We developed the Fund Builder Tool to help funders and ecosystem builders design support more deliberately. It’s not an anti-accelerator tool. It’s a “use the right tool for the job” tool.
Build your strategic foundation. Start by working through the fundamentals: the purpose and urgency driving your fund, your stakeholders and target portfolio, and the real constraints you’re trying to address. You’ll come away with a clear canvas that captures what matters most.
Design your approach. Move through eight fund-building stages, from thesis development to portfolio management. At each stage, explore different methods, bank the ones that fit your context, and build your strategy as you go. Jump around as needed, there’s no fixed order.
What you’ll get. A complete fund strategy you can export and use. Share it with your team, stress-test your assumptions, or use it to make your case to stakeholders. It’s grounded in what we’ve learned from building portfolios across education, health, climate, and innovation.
PART 1
This canvas helps you think through the fundamentals of your fund by exploring three key questions:
Define the fundamental purpose and urgency driving your fund
Identify your stakeholders, target portfolio, and key influencers
Understand the emotional drivers and practical needs you're addressing
Once you've answered these questions you should have a clearer view of your fund's strategic foundation, plus you'll have the chance to reflect and refine that foundation before moving to the next stage.
What's the fundamental purpose of your fund
Who are your key stakeholders and target portfolio
Understand the emotional and practical drivers
A summary of your fund's strategic foundation based on your answers.
Before moving forward, let's reflect on what you've created. Sometimes stepping back reveals important gaps or new insights.
Looking at your canvas, are there any obvious gaps or areas that feel underdeveloped?
Who will actually benefit from this fund. Who are the key stakeholders? Are there gatekeepers between your grantees and their users? What does that tell you about the kind of fund you need to design?
If you could add one more element to make this fund more effective, what would it be?
Based on everything you've written, which section would benefit from another look?
PART 2
This tool works like a "choose your own adventure" story, but for grant fund design. Use the method cards in this section to spark discussion between you and your colleagues (and don't forget to enjoy the process!).
from the 8 fund building phases that follow
click to flip and read detailed guidance
you want to use in your fund strategy
💡 You can jump between stages anytime and build your strategy piece by piece. Your banked cards will accumulate in the journey map below!
Define your fund's core purpose
Types of financial support available to offer
Build visibility and attract applicants
Build fair selection processes
Shape your funding approach
Methods for designing comprehensive grantee support systems
Create accessible processes
Manage and optimize your portfolio
Click any card to flip it and read the detailed guidance
Bank method cards to build your comprehensive funding strategy
You've built your fund strategy — here's how to bring it to life
Test your assumptions.
Before you launch, stress-test what you’ve built. Share your canvas and method choices with potential grantees, partners, or advisors who know the ecosystem. Ask them what you’ve missed, what feels wrong, or what might not work in practice. The gaps they spot now will save you months later.
Keep iterating.
Fund design isn’t a one-and-done exercise. As you test your approach in the real world, come back to this tool, wwap out methods that aren’t working, refine your stakeholder map, adjust your thesis. Good funds evolve as they learn.
Talk to us.
If you want a second pair of eyes on your strategy, or if you’re stuck on a particular design challenge, we’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line at coffee@hellobrink.co or connect with us on LinkedIn.