Positive Memory Bank - Berry Street

6. Grant-making & tracking
The system for tracking applications, issuing
of funds and tracking of expenditure was
initially established with simplicity as a key
principle. In practice this was very much the
case while the volume of applications
remained low.
Each application, as it was received, was
given a reference number and a cover sheet
with basic tracking information on it for
quick reference (date received, contact with
applicant, funding information etc).
Once a grant had been approved, three
options were available for payment:
1. Invoice directly to the PMB from the
service provider (music teacher,
party venue etc.)
2. Payment made locally using
corporate credit card
3. Payment made locally using petty
cash
To ensure this system was secure the
General Ledger Codes for the Positive
Memory Bank were issued to Managers of
Administration (MOA) only and an
authorisation email was sent by the Positive
Memory Bank Project Manager to the MOA to
let them know that they could either release
funds from petty cash or authorise use of
the credit card.
The faults in this system became most
apparent in the final Giving Round when the
process of maintaining up to date records
was compromised as a result of the volume
of applications.
While it was relatively simple from the
recipient’s end (funds were received and
spent without too much trouble), the ability
to track the process became complex and
does not allow for adequate tracking of
which grants have been spent.
Unless the invoice option is used the PMB
has no record of whether specific grants
have been accessed or not. As a result there
are some funds remaining from the pilot
year that are unspent. It would be highly
labour intensive to go back to all recipients
and find out what has been spent and what
hasn’t. As a result, the left over funds will
now be carried over into the next financial
year.
The capacity to maintain the cover sheet
was made difficult by the ad hoc reporting
and contact with staff and clients. Some
were happy to go ahead with their
arrangements without a great deal of
guidance – spending the grant was a
straightforward process. For others grants
were not necessarily spent in one go and
there were lengthy processes to ensure they
could access the funds in the best way
possible.
Future grant-making and tracking
procedures should be simplified and
improved to ensure that individual payments
can be tracked and checked off and that
clear records can be kept.
Page | 21