HiAP Grant and Contract Evaluation Tool Step 4: Post-Award Processes

Awarding funds is a key step to the granting or contracting process. There are many steps and considerations to take to ensure a smooth and equitable transition of funds to awardees.

A. Grant Agreements & Business Contracts

Ensure all the program and content related deliverables are clear. Coordinate with the administrative or contracting teams.

• Is the language accessible?

The formal agreement between the grantee and agency outlines expectations of the grantee and provides resources for conflict resolution.

• Are there expectations or deliverables that might disproportionately burden certain grantees or contractors (e.g., small or under-resourced organizations)? Complex reporting requirements for noncompetitive or smaller grants or contracts are an example of how they can be overburdened.
• Is there room for built-in flexibility?
• Are grantees involved in reviewing and providing feedback on contract expectations before finalization?

B. Onboarding Strategies

Onboarding is the process of aligning expectations between the grantee(s) and agency. Onboarding includes an overview of deliverables, timeline, and administrative procedures.

• Have you offered an accessible onboarding overview that introduces the agency’s mission, fiscal procedures, equity goals, and invoicing procedures? Can you provide a recorded video overview?
• For grantors, what is the ratio of your staff (for program, contracting, or administrative purposes) to the number of grantees awarded? Are there grantee/contractor administrative capacity issues?

C. Deliverables

Create a list of products produced throughout the contract term, such as reports, presentations, and data collection.

• Are there examples of expected deliverables?
• Is there built-in flexibility on deadlines or process for extensions?
• What data sources are you using or receiving to measure impacts?

D. Post-Award Technical Assistance

Technical Assistance (TA)

Provide sufficient Technical Assistance (TA) to ensure each grantee or contractor is clear on deliverables, reporting, and key administrative aspects (e.g., invoicing). For grants, establish a TA team to support each grantee and serve as a liaison between the agency and grantee (when appropriate). Hold office hours or recurring support meetings for grantees (see below for more on regular check-in meetings). Frequency of meetings may also depend on the size of the grant award and ongoing needs of grantee(s).

• Are grantors feeling supported by the Technical Assistance (TA)?
• Are you providing the appropriate TA that meets the needs of grantees or contractors, including support in the following areas:
  • Project management
  • Reporting assistance
  • Evaluation support
  • Peer-learning facilitation (see Communities of Practice/Peer Learning Sessions for more information on peer learning)
• Have you reviewed the SGC Technical Assistance (TA) Toolkit? Click the following link to access the TA Toolkit: https://sgc.ca.gov/technical-assistance/toolkit/

Regular Check-In Meetings

Frequent virtual or in-person connection points where the grantee and contract/grant manager discuss updates, review deliverables, confirm timelines, and address challenges.

• Are there mechanisms built into the contracts for regular meetings that also help establish trust?
• How often are the check-in meetings? Is there flexibility to allow for more-frequent meetings if necessary, or fewer meetings if hours can be better spent elsewhere in the project?
• Are additional check-in meetings provided to grantees that need more support?
• Are the appropriate staff attending and prioritizing check-in meetings? Roles may include:
  • Grant Manager
  • Program Staff
  • Leadership

Develop Individualized TA Plans

Individualized TA plans can ensure each grantee receives the support they need to successfully implement the grant. TA plans may be built off of general TA guidance (such as in the agency’s program guidelines or the SGC TA Toolkit) and focus on specific needs of the grantee or the communities they serve.

• Have you worked with each grantee to support capacity needs in areas such as data management, financial reporting, and equitable community engagement?

Ensure Information is Shared and Accessible

Create a centralized online hub to share important information about the grant or contract.

• Is information about the grant or contract readily available to those who need to access it?
• Do you have a platform for grantees and contractors to share guides, forms, templates, and key contacts?

E. Site Visits

A site visit is an in-person or virtual meeting between the program staff and grantee whereby the grantee provides a tour of their organization, an overview of completed work, and goals for the future.

