{"podcast":{"title":"Inside Grantmaking","slug":"inside-grantmaking-7851107","podcast_index_feed_id":7851107,"rss_url":"https://feed.podbean.com/Insidegrantmaking/feed.xml","website_url":"https://www.kedaconsulting.co.uk/inside-grantmaking","image_url":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/22285859/Untitled_2048_x_2048_px.png","author":"Alex Blake","episode_count":4,"summary":"Many charity leaders and fundraisers submit funding applications and then wonder what happens to them. Who receives it? How do they react to it? How is it assessed? What due diligence is there? Who makes the final decision? Host Alex Blake — a fundraising consultant with over 20 years of experience helping charities secure major grants — speaks to foundation staff, trustees and advisors who share insight into how grantmakers operate and why. They also share their thinking on the bigger questions shaping the sector — how grantmaking practice is evolving, what funders are grappling with, and where philanthropy is heading. The conversations are honest, practical, and respectful of everyone involved. Better understanding on both sides of the table is good for charities, good for funders, and good for the communities both exist to serve. If you work in fundraising, lead a charity, or make decisions about grants, this is for you. Follow Inside Grantmaking and if you enjoy the show, a review would be a great help in reaching a wider audience. Connect with Alex on LinkedIn or www.kedaconsulting.co.uk.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-22T14:17:39.924403+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/inside-grantmaking-7851107"},"episode":{"title":"Grantmaking for poverty and trauma in Scotland, with Jim McCormick, CEO of The Robertson Trust","slug":"grantmaking-for-poverty-and-trauma-in-scotland-with-jim-mccormick-ceo-of-the-robertson-trust","published_at":"2026-06-24T05:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/inside-grantmaking-7851107/grantmaking-for-poverty-and-trauma-in-scotland-with-jim-mccormick-ceo-of-the-robertson-trust","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/inside-grantmaking-7851107","url":"https://www.kedaconsulting.co.uk/2026/06/17/robertson-trust-jim-mccormick","audio_url":"https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/kkxuahfdi6b3z6z6/riverside_pod_with_jim_mccormick_inside_grantmaking9bjgd.mp3","summary":"Jim McCormick, Chief Executive of the Robertson Trust, joins Alex Blake to talk through how Scotland's largest independent grantmaker actually makes decisions. Jim walks through what happens to an application from the moment it lands, who assesses it and how, and the four decision frames the Trust applies as awards get bigger. He talks candidly about the shift toward unrestricted funding, now at almost 60% of open grants, and why some charities still choose project funding even when core funding is on offer. The conversation also covers pooled funding models gaining traction across Scotland, the Trust's Funder Plus support, and what's changing as application volumes rise and AI-generated applications become more common. This episode is a useful listen for anyone applying to Scottish trusts and foundations, and for funders thinking about how to build more trust and flexibility into their own processes.","meta_description":"Jim McCormick, Chief Executive of the Robertson Trust, joins Alex Blake to talk through how Scotland's largest independent grantmaker actually makes decis…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1733,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/inside-grantmaking-7851107/episodes/grantmaking-for-poverty-and-trauma-in-scotland-with-jim-mccormick-ceo-of-the-robertson-trust/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/inside-grantmaking-7851107/grantmaking-for-poverty-and-trauma-in-scotland-with-jim-mccormick-ceo-of-the-robertson-trust.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}