Funding Footprint Calculator: Tackling Inefficiencies to Unlock Social Impact

With a quarter of the world surviving on under $5 a day and a $4.3 trillion SDG funding shortfall exacerbated by cuts like those from USAID, social sector resources are urgently strained—while more essential than ever. We must do more, while accepting the reality of having to do so with less. This makes it imperative to confront the inefficiency of competition-based funding. Led by the cochair of the Shifting the Funding Paradigm Working Group, this session uses the Funding Footprint Calculator as a call-to-action for a collective effort to target wasted capacity. Participants will leave inspired and equipped to redesign grantmaking, maximize resources, and drive lasting impact.
Session type: An interactive, hour-long online workshop. To make the most of the session, participants are encouraged to do brief pre-work: visit the Funding Footprint Calculator website and reflect on three questions:
What is a salient (or frustrating) example of your participation in a competitive grant process?
Have you had the opportunity to work collaboratively with other grantees or funders?
Based on your experiences, what are your recommendations for deploying the Funding Footprint Calculator or shifting funding paradigms more globally?
During the workshop, we’ll share insights, discuss real-world challenges, and explore strategies for partnership as well as for more efficient grant making. This peer learning experience will lay the groundwork for ongoing collaboration.