{"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 Systemic Change, with Sufina Ahmad of John Ellerman Foundation","slug":"grantmaking-for-systemic-change-with-sufina-ahmad-of-john-ellerman-foundation","published_at":"2026-07-08T05:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/inside-grantmaking-7851107/grantmaking-for-systemic-change-with-sufina-ahmad-of-john-ellerman-foundation","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/inside-grantmaking-7851107","url":"https://www.kedaconsulting.co.uk/2026/06/17/grantmaking-systemic-change-sufina-ahmad","audio_url":"https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/khq2gsmg3jkca3z7/riverside_pod_-_sufina_inside_grantmaking66kvt.mp3","summary":"Sufina Ahmad, Director of the John Ellerman Foundation, joins Alex Blake to talk through how the Foundation funds change, from its total assets approach through to what actually makes an application stand out. Sufina walks through the Foundation's two-stage application process in detail, including why first-stage success rates are lower but second-stage approvals run close to 90%. She talks candidly about the power dynamic between funders and applicants, why authenticity matters more than telling funders what they think they want to hear, and how rising application numbers led the Foundation to tighten its eligibility criteria rather than close its doors. The conversation also covers the Foundation's approach to responsible and social investment, and how it's redesigning its grant reporting process to get more learning back out to the sector. This episode is a useful listen for anyone applying to UK trusts and foundations, and for funders thinking about how to be clearer with applicants about what they're really looking for.","meta_description":"Sufina Ahmad, Director of the John Ellerman Foundation, joins Alex Blake to talk through how the Foundation funds change, from its total assets approach t…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2342,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/inside-grantmaking-7851107/episodes/grantmaking-for-systemic-change-with-sufina-ahmad-of-john-ellerman-foundation/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-systemic-change-with-sufina-ahmad-of-john-ellerman-foundation.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}