• For grants, consider if a site visit is necessary to continue building relationships. Requiring a site visit may depend on the level of funding or type or size of the organization receiving funds.
  • Has the grantor visited the majority of all sites? Is a virtual option available?
  • Are translation services available for all meetings?

Site visits often include presentations to attendees on the grant program, funding agency, and grant award or contract. Keep presentation goals simple.

• Have you provided templates for reports and presentations?

F. Communications (specific to Grants)

Storytelling and related publications that both uplift successes of the grantees and their work in the communities and serve as a resource for other interested partners.

• What are the avenues for grantors to share impact stories and other wins/challenges? 
• Are the communications in plain language, meaning they are clear, jargon-free, and accessible?
• Is outreach inclusive and does it include the community?
  • Encourage grantees to center community voice in outreach and communications.
  • Grantees may be required to provide support and logistics for community engagement (for example, via an application requirement).

G. Peer Learning

Peer Learning Sessions

Grant programs may have multiple grant awardees leading distinct projects at the same time. When appropriate, grantees may benefit from meeting each other, sharing grant successes and experiences, and building relationships. Virtual or in-person meetings among grantees may provide opportunities for communal learning, problem-solving, and informing public agencies on how to improve grant and administrative processes.

• What types of spaces is the grantor creating for the grantees to collaborate with each other?
• Do the peer learning sessions include diverse perspectives, including those from underrepresented groups?
• Can you survey grantees regularly to provide updates to grant processes and norms?

Communities of Practice

Facilitate grantee “communities of practice” organized by topic, geography, or program area. Ensure equitable compensation for participation.

• If in person, will time and travel as part of the grant be reimbursed? Are stipends for participation available?

Promote Collaboration

A grant workplan may outline opportunities for grantees and other partners to convene and collaborate. Grantees, contractors, and other interested parties may connect around shared interests and build relationships. The agency, the workplan, and the grantees or contractors may all have a role in encouraging collaboration amongst diverse audiences.

• Were attendees representative of the overall community? How do you know?

H. Evaluation

When appropriate, include a multi-step process led by either program staff or a third-party contractor whereby data is evaluated to determine whether program expectations were met and to highlight recommendations and best practices for future initiatives.

• Are there opportunities for grantees to have a voice in the evaluation process? Can grantees help shape what questions are asked or when evaluation is implemented?
• Are there mechanisms to adjust evaluations for grantees with fewer resources?
• Are success factors or Key Performance Indicators (KPI) flexible? Can they accommodate any shifts in the work, unanticipated factors, capacity of the grantee or contractors, and/or cultural considerations?
• Are metrics set up in line with the organization’s ability to track and identify the work?
  • Reporting on overly complicated metrics can require staff time that could be better spent on programmatic or project work.

I. Reporting (specific to Grants)

Reporting processes and requirements are key factors in grants and contracts. The table below includes considerations for reporting on grant or contract progress once funds are awarded. For more information on reporting prior to awarding funds, see Section E of Application Administrative Requirements.

Reporting Considerations	Guiding Questions
To make reporting equitable, both qualitative and quantitative measures should be designed to balance accountability with administrative fairness and contextual relevance.	Is there a balance of quantitative and qualitative reporting?
Simplify reporting, especially for small awards or disadvantaged communities.	Are reporting forms simple and easy to use?
Reporting should not disproportionately consume the limited administrative time of smaller or under-resourced organizations.	Keep grant reporting requirements/progress reporting to one to two times per year. Regular informal check-ins with the grantee can ensure the work is being done.
For relationship based or community-engaged work, emphasize qualitative outputs with culturally and contextually responsive metrics. Data collection and interpretation should reflect community definitions of success and avoid extractive processes.	1. Have you allowed for narrative or storytelling reporting formats? 2. Did communities help define and interpret metrics?
For technical or deliverable-based projects, emphasize quantitative outputs (e.g., trainings completed, policies developed).	Are non-traditional outcomes (e.g., relationship-building, capacity growth, healing, policy influence) recognized?