If you’re reading this it probably means you have been awarded a grant, and if so, congratulations! It’s important to celebrate these wins before jumping into the next steps because, in many ways, the work is really just beginning.
Understanding how to create a compelling and informative grant report is an important skill to build as a grants professional.
The article below will explore how to create a grant report template that works for your organization. Though reporting may vary from funder to funder, it’s great to have a template that you can go back to time and time again.
A grant report is the collection of information that grantee organizations are responsible for sharing with the entity that has awarded them a grant. It allows your organization to highlight the impact of your work, explain how the awarded dollars have been used, share feedback with the funder, and more.
Grant reporting is often required by funders so that they can better understand where their money has been used and how it has made an impact. Some funders even use grant reports to evaluate the potential for future collaboration.
Grant reports also allow grantees to shine, highlighting the work that they have accomplished because of the award.
Understanding what a funder’s reporting expectations are from the start is essential to a successful grant lifecycle. If you have been awarded a grant and are unclear on what reporting will entail, you should definitely connect with the funder to get clarity.
Though grant reports can vary, they generally request the same core elements.
Most likely, you will get a sense of a funders’ expectations for reporting during the application or selection processes—and if you don’t, definitely ask!
Pro Tip: If there are measures that are required in a grant report that you weren’t previously aware of and are difficult or impossible for you to measure, communicating that clearly before the report due date is really important. This can help you avoid delays and build up trust with the funder as well.
Grant reporting is vital for a few different reasons:
The accountability structure that is created by grant reporting not only keeps your team accountable to the funder but also to yourselves and your mission.
Check out this great advice from grant expert Jacob Chase, CEO of Chase Consulting Solutions, as you approach your grant reporting strategy:
“Always tailor your approach to each funder based on their preferences, communication style, and expectations. Develop a customized engagement plan that considers the unique characteristics of each funding relationship…share success stories, outcomes, and challenges overcome. Demonstrate the tangible difference their support is making.”
Grant reporting is important because it allows you to tell your story and create continued proof that investing in your work is creating a positive impact.
In the section below, we’ll go through the most common elements found in grant reports in more detail.
If your team can build a standard template that includes the sections below, you’ll set yourselves up for a smooth grant reporting season!
Funders often want to know what the majors wins of the grant period are.
Getting to share your “wins” with funders is the best part of grant reporting. Not only are you sharing the incredible work you’ve done with the funders that have helped make it happen, it also gives you a chance to reflect on the positive impact of your organization.
It can be hard to decide what to share in this section, especially if the grant report is structured and limits the amount you can include in each category. It’s important to be specific and to focus on the achievements that are tied directly to the funder’s dollars.
If you’re stuck, referencing the goals you described in the grant application can be helpful to get you started.
It can be difficult to have 100% transparency with a funder when it comes to things that may not have gone as planned. However, funders want to understand the challenges you’ve faced so they can have context.
For example, if your organization went through a staff or leadership change, lost funding, had trouble accessing physical space for your project, or any other barriers to delivering the work you applied for, this should be shared.
Sharing these truths and including how you’re addressing the issues at hand is very important. No organization or project is perfect, but acknowledging the struggles and being proactive in creating solutions for them can set you apart.
Now it’s time for the numbers! Typically grant reports will require both qualitative and quantitative data to provide a holistic picture of the work that has happened.
Some common data points include:
Even if a funder doesn’t ask for specific indicators in the reporting template, consider including some high-level data points to add depth and legitimacy to your report.
If your program works directly with people, a funder may ask about safeguarding incidents that have occurred. This can be another difficult area to be open about to external partners.
Hopefully you won’t ever have to report on any major safeguarding incidents. However, when things come up, it is important to show that the incident(s) has been addressed according to the policies you have in place.
Safeguarding can also be the section where you can communicate how you’ve built up strategies that ensure the people in and around your program are safe and supported.
Funders may also be curious about the individuals helping to deliver the grant-supported program. How many people are involved? Who are they? Why are they qualified to run or support the program at hand?
Some funders may ask more specifically about your organization’s board and how often they meet. They may be curious about the breakdown of full-time, part-time, and volunteer staff members. Demographic information about your staff members can also be a requirement from funders.
In this section, you want to be sure you’re giving a full picture of who brings your work to life and how they are essential to the success of the funded program.
At the end of the day, a funder wants to understand where their money went. The funds they’ve allocated to your organization should align with the way they were described in the grant application. Whether funding was for general operations or limited to a specific project, clarity on spending is vital.
Along with a written grant report, a funder will likely ask for a budget template that outlines the way dollars have been appropriated.
Budget tracking and reporting can be intimidating, especially on smaller teams that may not have financial expertise on staff. Instrumentl is here to help you on this journey!
Instrumentl’s award tracker allows you to easily track your awards and spending so that you don’t miss a beat!
Funders may also ask for additional documents in your report, including stories, photos/videos, case studies, and more. These are great opportunities to show specific examples of your work and the impact it’s making.
Pro Tip: Before you add them to your report, make sure you have permission to share names, photos, personal information, etc. of the people and communities involved.
Having a standard grant report template will make your reporting season feel more streamlined and efficient.
As we mentioned earlier, grant reports will likely vary from one funder to another. However, a standard template will help ensure you’re keeping track of the most necessary information from the start.
We recommend keeping the following best practices in mind when creating your grant report template:
Still not sure where to start? Looking at examples of grant reports can help you better understand how to build your own when the time comes.
Below are a few samples from a variety of funders that can give you a sense of what grant reports are like in the context of real-life funding opportunities:
Grant reporting often isn’t the most exciting part of nonprofit work, however, we hope the tips shared above will ease the stress of reporting and set your team up for success.
Remember that funders want to see you succeed, but they also understand that challenges pop up and things don’t always go as planned. Grant reports are your chance to highlight the wins and be transparent about the difficulties you and your team are facing head on. Organizations that can show their resilience and problem solving skills build trust with funders and are often able to unlock future dollars.
Ready to get started on streamlining your grant reporting processes? Try Instrumentl’s 14-day free trial.
.webp)
