Written grant reports have long been a standard reporting requirement for funders and grantees. However, this format presents several inherent challenges. Grantees, especially small nonprofits and grassroots organizations, often find written reports time-consuming and burdensome. From the funder’s perspective, written reports can be limiting, frequently failing to capture the nuance and actionable insights necessary for informed, strategic decision-making.
To address this, Houston Endowment reimagined grantee reporting by experimenting with shifting from written to oral reporting. While this change reduced the burden on grantees, we recognized that analyzing qualitative interviews increases the workload for our staff. To address this, we incorporated AI into our pilot project to help streamline analysis that allowed our staff to reduce staff time and still uncover deeper insights.
This session will explore how this innovative approach reduced reporting burdens, strengthened learning and empowered grantees to share their work more authentically. We will also discuss the challenges and limitations of using AI, including concerns around accuracy, security and ethics. Participants will gain practical strategies for implementing oral reporting, leveraging AI-driven impact measurement, and fostering more meaningful learning practices.