The Impact Issue #61: Master Managing Grant Spend Down

Hi there! 

Misspending funds is a nonprofit’s worst nightmare—and if you’re not organized, it can be an easy trap to fall into with disastrous consequences. 

But never fear! 

In this week’s edition, we’ll cover how you can master managing spend down, including pitfalls and pointers, expert advice, templates, and so much more.

Welcome to The Impact.

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Don’t Miss Out!

Join Virtuous for the 2025 Responsive Nonprofit Summit on June 4-5!

Come together with thousands of like-minded fundraising leaders to learn how today’s top fundraisers are scaling personal connections and growing giving at this free event.

You’ll walk away with: 

• The latest fundraising trends and strategies to fuel your mission forward
• Tips to stay grant ready, including how to use data and AI to strengthen your storytelling skills
• Suggestions on how to build relationships with new and existing donors

You won’t want to miss this virtual event!

👉 Register today to claim your free spot!

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Pitfalls and Pointers

⚠️ Pitfall: Tracking Grant Expenses Too Broadly

Many nonprofits focus on tracking their overall grant spend. They think because they’re within the overall grant limits, they are in compliance.

Unfortunately, this can lead to overspending in areas. The misspent funds are not in alignment with the overall grant budget, and by the time they catch it, it may be too late to make adjustments. 

💡 Pointer: Set Goals Within Expense Categories to Stay on Track

The best way to track your overall grant spend down is to segment projected costs by categories. 

Here are some tips:

• Align the categories with your budget. Your grant proposal should have included a detailed budget. Your spend down should match the categories to ensure compliance.
• Remember to label your expenses to align with your categories. Whether you’re tracking your expenses in a spreadsheet or with a tool, assign labels to each expense. That way, you can easily subtract them from the right budget category when they come in.
• Collaborate in real time with your team on live spend down documents. Ensure everyone is working on the same budget, inputting their expenses in a timely manner to prevent overspending. Avoid using static attachments when you can use live links or databases. Pro Tip: Instrumentl has a fantastic spend down feature that allows you to track how much of your grant you’ve received, your expenses, and additional information to help you stay up-to-date on your grant spending.

💪 Check out more tips on how to track your grant expenses in innovative ways!

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Tech You Should Know

What:

Jotform helps nonprofits build online forms and customize templates to gather important information. This can include surveys, payments, budget templates, and more. They are committed to making data and analytics as seamless as possible through open accessibility.

How Grant Writers Can Use It:

• Download templates. Jotform offers free templates nonprofits can customize based on their needs, including 20+ budget templates.
• Gather information. Solicit your funders for feedback or get input from your employees about opportunities to improve your nonprofit, programming, and anything else you’d like their input on. Best of all, you can do it using their pre-built forms. 
• Capture payment details. Jotform integrates with payment platforms to allow your nonprofit to capture payment information securely on their platform, which is great for event sponsorships. 

Keep in Mind:

• Try out the free plan before signing up for a paid plan. All features are included, though there are limits to the number of forms you can create, fields, and submissions. 
• When you’re ready to sign up, Jotform offers nonprofits discounted prices that can fit any budget.

💫 Jotform is more than just a survey site. Explore their full suite of offerings!

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Expert Perspectives

🏆 Instrumentl Team on Demystifying Spend Down

Not everyone is a numbers expert—and that’s okay! It can be easy to get overwhelmed when faced with spreadsheets filled with endless columns and rows.

During the Grant Revolution Workshop, the Instrumentl Team shared tips to help you overcome your numbers anxiety and master the full-cycle grant management process, including managing spend down. 

Here’s their expert advice:

• Keep it simple. You don’t need dense tables of numbers. Keep your line items simple to drive clarity. You want your team to understand at a glance.
• Utilize integrations to streamline your workflow. Many tools and accounting software work in tandem, including Microsoft products like Excel and Power BI. Verify if there are any existing integrations you can use to avoid duplicate work. In many cases, you can feed your numbers and expenses into multiple software seamlessly.
• Focus on user-friendly solutions. If the interface is too complex, it doesn’t matter how many features are available, no one will know how to use them. Don’t get blinded by the shiny objects at the expense of usability when picking a spend down solution. More isn’t always better.

🧐 Learn how to own your grant spend down and more!

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Opportunities Spotlight

🛜 Tech for Good Impact Awards

Who It’s For: Nonprofits looking to use technology as a tool for empowering communities 

Next Deadline: August 15, 2025

Grant Amount: $10,000-$50,000

The Details:

• ZenDesk understands how transformative good customer service can be, and they want to encourage others to use technology to make a difference in their local communities. Their grant will equip nonprofits with the tools and resources needed to help foster community, create career opportunities, and promote resilience in times of crisis.

👉 Apply Here!

🍎 Hunger Relief Grant Program

Who It’s For: Nonprofits focused on food access and hunger

Next Deadline: September 12, 2025

Grant Amount: $1,000-$10,000

The Details:

• The Foundation for MetroWest hopes to address food insecurity, empowering the MetroWest community to develop a more robust food system. By increasing access, they hope to provide food security to all community members. 

👉 Apply Here!

🔍 Check out additional grant opportunities today!

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Networking Nook

💻 Webinar: The 50-Day Turnaround: From Grant Opportunity to Polished Proposal

May 28 | 1:00 p.m. CDT

In this masterclass, Allison Jones, M.Ed., will share the exact 50-day process her team uses to move from identifying a funder to submitting a polished proposal - two weeks early.

You’ll walk away with:

• A step-by-step roadmap for organizing your grant workflow
• Tips for planning ahead and building in time for reviews
• A free copy of Allison’s new e-book, The 50-Day Turnaround: Discover to Deliver

Hurry!

✅ Register Now!

💻 Webinar: How to Plan Your 12-Month Grants Calendar in Under 60 Minutes

May 21 | 1:00 p.m. CDT

Join the Instrumentl team for a practical deep dive into building a grants calendar that supports strategic growth and funding success. This workshop is designed for busy grant professionals who need a clear and effective planning process (that won’t eat up hours every day).

You’ll walk away knowing how to:

• Identify the right opportunities to include in your pipeline
• Follow a 5-step framework to build a realistic 12-month plan
• Avoid the 5 most common planning pitfalls that slow down grant progress

Don’t Miss Out! 

✅ Register Now!

💻 Webinar: Navigating Industry Compliance of Advancement Services

June 4 | 1-2 p.m. EDT

Presenter Pamela Mitchel, specialist in data reporting and database management, shares how to remain compliant to industry requirements in advancement services. This session covers regulatory restrictions, best practices, and ethical standards to help you operate more effectively. 

Hurry!

✅ Register Now!

To check out more recent and upcoming live events, go here.

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In Case You Missed It

📼 Video: How to Track an Awarded Grant’s Spending

Learn more about how Instrumentl can simplify your spend down tracking and grant management process through grant payment and expenditures management, tips to ensure financial responsibility, and steps to keep your team aligned on upcoming reporting deadlines. 

👉 Watch the Tutorial!

🎙️ Podcast: How to Recession-Proof Your Grant Writing Business - Why Waiting Won’t Work

With so much uncertainty, it can be tempting to wait it out. However, that can cause you to lose out on funding opportunities. Host Holly Rustick shares more about how you can lean into the economy to win more grants. 

👉 Listen to the Episode!

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Want to Master the Art of Grant Spend Down?

Just because you can use spreadsheets to track your expenses doesn’t mean you should.

Instrumentl has a better way, allowing you to import expenses, track your spending, and collaborate with your team to ensure you’re not misspending your funds.

What are you waiting for? 

👉 Try Instrumentl free for 14 days today!