Grant Review Committee

Join the Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger’s new Grant Review Committee! The committee's primary responsibility is to oversee the distribution of grants, ensuring fair and equitable decision-making by the Blueprint that’s rooted in community. 

The committee does not seek funding but instead decides how received funds will be disbursed. Members review grant applications and decide upon funding allocations per the structure below.

All of this ensures a transparent, equitable, and efficient process for distributing grants to community organizations. It allows the Blueprint to effectively support various initiatives and opportunities across the state to alleviate hunger now while building resilient, local food systems for all in Colorado

Committee Membership

  • Open Participation

  • Interest Form

    • All members must complete the above form to be considered.

    • The form collects data on the reviewer’s region, any organizational affiliations (to avoid conflicts of interest), and their background in grant reviewing.

    • Reviewers are categorized to ensure that they do not review applications from their own organization(s) or any that they would personally benefit from.

  • Orientation

    • An orientation is required for new members.

    • Please contact Justice Onwordi, the Blueprint’s Impact Director and staff liaison for this committee, for scheduling.

  • Compensation

    • Reviewers who are voluntarily participating and not employed by an organization are eligible for compensation.

    • Stipend amounts will vary by funding opportunity and be based on the estimated time to review applications and partake in decision meetings.

Committee Structure

Participation

  • Meetings

    • There are no regular meetings; they’re only held when there are applications to review. 

    • Each will be managed by a Blueprint staff liaison, with support from community leads as needed.

  • Funding Opportunities

    • They’ll be announced by the Blueprint staff liaison as they arise, which includes microgrants for smaller organizations.

    • A listening session will be held to inform potential reviewers about the opportunity.

    • Reviewers can choose to participate based on their availability.

  • Participation Commitment

    • There’s no requirement to review every funding opportunity.

    • Participation depends upon the reviewer’s schedule and availability.

    • Some opportunities may require fewer reviewers (e.g., 10 reviewers), while others may need more (e.g., 30 reviewers).

    • Interest forms are submitted after the listening session, and priority is given based on the order of submission.

Review Process

  • Announcement of Funding Opportunity

    • The Blueprint staff liaison informs committee members via email.

  • Listening Session

    • These sessions provide details about the funding opportunity and timeline for review.

  • Interest Form Submission

    • Reviewers express their interest in participating by completing a form.

  • Selection of Reviewers

    • This will be decided based on the number of reviewers needed and the order of form submissions.

  • Reviewing and Final Decisions

    • Reviewers will be grouped based on region and assigned a number of applications to review on their own time. 

    • Reviewers will then meet with their region to review how they scored each application and final awards will be determined. 

Committee Norms & Values

To ensure the Grant Review Committee operates effectively and maintains the integrity and mission of the Blueprint, the following norms and values will guide the group (beyond our standard meeting norms and expectations):

  1. Transparency:

    • All decision-making processes should be clear and open to feedback.

    • Members should disclose any potential conflicts of interest.

  2. Respect and Inclusivity:

    • Respect diverse opinions and backgrounds.

    • Encourage and value contributions from all members.

  3. Confidentiality:

    • Maintain the confidentiality of applicants' information and discussions within the committee.

    • Only share information as necessary for the review process.

  4. Commitment:

    • Attend all relevant meetings and complete reviews in a timely manner.

    • Reviewers should only commit to opportunities they can fully participate in.

  5. Equity and Fairness:

    • Ensure all applications are reviewed with as little bias as possible.

    • Apply consistent criteria in the evaluation of all applications.

  6. Collaboration:

    • Work together to reach consensus on funding decisions.

    • Support each other in the review process, sharing insights and perspectives.


Interested in participating? Complete our committee interest form. All new members must attend an orientation before officially joining.

As part of our commitment to equity, we offer simultaneous interpretation in Spanish, closed captioning, and compensation to those who participate outside of their regular job. (Please contact us if you have other accessibility requests to fully participate.)

Contact Justice Onwordi, our Impact Director, with any questions.