Grant report template
A grant report tells the funder what you did with the money and what it achieved. Progress reports come during the grant and a final report comes at the end. Most funders ask for results against the objectives you promised, spending against the approved budget and what you learned. Use the funder's own report form whenever it supplies one.
Funders read your report to decide whether you managed their money well and whether they should fund you again. A report that lines up neatly with the objectives in your original proposal makes that second decision much easier for the program officer.
Free to copy and adapt. Square brackets mark what you replace. Nothing here is tied to a particular funder. Read each funder's guidelines for required headings, page limits and attachments before you paste a finished draft into their application form.
The template
Summary
Start with the headline. Two or three sentences should tell the funder what their grant made possible during the period you are reporting on.
With $[amount] from [funder], [organization] [main accomplishment] between [start date] and [end date].
Results against objectives
Use your proposal. Restate each objective exactly as you wrote it and report the actual figure beside the target. Funders compare this section with the proposal they approved.
Objective 1: [objective as written in the proposal]
Target: [target]. Actual: [result]. [One line on why it differed, if it did.]
Objective 2: [objective]
Target: [target]. Actual: [result].
Stories and evidence
Add one story. A short account or quote from a participant shows the results in human terms and is often the part a program officer shares with their board. Short video testimonials from participants carry the same story even further. videos.me collects them from a whole cohort with one link.
[Participant first name or description] [what changed for them, in a few sentences, with permission].
Spending
Show the money. Compare the approved budget with actual spending and explain any line that moved, including the date of any approval the funder required.
Budgeted: $[amount]. Spent: $[amount]. Remaining: $[amount].
Variances: [line item] was [over or under] by $[amount] because [reason]. [Approval obtained on (date), if the funder required it.]
Challenges and lessons
Be candid. Say what didn't go to plan and what you changed in response. An honest account builds more trust than a report where everything went perfectly.
[Challenge]. In response, we [what you changed]. Going forward, we will [lesson applied].
Next steps
Look ahead. Say what happens to the work now and how the funder could stay involved through a renewal, a site visit or an introduction.
In the coming year, [organization] will [next phase]. We would welcome [a renewal conversation, a site visit or another next step].
Skip the blank page
Hand Quillify your award letter and it reads out the reporting schedule and the closeout window. Each date goes on your calendar so no report comes due by surprise.
Questions people ask
What goes in a final grant report?
Results against each objective, a comparison of budget and actual spending, challenges and lessons, and often a story or two. Many funders supply their own form.
What if we missed a target?
Report the real figure and explain why. Funders expect some variance and read an honest explanation far better than silence.
When are grant reports due?
Your award letter or grant agreement sets the schedule. Federal awards commonly require a final report within 120 days after the end of the period of performance.
Related guides: The first 90 days after an award. How long until grant money arrives after an award?. All free templates.
Let Quillify write the first draft.
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