Public Dashboards
Plinth lets you share real-time information about your grants programme publicly. This builds trust with stakeholders, helps applicants understand your fund, and demonstrates transparency in your funding decisions.
Two Types of Public Dashboards
Plinth offers two different public dashboards, each serving a different purpose:
Dashboard | Purpose | Best for |
Analytics Dashboard | Shows application statistics and trends | Sharing demand data, demonstrating reach, transparency for applicants. |
Public Panel | Showcases awarded grants and recipients | Sharing with a donor panel or trustees. |
Analytics Dashboard
The Analytics Dashboard shows aggregated statistics about applications to your fund — without revealing individual applicant details.
What It Shows
Total applications — Number of submissions received
Total organisations — Distinct organisations that applied
Total value applied for — Sum of all funding requests
Time spent on applications — Aggregate hours applicants invested
Submission timeline — Bar chart showing when applications came in
Application origins — Map showing where applicants are located
Response breakdowns — Pie charts showing answers to key questions
Why Use It
Demonstrate demand — Show stakeholders how many organisations want funding
Geographic reach — Visualise where your applicants come from
Application insights — See breakdowns of organisation types, project themes, etc.
Time investment — Understand how much effort applicants put into applications
Setting Up the Analytics Dashboard
Go to your fund's Set-up tab
Scroll to the Analytics Dashboard section
Toggle Enable public dashboard on
Choose which multiple-choice questions to include as breakdown charts
Click Save
Choosing Breakdown Questions
You can select which multiple-choice questions from your application form appear as pie charts. Good choices include:
Organisation type (charity, CIC, etc.)
Project theme or category
Geographic focus area
Funding amount requested (if using ranges)
Accessing the Dashboard
Once enabled, find your dashboard link:
Go to your fund's main page
Look for the Dashboard link in the header
Copy and share this URL with stakeholders
The dashboard is fully public — anyone with the link can view it without logging in.
Public Panel
The Public Panel showcases your recommended and awarded grants. It's a way to celebrate your grantees and show transparency in your funding decisions.
What It Shows
Fund overview — Name, total amount, and funding guidelines
Funding progress — Visual thermometer showing how much has been awarded
Grant cards — Individual cards for each recommended/awarded application showing:
Award amount
Recipient name
Project summary
Status indicator (recommended, approved)
Geographic map — Where your grants are distributed
Search and filter — Let visitors find specific grants
Why Use It
Instead of panel papers — Share directly with a panel so they can see information in an easy-to-read format
Demonstrate impact — Show what you're funding and where
Build trust — Transparent decisions build confidence in your process
Share progress — Stakeholders can see funding allocation in real-time
Setting Up the Public Panel
Go to your fund's Assessment tab
Click the Export All dropdown
Select Configure Public Panel
Toggle Enable Public Panel on
Configure your settings (see below)
Copy the generated link to share
Configuration Options
Filter Field
Choose a multiple-choice question from your assessment form to use as a filter. This lets visitors filter grants by category, theme, or rating. Options appear as colour-coded badges (green, amber, red).
Visible Fields
Select which fields from your application and assessment forms should be visible publicly. You might show:
Project title and summary
Organisation name
Geographic area
Project theme
You can choose fields from both the Application form (marked with [Application]) and the Assessment form (marked with [Assessment]).
What's Shown vs Hidden
The Public Panel only shows:
Applications marked as Recommended or Approved
Fields you've explicitly selected as visible
It hides:
Rejected applications (shown as £0 in totals)
Pending or in-progress applications
Any fields you haven't selected as visible
Individual assessor scores and comments
Privacy Considerations
What to Think About
Applicant consent — Consider whether applicants expect their information to be public
Sensitive information — Don't include contact details, financial data, or personal information
Rejected applications — These are not shown publicly, protecting unsuccessful applicants
Best Practices
Mention in your application guidelines that successful grants may be publicised
Only select fields that applicants would expect to be public (organisation name, project summary)
Avoid including assessment comments that might be embarrassing or sensitive
Using Dashboards for Reporting
Public dashboards are great for:
Board reports — Share the link in board papers for live data
Funder updates — Show your funders where their money is going
Press releases — Include dashboard links for journalists
Annual reports — Embed screenshots or link directly
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I password-protect the dashboard?
No, public dashboards are fully public. If you need restricted access, use the internal reporting features instead.
Can I customise the appearance?
The dashboards use Plinth's standard design. For fully custom reports, use the export features and create your own visualisations.
Can I embed the dashboard on my website?
Not directly, but you can link to it. For embedding, consider using the export features to create custom visualisations for your site.