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Grantee report template for small foundations

A short report form your grantees can fill in for an interim or a final report: progress, goals, budget against spending by line, and a sign-off. Below, what to ask, how often, and what to do when a report comes in. No email needed.

Download the template (.docx, 38 KB) Works in Word and Google Docs

Published 2026-11-02 · Last updated 2026-11-02 · Sources checked November 2, 2026

What the form asks

Five short sections, each one answerable from records a grantee already keeps.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Sections of the grantee report form and what each asks
Section What it asks
About this report Grant, period covered, interim or final, due date, contact. You fill most of it in before you send.
Progress What they did, results against the goals in the agreement, problems, changes. One extra question on the final report.
Money Budget against spending by line: approved, this period, to date, remaining, and an explanation over a 10% difference.
Attachments Backup for spending only if you ask for it, and anything else they want to share.
Sign-off A short statement that the report is true and the money was used as agreed, with name, title and date.

Why Word and not a spreadsheet? Most of a grantee report is a few sentences of narrative, which are easier to write and read in a document. The money part is one small table. If you want the totals and variances worked out for you, pair it with the grant financial report template (.xlsx).

Interim or final: how often to ask

Ask for as few reports as the grant needs. A one-year grant may need only a final report. For a multi-year grant, or one paid in installments, ask for an interim report before each later payment, then a final report when the grant period ends. The form works for both: the grantee ticks interim or final, and the last progress question is for final reports only.

Some grants come with rules. When a private foundation makes a grant that needs expenditure responsibility, the grantee must report as of the end of each of its accounting years on how the money was spent and the progress made, then send a final report covering all spending, including salaries, travel and supplies (26 CFR 53.4945-5(c)). The money section covers that, and the template’s first page reminds you to check.

Keep it short for grantees

  • Ask only what you will read. Cut any question no one at the foundation acts on.
  • Fill in what you already know. Grant number, amount, period and due date go in section 1 before you send it.
  • Measure against the agreement. Ask about the goals and budget lines you agreed on, not new ones added midway.
  • Ask for receipts only when you need them. A budget table and an explanation of large differences is enough for most grants.
  • Accept their own reports. If a grantee already wrote a report that answers your questions, let them attach it.
  • Use the same form every time. Grantees learn it, and you can compare periods.

Due dates and reminders

Put the report schedule in the grant agreement, with dates. Our grant agreement template has a table for it. Give the grantee time to close its books after the period ends, for example 30 days.

Send the form before the period ends, so the grantee knows what is coming. Remind them a few days before the due date and again soon after it. Track every due date in one place: the grant tracking spreadsheet for foundations has a Reports tab with every report you expect.

Accepting a report or sending it back

Read each report soon after it arrives, and tell the grantee where it stands. When it answers your questions, say so in writing. If your agreement ties the next payment to an accepted report, accepting it is what releases the payment.

When something is missing, send it back with a specific note: which question, which budget line, what you need, and a new date. “Please add more detail” sends the grantee guessing. One clear round of changes is better than three vague ones.

Collecting reports in FundMesa

In FundMesa for funders, the report schedule is part of each award’s terms. Each report request goes out on its own before the period ends, 15 days ahead unless you change it, and reminders follow 3 days before the due date, on the day, and 3, 6 and 9 days late.

Grantees answer in the grantee portal, with a free login. The report form is built from the award: spending this period for each budget line, shown next to its budget, previous periods, to date and remaining; an explanation when a line is off by more than the threshold you set; goals against targets; progress, problems, and a closing summary on the final report; and backup files. An Admin at the grantee signs it with their name and title. A grantee can also answer with a file instead.

You see budget against actual by line with the grantee’s explanations, goals against targets, the narrative, files and signature. Accept the report or ask for changes with a note, and download it as a PDF or CSV. An installment can wait until the report is accepted.

The Funder plan is $249 a month billed annually, or $299 month to month, with unlimited staff and a 30-day free trial.

FundMesa for funders

Grantee due diligence checklist for small foundations

Frequently asked

What should a grantee report include?

What the grantee did with the grant, results against the goals you agreed on, problems and changes, and a simple comparison of budget and spending by line. A final report adds what the grant achieved overall. Ask for a signature so someone at the grantee stands behind the numbers.

How often should a foundation require grantee reports?

Match the grant. A one-year grant may need only a final report. For a multi-year or larger grant, ask for an interim report each year or half year, then a final. Put the schedule and the due dates in the grant agreement.

What is an interim report?

A report partway through the grant period. It shows whether the work and the spending are on track, while there is still time to adjust. A final report covers the whole grant once it ends.

Can a grantee send a report it wrote for another funder?

Accepting one is a kind thing to do for a small grantee. Check that it answers your questions, and ask for the money section separately if it does not cover your grant.

Are grantee reports required by law?

For a private foundation’s expenditure responsibility grant, yes: the regulations require reports on how the money was spent and the progress made, and a final report. For other grants, reporting is your policy’s call.

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