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

Conclusion

The impact of grants can be compared to the effect of throwing rocks into a pond. Every rock, no matter what its size, will make ripples across the pond's surface. Although it is easier to make big ripples by throwing big rocks, you can find, if you are diligent, denser rocks that make bigger ripples than less dense rocks of a similar size. Searching for ways to multiply impact is very much like searching for the denser rocks. Find one, and you can make bigger ripples than someone else who throws a rock of exactly the same size. Why do it? A simple reason is that grants with greater impact help more people at a lower cost per person. There is also the moral imperative to do as much good as you can with the resources at your command. ...