Ep.2 (Part 1)The $1.69 Million Question: How We Decide Where the Money Goes | with Kristy Rodwell

Where does the money go?It's the question every member asks, and the one that sits in the back of every potential member's mind. In this episode, Alicia Curtis sits down with Kristy Rodwell, 100 Women's Grants Chair, to pull back the curtain on how the grants process actually works.Kristy is a professional grant maker by day at Lotterywest, one of Australia's largest grant making organisations. By night, she's the volunteer who designed every part of 100 Women's grants infrastructure from scratch. The guidelines, the assessment criteria, the application process, the acquittal process. Across 13 years, she has reviewed more than 1,500 grant applications.This first episode of a two-part conversation covers who Kristy is, why she got involved with 100 Women in the very first year, and how the organisation built a grants process rigorous enough to be worthy of the trust members place in it.IN THIS EPISODEKristy's background in social investment and philanthropy, and what brought her to 100 WomenWhy collective giving was a relatively new model in Australia when 100 Women started in 2013What grant makers actually look for in a strong proposalHow 100 Women balances risk and rigour when funding pilot projectsThe expression of interest process and what happens in that first review roomWhy 100 Women asks organisations for less paperwork upfront than most fundersHow volunteer expertise is matched to applications to get the best assessment outcomesWhat "sustainability" means in grant making, and why it matters for membersGUESTKristy Rodwell, Grants Chair, 100 Women. Senior Grants Development Officer at Lotterywest and holder of a Masters in Social Investment and Philanthropy. Kristy has been volunteering with 100 Women since the founding year and has shaped every part of the grants process the organisation uses today.HOSTAlicia Curtis, Co-Founder, 100 Women. Co-founder of the organisation since 2013 and host of Community Kind.ABOUT 100 WOMEN100 Women is a national giving community with a global reach. Members across Australia contribute from $300 a year. Together, that becomes $200,000 or more each year, granted directly to grassroots organisations supporting women and girls in health, education, safety, and economic opportunity, here in Australia and around the world. Every member gets a vote on where the money goes. Since 2014, 100 Women has funded 49 projects and gifted more than $1.69 million to women and girls in need.BECOME A MEMBERMembership starts from $25 a month. 100% of your donation goes directly to grant making. Find out more at 100women.org.auCONNECT WITH USWebsite: 100women.org.auInstagram: @100womenausLinkedIn: 100 WomenWe acknowledge that this podcast is recorded on Whadjuk Noongar Boodjar in Boorloo (Perth), Western Australia. We pay our respects to Noongar Elders past and present, and acknowledge their continuing connection to land, waters, culture and community. We recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have cared for and shared knowledge on this Country for tens of thousands of years, and that these connections remain strong today. Community Kind is produced by Linette Devigan.Hosted by Alicia Curtis and Karen Brittain.Filmed and edited by Olivia Spear, Silver Key Films.Recorded at The Pod @ Kaizen West, Perth.