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When is a Funding to Impact Sprint useful?
When is a Funding to Impact Sprint useful?
Most organisations that fund or invest in research already have strategies, program guidelines, data and reporting processes in place.
But one part of the system may be unclear, disconnected or no longer working as intended.
A Sprint may be useful when:
team members have different assumptions about what a funding program is intended to achieve
the program’s connection to organisational strategy is unclear
there is no shared understanding of how the funding is expected to contribute to impact
data and metrics are not closely connected to intended changes
reporting creates burden without generating enough useful insight
your team can undertake the improvement but needs specialist support to determine the right direction.
The Funding to Impact Diagnostic can help identify where your system may need attention, but completing the Diagnostic is not a prerequisite for a Sprint.
Focus on the part of your funding to impact system that needs attention most
Focus on the part of your funding to impact system that needs attention most
A strong Funding to Impact System exists when the core components of purpose, strategy, impact pathways, data, and impact narrative are individually strong and working together.
A Sprint focuses on one priority issue within one of these components.
Purpose: Clarify why the funding program exists, what it is intended to enable and whose needs it is designed to address.
Strategic alignment: Strengthen the connection between the funding program, organisational priorities and intended impacts.
Impact pathway: Develop or refine a realistic explanation of how the funding is expected to contribute to change.
Data and metrics: Identify useful evidence that reflects the changes the funding can reasonably influence.
Impact narrative: Develop a clear structure for bringing evidence together and explaining the program's contribution to change.
The exact priority and practical output are agreed with your organisation before the Sprint begins.
It is designed for situations where the priority is relatively clear, and your organisation has the internal capacity to implement the agreed actions.
What your organisation will achieve
By the end of the Sprint, your team will have:
a clearer understanding of the issue and what is contributing to it
an agreed position on the decisions that need to be made
one strengthened component or program artefact
a practical plan for implementing the improvement
greater shared understanding among the people involved
increased confidence to continue the work internally.
The Sprint does more than provide an external recommendation. We work through the issue with your team so that the reasoning behind the improvement is understood and the agreed approach can be put into practice.
Your organisation is left with both a useful output and stronger internal capacity related to the priority issue.
How it works
Phase 1. Agree on the priority
We begin with a scoping discussion to confirm the funding program, the issue to be addressed and the practical output the Sprint will produce.
Phase 2. Focused document review
We review up to five agreed core documents. These may include:
organisational strategy
program or scheme guidelines
impact or evaluation frameworks
grant application or reporting templates
The purpose is not to conduct a full evaluation or audit. It is to understand the issue in context and identify factors that may support or hinder practical action.
Phase 3. Work through the issue
We facilitate a 90-minute working session with relevant members of your team.
The session is designed to:
establish a shared understanding of the issue
test assumptions
consider organisational constraints
identify realistic options
agree on priorities and next steps.
Phase 4. Receive your outputs
Following the session, you receive:
the Funding to Impact Alignment Snapshot
the Priority Decision Brief
the agreed practical artefact.
A short follow-up conversation is included to clarify the outputs and support handover.
What you will receive
Funding to Impact Alignment Snapshot
A concise assessment of:
where the funding to impact system is currently strong
where the system first starts to weaken
factors contributing to the issue
the practical consequences for funding design, evidence or reporting.
Priority Decision Brief
A clear account of the two or three decisions your team needs to make to address the priority component.
One targeted practical artefact
Depending on the Sprint focus, this may be:
a revised program purpose and alignment statement
a first-draft impact pathway
a prioritised data and metrics table
a draft impact narrative structure.
The artefact is agreed during scoping and is limited to one defined output.
What it costs
Indicative investment for the Funding to Impact Sprint™ from AUD $3,000 + GST.
This includes one funding program, one priority issue, review of up to five documents, one working session and the agreed outputs described above. Additional documents, workshops, participants or artefacts can be separately scoped and costed.
A focused engagement; not a complete program redesign
The Sprint is designed to address one defined priority in one funding program.
It is not a full program evaluation or a complete redesign of your funding approach. It is most suitable when:
the priority issue can be clearly defined
the relevant decision-makers can participate
your organisation has the capacity to implement the agreed actions
one focused improvement would create meaningful progress.
If several components need to be strengthened and aligned, or your team needs more extensive support, the Funding to Impact Program Build is likely to be more appropriate.
Sprint, Program Build or Portfolio Build?
➡️Choose the Sprint when:
there is one relatively clear priority component
the work relates to one part of the funding-to-impact system
your team can implement the resulting actions
you need a focused decision and roadmap.
➡️Choose the Program Build when:
several components are disconnected
stakeholders do not share a consistent understanding of the program
purpose, strategy, pathway, data and metrics and narrative all require alignment
you want a complete model that can later be applied to other programs.
Explore the Funding to Impact Program Build
➡️Choose the Portfolio Build when:
you need to connect multiple funding programs
program-level frameworks or evidence already exist but do not combine into a clear portfolio view
programs use inconsistent language, measures or reporting structures
executives need to understand collective contribution, gaps and strategic opportunities
the organisation needs a portfolio-level narrative for executives, boards, government or donors
portfolio insight is needed to guide future investment.
Where program-level foundations are weak, the Portfolio Build may include a preliminary Program Build or a phased approach for selected priority programs.
Explore the Funding to Impact Portfolio Build
Need tailored support?
These options are designed to work for most organisations that fund or invest in research. If your priorities or context require something different, contact us and we can tailor an approach that best meets your needs.
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