The Insider's Guide to Grantmaking: How Foundations Find, Fund, and Manage Effective Programs

Management Pitfalls

Grantmakers soon discover that the art of managing funded projects is a difficult one, indeed. There are any number of snares for the unschooled or unwary, and while many could be mentioned, four stand out as the most dangerous.

Fire and Forget

In the U.S. military, there is a class of missiles that is so automated nothing need be done to guide them after they have been launched, hence the nickname “Fire and Forget.” Some grantees complain that that is exactly what some program officers do: “fire” (make the grant), then “forget” (ignore the management of the grant). One long-time grantseeker even compares the situation to the rituals of courtship: “There is a first meeting, a few dates, then you are going steady. All this ...