Building Programs That Outlast the Grant

Insight: Grants can be more than a spark - they can be the foundation.

Across jurisdictions, new grant streams are funding equity-focused initiatives. For many communities, these programs are the first step toward closing  critical gaps in services.

But the true potential of a grant isn’t just what happens during its term. It’s whether it sets the stage for lasting change - embedding new practices, building local capacity, and creating  conditions for ongoing investment.

We’ve seen projects endure when leaders treat the funded period as a testbed for the future model - and design sustainability from day one.

That’s why we use Sustainability by Design - grounded in our delivery principles of designing for real conditions, making delivery relational, and working with feedback loops - to turn today’s investment into tomorrow’s infrastructure.

Insight in Practice: Sustainability by Design

Sustainability isn’t about predicting every challenge  — it’s  putting the right building blocks in place early.

Three moves to make  from day one:

1. Name the future owner and financing
   Identify who will own the program after the grant and how it will be funded (base budget, braided funding, payer partnerships). Align expectations now.
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2. Build capacity - and simplify operations
   Use the funded period to develop the skills, processes, and partnerships the host organization will need. Streamline workflows so the steady-state model is affordable and repeatable.
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3. Create the evidence pack
   Document what works in a way decision-makers  can use: problem statement, outcome signals, cost-to-serve, case stories, and the minimal viable operating model. Make it easy to adopt, adapt, and invest.

When programs are designed this way, the grant's end becomes a transition point, not an end point.

Try it with your team

Design for sustainability on one page: start with the Strategy Snapshot Canvas, then lock execution with the 90-day plan.

• Map the reality: Current Conditions + What's at Stake clarify the case for a lasting model.
• Choose what lasts: The Change You Want to See + Key Assets / Leverage Points surface the minimal viable state.
• De-risk delivery: What Will Make or Break it sets the constraints to design around.
• Lock execution: Who Must Be Involved, How You'll Know It's Working, and What Needs to Happen Next assign the owner, measures and handover milestones.

Question to Consider

What’s one capability we can build during the grant that will still create value a year after it ends?

Quote of The Week

We’re careful not to create tomorrow’s constraints while solving today’s grant brief. As Peter Senge puts it:

"Today's problems come from yesterday's solutions"
- Peter Senge