Business model for an impact project: where the money comes from
Impact and viability aren't opposites. A clear model says how the project sustains itself over time: revenue, grants, or a mix — and at what cost.
The main families
Most impact projects combine several sources. What matters is being explicit about the mix and its sustainability.
- Revenue: selling a product or service (including a solidarity price).
- Grants and donations: non-dilutive but cyclical — never assume they're renewed.
- Mixed: revenue covers the core, grants fund expansion or access for the most vulnerable.
The numbers that make it credible
A unit cost, a margin (or a cost per beneficiary for an NGO), and a rough break-even are enough to show you've thought about the mechanics. Five-year projections impress less than a figure you can defend today.
What GIAN brings
The diagnostic assesses feasibility and flags dependencies (e.g. a 100%-grant model). You keep control of the financial assumptions; GIAN helps make them legible to a funder or investor.