Grant support for NPO environmental projects: better applications – better implemented projects?

Purpose: to identify the dependence of the results of environmental projects of non-profit organizations (NPOs) on the quality of their project applications to improve the grant support system.

Methods: the information base of the work was the indicators of 1280 environmental projects supported by the Presidential Grants Fund and completed up to and including December 31, 2023. The study utilized content analysis, descriptive statistics methods, calculated correlation coefficients, and constructed ordinal regression equations.

Results: this study examined the results of applying the current grant application evaluation methodology used by the Presidential Grants Fund. It was found that, for Russian NPO projects focused on environmental conservation, there is no correlation between the quality of the project application and the assessment of the project outcomes. The study demonstrated the differential impact of grant applicant experience on the success of the project preparation and implementation; it confirmed the existence of a certain category of applicants who do not take past experience into account when writing the project applications. Factors hindering mutually beneficial cooperation between NPO representatives and the government were identified.

Conclusions and Relevance: the study found that the grant applications that receive the highest ratings do not always transform into the best environmental non-profit projects. The theoretical significance of the study lies in its formalization of a project logic model for improving the grant support system for NPOs. Of practical value are the recommendations formulated for representatives of the Presidential Grants Fund and NPOs, aimed at increasing the effectiveness and predictability of non-profit projects.

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