The next stage in the process is to review the application. Some can be quickly decided upon if the philanthropist has a clear idea about what she will not fund and it is polite to tell the organisation that it has been unsuccessful in its application. In the interests of transparency and improving the quality of applications, the philanthropist may wish to provide reasons for declining the request for funding.

An assessment of the following elements of an application may be appropriate:  

• whether the project has a clear sense of purpose with tangible expected results OR if it is an existing project,
• whether it has credible (rigorous) evidence of success;  
• whether the project has been thoughtfully considered, designed and implemented to date;  
• the appropriateness and viability of the project in the context of the sector’s constraints and opportunities;  
• the value for money;  
• the alignment of the organisations’ values and strategic objectives with the philanthropist;  
• the ability of the organisation, in terms of resources and management, to carry out the project;  
• whether risks have been identified and addressed as far as possible.

This list is by no means comprehensive.