## Notes from 24 April 2025 [[2025-04-23|← Previous note]] ┃ [[2025-04-25|Next note →]] Today I came across [this project](https://www.ff.studio/projects/grants) from [[public sector design, tech and consultancy firm#FF Studio|FF Studio]] on public sector grantmaking, developed in partnership with Sport England. It starts from an overlooked premise: despite the scale of government grants (£46.8 billion in the UK alone in 2022-23), the tools used to manage and distribute these funds are often inadequate for both grant givers and grant seekers. Many systems still rely on digitised versions of outdated paper processes, leading to inefficiencies and errors (a very common challenge in governments around the world). The project is responding by prototyping a more responsive model that integrates real-time interaction, feedback and contextual data to make the process more transparent and navigable. What they've created is not just a redesign of forms, but an attempt to rethink the wider structure of trust, communication and decision-making in public funding. Applicants can get instant guidance, and funders can track updates as they happen. Rather than forcing small organisations to adapt to rigid systems, the prototype supports the tools they already use and introduces flexibility in formats, including video. It reminded me of both the [Digital Benefits Network](https://beeckcenter.georgetown.edu/projects/digital-benefits-network/), which supports governments in building more accessible and equitable public benefits systems, and _[FormFest](https://digitalgovernmenthub.org/get-involved/formfest/)_, an annual international event displaying efforts to improve access to services, initiatives from the [[Good Government Organizations#Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation|Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation]].