Academy
8 min read

90-Minute Grant Kick-off Workshop Agenda

Nail the first meeting and your grant application flies. This 90-minute workshop agenda aligns programmes, finance, leadership, and communications, making sure Crafty has the ingredients it needs for a standout draft.

TL;DR

  • Invite cross-functional stakeholders and circulate background reading in advance.
  • Follow the timed agenda to surface opportunities, risks, evidence gaps, and key messages.
  • Feed outcomes into Crafty’s discovery intake, storyboard, and pipeline Kanban immediately.

Why hold a dedicated grant kick-off workshop?

A single, structured workshop replaces weeks of one-to-one catch-ups. It reduces conflicting priorities, surfaces hidden risks, and generates buy-in. Project Management Institute’s 2024 collaboration trends report links structured kick-offs to 30% faster delivery.

What does the 90-minute agenda look like?

Use the table to timebox each section. Appoint a facilitator and timekeeper. Park detail issues for a follow-up list.

Figure 1. Ninety-minute grant kick-off agenda with timings and outputs.
TimeSegmentLeadOutput
0–10 minContext & goalsExecutive sponsorSuccess definition, funder overview
10–30 minOpportunity canvasProgramme leadKey outcomes, beneficiaries, differentiators
30–55 minRisks & dependenciesOperations + safeguardingDraft risk register entries
55–75 minEvidence & storytellingImpact + commsEvidence requests, storyboard bullets
75–90 minNext steps & commitmentsFacilitatorAction log, deadlines, owners

How do you capture outputs and avoid drift?

Assign a note-taker. Within 24 hours, send a one-page playback, updated Kanban board, storyboard draft, and evidence request list from the evidence bank.

How do workshop outputs plug into Crafty and other tools?

Populate Crafty’s discovery questionnaire with agreed messaging, upload the storyboard to the modular answer library, and log outstanding risks in the audit preparation plan. This keeps AI prompts and exports accurate from day one.

Download the workshop kit and next steps

Grab the agenda, slides, facilitator script, and action log template. Book your next kick-off session before the week ends.

Next actions

Key takeaways

  • Structured kick-offs save weeks of iteration and reduce misalignment.
  • A timed agenda ensures every team shares insight, risks, and evidence needs.
  • Crafty ingests workshop outputs to produce consistent, funder-ready drafts.

Summary and next steps

A 90-minute kick-off becomes your project compass. Run it, capture it, and keep the momentum alive all the way to submission.

  • Adopt the workshop format for every high-value grant bid.
  • Feed decisions into Crafty, Notion, and the evidence bank for continuity.
  • Hold a quick retro post-submission to refine the agenda for next time.

Max Beech, Head of Content

Updated 14 October 2024

[PLACEHOLDER: Expert review by Programme Delivery Lead]

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