Grant Spend and Reporting Tracker

Who this is for

What each funder gave, and what it went on. The spend lines record each item bought and the grant it came from; the grants table sets every award against its report date, so the group can show a funder exactly how their money was used.

Treasurers and project leads in small charities, clubs and community groups that hold one or more grants at once and have to report back on each.

What this helps you track

• Every grant awarded, with the funder, amount and date received
• What each grant has been spent on so far, and what is left
• The percentage of each award used
• How many days remain before each report is due
• Every spend line with its supplier and whether the receipt is held

How to use it

1. Write the organisation, the financial year and your name at the top.
2. Add each grant to the grants table as the money arrives, with the report date from the funder's offer letter; write its purpose and spend deadline in the notes area.
3. Record every purchase in the spend lines table with the grant it belongs to, and tick receipt held once the receipt is filed.
4. Add up the spend lines for each grant and enter the figure in its spent column; remaining, percentage spent and days to report are worked out in the browser and the workbook.
5. Before each report is due, sort or filter the spend lines by grant and use them as the basis of the return.
6. Write the date the report was sent, and keep the funder's acknowledgement with the file.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Why is spent entered by hand in the grants table?

Because a spend line can only belong to one grant, and the sheet keeps the two lists simple. Total the spend lines for a grant and copy the figure across; in the workbook you can also filter the spend table by grant name.

What if a grant can only be spent on certain things?

Write the purpose exactly as the funder worded it, and check each spend line against it before you buy. The restricted and unrestricted funds tracker helps keep restricted money separate in the main accounts.

What goes in the funder's report?

Each funder sets its own questions and format. This sheet gives you the figures and the receipt trail; the wording, outcomes and any evidence they ask for come from your project records.

Can underspent money be kept?

That depends entirely on the funder's terms. Check the offer letter or ask the funder before the spend deadline, and note what was agreed on the sheet.