Innovative, reliable and secure technology can help grantmaking organizations target the right people, track fund flow, spot fraud and waste and measure impact. But technology can only work if it’s part of a truly user-centric system, where grant administrators understand the needs and behaviors of recipients.

In our fourth episode of the series, host Tim Smith talks about how to harness the indisputable power of technology to improve grant management, with his guests Andrea Sampanis, Solutions and Services Lead, Grants Quality Service Management Office, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Amy Fenstermacher, EY Americas Grants and Relief Funds Management Leader. 19 mins

Grant and relief fund programs operate in complex, dynamic ecosystems, with an ever-present risk of fraud, misallocation and waste. And nowhere is this truer than for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which annually oversees nearly US$5 billion worth of grant funding, across 140 countries.

In this episode Tim discusses how to address such complexity with Dr. Pradeep Kurukulasuriya, Director and Executive Coordinator of Environmental Finance at the United Nations Development Programme, Maryam Hussain, EY International Fraud and Corruption Investigator, and Simon Inglis, Leader of the EY Grants and Relief Funding Management Team. 16 mins

Successful grant programs demand a relentless focus on outcomes. Grant administrators must implement effective monitoring procedures and gather comprehensive information. Grant recipients, on the other hand, want to enjoy a smooth customer journey, where it’s easy to apply and they’re paid promptly and accurately.

In the second episode of the series, host Tim Smith talks outcomes with Michael Cooper, Senior Civil Servant, and Head of Defra’s Group Grants Hub, and Matt Wilson, EY EMEIA Grants and Relief Funds Management Leader. 14 mins    

One of the biggest challenges in grant management is that the most critical targets of funding are hard-to-reach people in hard-to-reach places. This issue was particularly relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic, which put families and businesses under huge financial pressure. Governments and public sector agencies responded swiftly with aid packages but were concerned that the funds might not always reach those most in need.

In this, the first episode of the series, our host Tim Smith leads a discussion on efficient grant allocation with Steve Fussell, who was Chief Administrator, Office of Organizational Excellence, Seminole County Government in Florida, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Amy Fenstermacher, EY Americas Grants and Relief Funds Management Leader.  14 mins.