Grantee Reseach & Portfolio Development
Paragon’s Grantee Research & Portfolio Development service supports grantmakers in designing and strengthening philanthropic portfolios by providing structured research, strategic landscape analysis, and disciplined portfolio framing. The service is intended to help funders navigate complex issue areas and geographies by clarifying strategic options and organizing potential partners within a coherent portfolio context.
Rather than promoting individual organizations, this work focuses on understanding fields, clarifying the roles different organizations play within them, and informing strategic choice in environments where information is fragmented, uneven, or difficult to interpret from a distance. It is most often used during strategy development, portfolio refresh, or thematic expansion, before organizations are advanced into screening or the Four-Tier Framework.
Strategic Landscape Analysis and Grantee Identification
Paragon supports funders by analyzing philanthropic landscapes in a structured, strategic way, helping clients understand how different organizations, approaches, and operating models relate to one another within a defined issue area or geography. This work focuses on identifying patterns, points of concentration, and areas of distinction that are relevant to the funder’s objectives, rather than sourcing organizations or endorsing specific partners.
Drawing on Paragon’s field knowledge, regional expertise, and reference networks, the analysis situates potential grantees within broader ecosystem dynamics, including funding flows, local capacity, and implementation realities. The objective is to provide funders with a grounded view of where activity is concentrated, where gaps may exist, and how different types of organizations relate to one another within the broader field.
Strategic Fit and Portfolio Readiness Screening
Building on this landscape view, Paragon supports funders in assessing which organizations are strategically appropriate to advance for further consideration. This screening focuses on alignment with the funder’s objectives, role within the ecosystem, and observable indicators of organizational readiness, helping clients prioritize attention and sequence engagement across a potential portfolio.
This phase is intentionally screening-level. It is designed to inform portfolio construction and sequencing decisions, not to evaluate organizational performance, integrity, or eligibility. Organizations identified through this process may later be advanced into screening or due diligence, depending on the funder’s risk assessment and grant context.
Portfolio Structuring and Strategic Context
The final phase focuses on organizing findings into a coherent portfolio framework aligned with the funder’s geographic, thematic, and operational priorities. This may include grouping organizations by role, approach, or operating context, and situating potential grantees within broader strategic considerations such as localization objectives, collaboration opportunities, or long-term funding horizons.
Where requested, Paragon provides structured observations to support internal discussion and decision-making, helping funders weigh options and sequence engagement without recommending specific funding outcomes.
Relationship to Due Diligence
Grantee Research & Portfolio Development sits upstream of screening and due diligence. It does not assess compliance, integrity, financial controls, or regulatory sufficiency. Organizations identified through this process may subsequently be reviewed using Paragon’s screening services or Four-Tier Framework, depending on the funder’s objectives, risk appetite, and grant context.
Risk-based due diligence is essential to cross-border grantmaking, helping funders tailor their review to the situation while supporting compliance and mission alignment.
Selected Clients
The Rockefeller Foundation
Chicago Community Trust
Greater Houston Community Foundation
Zoetis Foundation
Greater Kansas City Community Foundation
Marin Community Foundation
Douglas B. Marshall, Jr. Family Foundation
Rodan + Fields Prescription for Change Foundation
Whittier Trust
Communities Foundation of Texas