sUPPORTING FUNDERS AND GRANTMAKING ORGaNISATIONS GLOBALLY

indePENDeNT DUE DILIGENCE & aDVISORy

I provide independent due diligence and advisory services that help funders make confident, informed funding decisions through thoughtful, proportionate and context-aware assessments.

Due diligence should not be a standalone exercise. My approach translates findings into practical recommendations for risk management and ongoing monitoring.

diligence house approach

360° Perspective

I take a holistic, 360-degree view of an organisation to build a balanced understanding of its strengths, risks and capacity to deliver. This balanced understanding helps funders make informed funding decisions and identify proportionate monitoring requirements.

A thoughtful, proportionate and practical methodology for understanding organisations, informing funding decisions and supporting long-term partnerships.

Respectful

Due diligence should support organisations, not create unnecessary barriers. My approach is collaborative, proportionate and respectful of local context.

Proposal-Informed

I assess organisations in the context of the work being funded, ensuring due diligence reflects how they operate in practice rather than against a generic checklist

End-to-End Thinking

I connect due diligence findings with ongoing grant management, ensuring risks are not only identified but effectively monitored over time.

Practical

Every recommendation is clear, proportionate and designed to be implemented in practice

INDEPENDENT DUE DILIGENCE

Comprehensive organisational due diligence to support confident, informed funding decisions.

  • Assessing prospective funding partners

  • Reviewing governance, financial management and organisational capacity

  • Conducting proposal-informed due diligence

  • Identifying strengths, risks and practical recommendations

Every funding decision is different. Diligence House provides independent due diligence and advisory support tailored to the organisation, funding model and operating context.

The services below represent the areas I most commonly support clients with. Every engagement is proportionate, risk-based and designed around your specific objectives.

HOW i can SUPPORT YOU

ADVISORY FOR GRANTMAKERS

Independent advice to strengthen due diligence processes, funding decisions and organisational risk management.

  • Designing or strengthening due diligence frameworks

  • Reviewing existing due diligence processes

  • Advising on complex funding decisions

  • Developing proportionate monitoring approaches

  • Providing independent second opinions

COMPLEX & HIGHER-RISK FUNDING

Additional due diligence for complex funding arrangements, higher-risk operating environments and organisations requiring a deeper level of assessment.

  • Assessing organisations operating in higher-risk jurisdictions

  • Reviewing fiscal sponsorship and regranting arrangements

  • Supporting due diligence for consortium and partnership funding models

  • Providing context-specific assessments for complex funding decisions

MONITORING & ONGOING RISK MANAGEMENT

Helping funders translate due diligence findings into practical monitoring and proportionate oversight throughout the funding relationship.

  • Developing monitoring recommendations following due diligence

  • Designing proportionate monitoring plans

  • Advising on funding conditions and follow-up actions

  • Supporting ongoing grant oversight

  • Strengthening monitoring frameworks

who I work with

Diligence House supports a wide range of funders and grant-making organisations, from private foundations and corporate philanthropy to international funders, family offices and specialist grant-makers.

Every funder is different. Whether you're making your first grant or managing a complex international portfolio, I tailor my approach to your objectives, risk appetite and the context of each funding decision.

Clients include:

Private Foundations : Corporate Foundations

International Funders & INGOs : Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors

Women's Funds & Specialist Grant-Makers : Fiscal Sponsors & Collaborative Funds

BEHIND DILIGENCE HOUSE

Every funding decision has the potential to create lasting impact.

When funding reaches the right organisations, it can strengthen communities, create opportunity and drive meaningful change. With that opportunity comes a responsibility to make informed, thoughtful funding decisions. Funders need confidence that their resources will be used responsibly, effectively and in a way that reflects their values.

I'm Beenal Patel, founder of Diligence House.

I founded Diligence House because I believe due diligence should build confidence, not create unnecessary barriers. Done well, it should help funders make informed decisions while respecting the organisations doing the work.

As an ACCA-qualified finance professional, I've spent my career working at the intersection of finance, governance, risk management and philanthropy. I've supported funding decisions across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas, working alongside programme teams, legal advisers and partner organisations in a wide range of funding contexts.

Having worked within a global foundation, I understand both sides of the funding relationship: the responsibility funders carry when deploying resources, and the realities organisations face in delivering meaningful work. That perspective enables me to provide due diligence that is rigorous, proportionate and grounded in context.

I don't believe in one-size-fits-all due diligence. Every organisation, funding model and operating environment is different, and my approach is always practical, proportionate and tailored to the context of the funding decision. I take time to understand not only the risks, but also an organisation's strengths, capacity and potential to deliver.

My role isn't simply to identify risks. It's to provide balanced, independent advice that helps clients make confident funding decisions while building constructive, respectful relationships with the organisations they support.

Ultimately, I believe the best due diligence doesn't just identify risk, it gives funders the confidence to support organisations creating meaningful change.

what good due diligence looks like

Due diligence is more than a process, it's a way of building confidence. Done well, it helps funders understand an organisation's strengths, identify potential risks and make informed funding decisions. It shouldn't create unnecessary barriers, nor should it become a tick-box exercise.

what it is

  • A careful, evidence-based assessment at a specific point in time

  • A tool to inform funding decisions A way to identify risks and recommend appropriate mitigations

  • A foundation for ongoing monitoring A respectful, collaborative process

what is isn’t

  • A guarantee that nothing will go wrong.

  • A one-size-fits-all checklist.

  • An adversarial investigation

  • A judgment on the people behind the organisation

  • A replacement for ongoing relationship and monitoring

what confidence can due diligence provide?

No due diligence process can eliminate every risk. However, it can provide funders with greater confidence that they understand an organisation, its operating context and the key factors that may influence a funding decision.

At Diligence House, I believe good due diligence isn't about finding reasons to say no, it's about giving funders the confidence to make informed decisions.

Get in Touch

If you would like to discuss how I can support your due diligence processes, please get in touch.

I'd love to learn more about your organisation and explore how Diligence House can support your due diligence and advisory needs