makes little sense unless indigenous organizations have been part of the programme design and have requested their assistance.
 Don’t compromise on accountability
Some Western donors may be tempted to relax requirements for grantees in transitioning or developing countries. This sends a wrong signal. Grantees must be expected to do their very best to carry out the purposes of the grant, and to adhere strictly to reporting and other requirements linked to a grant award. Likewise, donors should be transparent, with grantmaking policies that are clear and easy to understand.
 Be careful about overfunding
In some settings, such as Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, Western donors (especially multilateral bodies) have been guilty of this. Remember the metaphor of funding being like fertilizing: too much stifles growth. Overfunding also encourages inefficient use of vital resources and the making of investments that cannot be sustained. Donors need to communicate regularly with each other to avoid overfunding the same organization or project and look carefully at grantee capacity.
 Require local buy-in as a grant condition for community-based projects
Grants for projects affecting local communities should be made only with representative local leadership invested in the project and, in most cases, with some funding and in-kind contribution from the community. This is especially true with community foundations, community development organizations and similar groups.
 Cultivate partnerships with other donors and indigenous intermediaries
One of the most successful programmes that Mott has supported is the Environmental Partnership of Central Europe – a long-term collaboration of Western donors with what has become four successful in-country intermediary organizations – an idea conceived years ago by two programme officers of the German Marshall Fund and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Mott has partnered with a number of other donors, including the Open Society Institute and members of the regional Soros network, Charities Aid Foundations, King Baudouin Foundation, and other European funders. Moreover, because we are not set up to make small grants for local projects, we form partnerships with national or regional intermediaries, which in turn manage on-the-ground regranting very successfully.
 Stay with successful grantees over the long haul
We don’t hesitate to develop funding relationships for periods of five to ten years with grantees that are doing the job. Further, we believe awarding ongoing general (sore) support is suitable for some NGOs with missions critical to our objectives.
 Consider using of expatriate and indigenous staff and consultants
As an American donor with a full-time staff of seven in the region, we currently have three North Americans, one Western European and three people from within the region. We need the understanding of our US-based foundation culture and systems as well as the know-how and experience that accrues from being a permanent citizen of a nation in the region.
(Alliance, 2000)
 Џон Блит е програмски директор на Фондацијата “Мот” одговорен за ЦИЕ и Русија од 1995 година. Со него може да се стапи во контакт на john.blyth@ecn.cz или на CS Mott Foundation, Zitna 8, 120 00,
Praha 2, Czech Republic).