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Free grant tracking spreadsheet for foundations
The grant tracking templates we found online were built for nonprofits applying for grants. This one is for the funder: the grants you have made, a payment schedule for each, the reports your grantees owe, and who to call. No email needed to download it, and no macros.
Opens in Protected View? Click Enable Editing so the totals calculate.
Published 2026-10-31 · Last updated 2026-11-02
This page and the tracker are not tax, legal or accounting advice. Your accountant decides how grants are reported.
How foundations track grants
A grantmaker's tracking job starts when the board approves a grant. From then on, four questions come up again and again:
- What have we promised, to whom, and for what?
- What have we paid, and what is still owed?
- Which grantee reports are due, late or waiting for review?
- Who is our contact, and when did we last check their status?
The tracker has a tab for each, linked by a short award ID, and a Summary tab that adds them up for your fiscal year.
What's in the grantmaker tracking template
Five tabs, plus a "Start here" tab with instructions. The example rows are made up and marked EXAMPLE, so delete them before you add your own.
Awards
One row per grant you make. The shaded columns fill themselves in from the Payments and Reports tabs.
| Column | Example |
|---|---|
| Award ID | EX-001 |
| Grantee | EXAMPLE Riverside Youth Literacy |
| Purpose | After-school reading tutors |
| Program area | Education |
| Approved on | 01/15/2026 |
| Amount awarded | $75,000.00 |
| Start date and end date | 02/01/2026 to 01/31/2027 |
| Status | Active |
| Paid to date | $25,000.00 (fills in) |
| Scheduled, not paid | $50,000.00 (fills in) |
| Not yet scheduled | $0.00 (fills in) |
| Next payment due and next report due | (fills in from Payments and Reports) |
| Check | Says "Payments exceed award" if they do |
Payments
Your grant payment schedule: one row per installment. A payment flag clears when you mark it Paid or Canceled.
| Column | Example |
|---|---|
| Award ID | EX-001 |
| Installment | 3 of 3 |
| Amount | $25,000.00 |
| Due date | (a date) |
| Hold until | Interim report accepted |
| Status | Scheduled, Held, Paid or Canceled |
| Paid on and reference | Check or transfer number |
| Days until due and Flag | Overdue or Due soon |
Reports
Every report you expect from a grantee. A report flag clears when it is Received, Accepted or Waived.
| Column | Example |
|---|---|
| Award ID | EX-001 |
| Report | Interim report |
| Due date | (a date) |
| Status | Waiting, Received, Changes requested, Accepted or Waived |
| Received on | (a date) |
| Days until due and Flag | Overdue or Due soon |
Grantees
Legal name, EIN and contacts, plus the date you last checked the grantee’s IRS status.
| Column | Example |
|---|---|
| Grantee (legal name) | EXAMPLE Riverside Youth Literacy |
| EIN | 00-0000001 |
| Contact name, title, email, phone | Jordan Lee, Executive director |
| Mailing address | (an address) |
| IRS status checked on | 01/05/2026 |
| Due diligence complete | Yes, No or In progress |
Summary
Enter your fiscal year and it shows what you awarded and paid in that year, what is still to pay on open awards, and how many payments and reports are overdue, due in the next 30 days, held for a report, or waiting for review.
A grant payment schedule template that waits for reports
Larger and multi-year grants may be paid in installments, with a later payment tied to a report. Put every installment on the Payments tab the day the grant is approved, even the ones months away. Then the Awards tab always shows three numbers for each grant: paid, scheduled and not yet scheduled.
When a payment depends on a report, set its status to Held and write the condition in "Hold until". Once you accept the report, change the status back to Scheduled and pay it. The Flag column says Overdue or Due soon in words, and the row turns red or yellow, so a color is never the only signal.
Paid vs approved: why the dates matter
For a private foundation, the difference between approving a grant and paying it shows up on the tax return. On Form 990-PF (PDF), grants count toward qualifying distributions from Part I, column (d), which is on the cash basis. Part XIV, line 3 then lists grants paid during the year (3a) separately from grants approved for future payment (3b).
So record the date each installment is actually paid, not only the approval date. The Summary tab's "Paid" line adds up payments by paid date within the fiscal year you enter. Your accountant decides how they are reported. A community foundation files Form 990 instead, and its grants list works differently; see community foundations vs private foundations.
Form 990-PF line references are from the 2025 form, read October 31, 2026.
How to use it
- Download the file and open it. In Google Sheets: Drive, New, File upload, open the file, then File, Save as Google Sheets.
- Delete the example rows (gray, italic, marked EXAMPLE) on each tab.
- Give each award a short ID, such as 2026-014, and use the same ID on its payments and reports.
- Enter the whole payment schedule and every report due date when the grant is approved.
- Check the Summary tab each week for overdue payments and reports.
Before the first payment, run through the grantee due diligence checklist and record the date on the Grantees tab.
When a spreadsheet stops working
A spreadsheet notifies no one. Someone has to open it, notice the late report and email the grantee. That is fine at 20 grants and wearing at 100. It also keeps grantee reports in someone's inbox, not next to the award.
FundMesa for funders does the same job in one place. Your grantees answer report requests in a grantee portal with a free login, and get reminders before and after the due date. You accept a report or send it back with a note. Installments can be held until a report is accepted, and you record each payment when it goes out; FundMesa never moves money. The portfolio shows what you awarded, paid and still owe by fiscal year and program area, and exports every award as CSV.
The Funder plan is $249 a month billed annually, or $299 month to month, with unlimited staff, up to 200 active awards and a 30-day free trial.
Frequently asked
How do foundations track grants?
A foundation needs to track four things: each award, its payment schedule, the reports each grantee owes, and who to contact. A spreadsheet with one tab for each works for a few dozen grants. When keeping it current becomes a chore, funders move to grants management software, so reminders and report collection happen without someone opening a file.
What should a grant payment schedule include?
One row per installment, with the award it belongs to, the amount, the due date, any condition (such as an accepted interim report), the status, and the date and reference when it was paid. Totals by award then show what has been paid, what is scheduled and what is still to schedule.
Do grants count toward a private foundation’s payout when approved or when paid?
Generally when paid. On Form 990-PF, qualifying distributions come from Part I, column (d), which is on the cash basis. Grants approved but not yet paid are listed separately as approved for future payment (Part XIV, line 3b). Set-asides are a narrow exception with their own tests. Ask your accountant how your grants should be reported.
Does this work for community foundations and corporate funders?
Yes. The tracker does not depend on your tax status. A community foundation can add a column for the fund each grant comes from. A corporate giving program can use the program area column for its giving priorities.
Is the foundation grant tracker free?
Yes. No email or signup is needed to download it, and you can copy, change and share it. It has no macros. It needs Excel 2019 or later, Excel for Microsoft 365, or Google Sheets.
Where to go next
- FundMesa for grantmakers: awards, payments, grantee reports and the Funder plan's price.
- Also receive grants? Start with the free grant tracking spreadsheet template (Excel, Google Sheets or CSV).
- Compare grant management software: FundMesa, Instrumentl, Grantable and a spreadsheet, with sources and dates.
- FundMesa pricing: what each plan includes, and the 30-day free trial with no credit card.