Connect Payroll Work to Initiatives

Payroll starts with where the employee worked, not with the grant you want to charge.

In GrantLink, an Initiative represents the program or body of work. Grants can fund that Initiative. This keeps the same work definition useful when funding changes or several grants support one program.

Employee cost → work evidence → Initiative → eligible grant or grants

Record Work Evidence

1. Open Allocations → Payroll.
2. Choose Needs attention.
3. Select an employee cost.
4. Under Where did this work happen?, choose the Initiative.
5. In Evidence, name the person or record and describe the supported work. For example: “Jordan Lee confirmed on September 13 that this work supported Family Intake.”
6. Choose Save evidence.

You can also attach an evidence file in chat and ask GrantLink to associate it with a payroll cost. Chat uses the attached file’s actual ID; it cannot invent an attachment.

An answer without a named source or person is not enough. GrantLink preserves the attribution and time in the cost’s history.

How a Grant Is Chosen

GrantLink checks which active grants fund the Initiative and are eligible on the payroll cost’s pay date.

• One eligible grant: GrantLink assigns the cost automatically.
• Several eligible grants: the cost stays in Needs attention until you enter the supported distribution.
• No eligible grant: the cost stays unresolved. Link appropriate funding to the Initiative, correct the work evidence, or leave the amount outside grant reporting.

An Initiative does not make every linked grant eligible forever. Grant dates and status still matter.

What Counts as Evidence

Use the records and internal controls appropriate to your organization and award. Examples may include an activity record, approved allocation worksheet, supervisor confirmation, case or service record, or another contemporaneous source that accurately reflects the work performed.

Do not assign work from an employee’s job title, a budget target, or remaining grant funds alone. GrantLink does not decide that a cost is allowable, compliant, or guaranteed reimbursable.

See Programs and Initiatives for setup. For federal personnel-cost principles, see Time and Effort Reporting for Federal Grants.

Correcting Evidence

The initial evidence form adds evidence to an unresolved cost. If saved evidence or the resulting allocation is wrong, ask GrantLink in chat to correct it. Describe the factual change and name its source. A financial redistribution is shown with exact before-and-after dollars and requires approval before it is saved.