What happens in the first ninety days
What do I need to do after winning a grant?
Read the award document, because it is not the announcement and the terms may differ. Note the period of performance, since costs incurred before it starts are generally unallowable however sensible they were. Set up the accounting so this grant’s costs are separable from everything else, which is what makes reporting and any future audit straightforward instead of painful. Find the reporting dates and put them in a calendar. Work out how money actually arrives, because most federal grants pay by reimbursement, meaning you spend first and claim afterward, and that is a working capital question rather than a paperwork one.
Last reviewed August 10, 2026.
The first month, in order
Read the award document closely
Terms and conditions attach at award and can differ from what was advertised, particularly on reporting frequency and prior-approval requirements.
Diarise the period of performance
Both ends. Costs before the start date are generally unallowable, and costs after the end date are unrecoverable. Extensions exist and they are requested in advance rather than explained afterward.
Separate the accounting on day one
A distinct code, class, or fund for this award. Retrofitting this at year end is the single most common cause of a painful audit, and setting it up takes an hour while the award is fresh.
Map how the money arrives
Reimbursement, advance, or milestone. Reimbursement means you carry the cost until the claim clears, which for a small organization can be the hardest part of the whole grant.
Put every reporting date in one place
Programmatic and financial reports usually run on different cadences and sometimes to different people. Late reports jeopardise the next payment and, more quietly, the next award.
Where Quillify comes in
Hand Quillify your award letter and it reads out every reporting date, the closeout window, and the changes that need prior approval. Then it puts them on your calendar. Your team logs spending against the award with its receipts, and the books stay wherever you already keep them.
Your record of what you asked for and won stays in the same place for the next proposal to the same funder.
Who asks this most
The answer above is the same whoever you are. What Quillify does about it is not.
Related
- How long until grant money arrives after an awardHow long does it take to receive grant money after being awarded?
- The work that starts when the money arrivesWhat are my obligations after winning a grant?
- Audited financials, a review, or neitherDo I need audited financial statements to apply for grants?
- Indirect cost rates, and the money most organizations leave behindWhat is an indirect cost rate and do I need one?
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