The work of funders and nonprofits has never been more important. When resources are stretched thin, it is crucial that our grantees are positioned for success. That success depends on a strong relationship between funders and their nonprofit partners built on clear and open communication. At the Humana Foundation, we are committed to a listening and learning approach that recognizes communication as a two-way street and respects the time and resources of those seeking and securing our funding. In our experience, actively and transparently communicating from the beginning of the application process and throughout the partnership is essential to a grantee’s success.
Here are the key elements of our approach:
Clarity on Who We Are and What We Do
We never want a grant applicant to invest time requesting funds for a program that doesn't align with our mission or their mission. To prevent that, the Humana Foundation clearly communicates through multiple channels the focus areas and geographies in which we invest. We regularly share that information in our newsletters, on our website, and in partner bulletins. In 2023, in an effort to be equitable in our grantmaking process and to create a level playing field where all applicants receive similar information, we began hosting a webinar that lives on our website all year. The webinars clarify our strategy, which includes our focus geographies, populations, and measurement tools.
Listening & Assisting During Application Process
One result of listening to our grantees is that we redesigned our application process, which now involves two parts to help minimize their time investment. An initial short form is quickly reviewed to determine whether the applicant meets our funding criteria. Those who do then fill out a longer, more in-depth application form. There is open communication throughout the process to address any questions or issues applicants have. And, to ensure fairness for smaller, less-resourced organizations whose application may not be as polished as those of larger organizations, we often engage in multiple conversations to vet their grant request and needs.
High Touch Partnerships
Once grants are approved, we regularly communicate with our nonprofit partners, holding regular meetings, hosting quarterly webinars, sharing newsletters, and offering user guides to help them navigate our portal system. These open lines of communication are especially important in the current environment when policy changes may be impacting funded initiatives. Staying informed of the challenges our grantees are facing allows us to work closely with them to evolve their programs or revise the grant parameters to support their success. We have created templates and guidance documents that help grantees know who and when to request support.
Sharing Stories and Learnings
While formal reporting is a requirement of our grantees biannually, we encourage them to share their success stories and learnings on an ongoing basis so we can amplify their good work. The Humana Foundation has also recently launched a publication program to communicate research results and best practices to the wider funder and nonprofit community.
Evolving the process/Continuous learning
Communication is a two-way process. We continuously learn and improve our processes based on feedback and suggestions from the grantees and changes in the community’s needs. Processes are being adapted in response to the evolving landscape to ensure continued effectiveness and resilience. We also use a data-driven approach to process improvements, utilizing impact studies and issue briefs.
Effective communication is critical in supporting our partners in their health equity work. A relationship built on open lines of communication results in success for the grantee, funder and, most importantly, creates a stronger community for the people we serve.