Evaluation Guide

This page was last updated August 31, 2021.

How will the Effing Foundation be evaluating your grant applications? For each of the following application sections, we describe some of the main characteristics that we're looking for. The more you can tailor your application to meet these criteria, the greater the chance that your application will stand out to our reviewers.

Basic Submission Information / Project Description (application text for this section)

The first section of your application is the first one that reviewers will read, and it's one of the most important sections because it will tell us exactly what you want to do with the grant funds (your proposed work). We need to know that your proposed work is a good fit for our mission and core values, and this is the place for you to tell us! We are looking for all of your responses to be clear and concise. More specifically, here's what we'll be checking for:

  • In one sentence, what work are you asking for funding to do? You're not describing who you are, your mission, or your values: you're literally telling us exactly what it is you want to make or do.
  • Why are you or your group/organization well-suited to do this work? You're sharing the aspects of your and/or your group's identity, experiences, and/or skills that make you well-equipped to do the proposed work.
  • What impact do you hope to make with this work? You're telling us what greater good will happen in the world if your project is funded and successful -- not just that you've made or done what you intended, but what the bigger impact of that is.
  • Describe the work you plan to do in more detail. Someone with no knowledge of you or your work and no access to the internet can read this description and understand exactly what it is you would like to do if you receive a grant. You've explained briefly how your proposed work is artistic, educational, and/or both.

Goals (application text for this section)

You'll be asked to provide one SMART Goal. We'll be checking to see that the goal you provide is:

  • Specific
  • Clearly measurable
  • Mostly or fully achievable given the work to be done
  • Clearly relate to the work that will be done
  • Connected to a specific period of time that makes sense given the work to be done

Previous Work and Funding (application text for this section)

You'll be asked to describe your previous sex-positive work, or other work that's most related to what you're seeking funding to do. We'll be checking to see that:

  • You've identified some previous work, whether in sex-positivity or another field, that's clearly connected to the proposed work.
  • You demonstrate how your previous work and skills will contribute to the success of the proposed work.

Budget (application text for this section)

You'll be asked to provide a $5,000 budget (or your annual budget, if your organization has one). We'll be checking to see that:

  • The budget seems reasonable for the size and scope of the proposed work.
  • Budget items don't seem unrealistically high or low.
  • The budget doesn't include any expenses that seem inflated or irrelevant.

Important note on Budget reviews (added 8/31/21): Because applicants are allowed to request funds for literally whatever helps accomplish the work, your budget may focus on whatever areas you or your team need funds most (as opposed to funding every aspect of an entire project). Our reviewers are instructed not to penalize an application for only asking for funds for one aspect of the work.

Risks & Challenges (application text for this section)

You'll be asked to describe what risks or challenges you face in completing the proposed work and what strategies you have already used or plan to use to address those risks/challenges. We'll be checking to see that:

  • You've identified at least one plausible risk or challenge.
  • All of the risks and/or challenges that you describe are clearly related to the work to be done.
  • You've included the most significant issues that are relevant to the proposed work.
  • You've included at least one mitigation strategy.
  • The mitigation strategies you've provided seem clearly helpful in addressing the risks/challenges.