Free Grant Tracking Templates (Excel & Google Sheets)

Not every nonprofit needs dedicated grant management software. If you're managing a few grants and want to stay organized, spreadsheet templates are a good starting point.

This guide provides template structures you can build yourself, plus tips for effective spreadsheet-based tracking.

When Spreadsheets Work

Spreadsheets are appropriate when:

• You have 1-3 active grants
• Grants have simple budgets (5-10 categories)
• You have staff capacity for manual data entry
• Reporting requirements are basic
• You're just getting started with grants

When to Move Beyond Spreadsheets

Consider dedicated software when:

• You have 5+ active grants
• Manual tracking takes hours per week
• You're making errors in reports
• Auditors raise concerns about documentation
• You need budget vs. actual in real-time

Template 1: Grant Overview Tracker

Track all your grants in one place.

Structure

Column	Description
Grant Name	Descriptive name
Funder	Foundation/agency name
Award Amount	Total award
Start Date	Grant period start
End Date	Grant period end
Status	Active/Pending/Closed
Spent to Date	Sum from expense tracking
Remaining	Award minus spent
% Spent	Spent ÷ Award
Next Report Due	Upcoming deadline
Notes	Key information

Sample Data

Grant Name	Funder	Award	Start	End	Status	Spent	Remaining	%
Youth Programs 2024	Gates Foundation	$100,000	1/1/24	12/31/24	Active	$65,000	$35,000	65%
Education Initiative	Ford Foundation	$75,000	7/1/24	6/30/25	Active	$20,000	$55,000	27%
Health Access	State DOH	$150,000	10/1/24	9/30/25	Active	$12,000	$138,000	8%

Formulas to Include

• Remaining: =Award-Spent
• % Spent: =Spent/Award
• Days Remaining: =End Date-TODAY()
• Conditional formatting: Red if >90% spent, Yellow if >75%

Template 2: Grant Budget Tracker

Track budget vs. actual for a single grant.

Structure

Create one sheet per grant with these columns:

Column	Description
Budget Category	Personnel, Supplies, etc.
Budgeted Amount	Approved budget
Spent to Date	Sum of expenses
Encumbered	Committed but not paid
Available	Budget - Spent - Encumbered
% Used	(Spent + Encumbered) ÷ Budget

Sample Budget Tracker

Category	Budget	Spent	Encumbered	Available	% Used
Personnel	$50,000	$32,000	$0	$18,000	64%
Fringe Benefits	$15,000	$9,600	$0	$5,400	64%
Travel	$5,000	$2,100	$500	$2,400	52%
Supplies	$8,000	$4,200	$300	$3,500	56%
Contractual	$15,000	$10,000	$5,000	$0	100%
Other	$7,000	$1,500	$0	$5,500	21%
Total Direct	$100,000	$59,400	$5,800	$34,800	65%
Indirect (15%)	$15,000	$8,910	$870	$5,220	65%
Grand Total	$115,000	$68,310	$6,670	$40,020	65%

Key Formulas

• Available: =Budget-Spent-Encumbered
• % Used: =(Spent+Encumbered)/Budget
• Indirect: =Total Direct × Indirect Rate

Template 3: Expense Log

Track individual expenses charged to grants.

Structure

Column	Description
Date	Transaction date
Vendor	Who was paid
Description	What it was for
Amount	Dollar amount
Grant	Which grant
Budget Category	Which budget line
Check/Reference #	Payment reference
Documentation	Y/N - receipt on file

Sample Expense Log

Date	Vendor	Description	Amount	Grant	Category	Ref #	Docs
1/15/24	Office Depot	Program supplies	$245.00	Youth Programs	Supplies	1234	Y
1/18/24	Delta Airlines	Staff travel to conference	$450.00	Youth Programs	Travel	CC-001	Y
1/22/24	ABC Consulting	Evaluation services	$2,500.00	Youth Programs	Contractual	1235	Y

Using the Expense Log

1. Enter every grant expense as it occurs
2. Use data validation for Grant and Category columns
3. Create pivot tables to summarize by grant/category
4. Link to budget tracker using SUMIF formulas

Linking to Budget Tracker

In your budget tracker, use SUMIF to pull expense totals:

=SUMIF(ExpenseLog[Grant],"Youth Programs",
       SUMIF(ExpenseLog[Category],"Supplies",ExpenseLog[Amount]))

Template 4: Reporting Calendar

Track funder reporting deadlines.

Structure

Column	Description
Grant	Grant name
Report Type	Progress/Financial/Final
Period Covered	Reporting period
Due Date	Deadline
Status	Not Started/In Progress/Submitted
Submitted Date	When submitted
Notes	Requirements, portal info

Sample Calendar

Grant	Report Type	Period	Due Date	Status	Submitted
Youth Programs	Q1 Progress	Jan-Mar	4/15/24	Submitted	4/10/24
Youth Programs	Q2 Progress	Apr-Jun	7/15/24	In Progress	-
Education Init	Semi-Annual	Jul-Dec	1/31/25	Not Started	-
Health Access	Annual FFR	Full Year	12/31/24	Not Started	-

Automation Tips

• Conditional formatting: Red for overdue, yellow for due within 30 days
• Calendar integration: Export dates to Google/Outlook calendar
• Reminder formula: =IF(Due Date-TODAY()<30,"Due Soon","")

Template 5: Funder Report Template

Structure for narrative funder reports.

Sections to Include

1. Executive Summary

• Grant name and period
• Key accomplishments
• Financial summary
• Challenges and solutions

2. Program Progress

• Activities completed
• Participants served
• Outcomes achieved
• Progress toward goals

3. Financial Summary

Category	Budget	Spent	Remaining
(Pull from budget tracker)

4. Challenges & Adjustments

• Issues encountered
• How addressed
• Budget modifications (if any)

5. Next Period Plans

• Planned activities
• Anticipated spending
• Upcoming milestones

Building Your Templates

In Excel

1. Create a new workbook
2. Add sheets: Overview, Budget (one per grant), Expenses, Calendar
3. Set up data validation for dropdowns
4. Create pivot tables for summaries
5. Add conditional formatting
6. Protect formulas (allow data entry only)

In Google Sheets

1. Create a new spreadsheet
2. Same structure as Excel
3. Use Data > Data validation for dropdowns
4. Create filter views for different perspectives
5. Share with team members with appropriate permissions

Spreadsheet Best Practices

Data Entry

• Be consistent — Same format every time
• Use dropdowns — Prevent typos in grant/category names
• Enter promptly — Don't let data pile up
• Include references — Check numbers, invoice numbers

Organization

• One workbook per fiscal year — Start fresh annually
• Archive completed grants — Don't delete, move to archive
• Backup regularly — Cloud storage recommended
• Version control — Include date in filename

Reporting

• Reconcile monthly — Compare to accounting system
• Document variances — Note any differences
• Save report copies — Keep submitted versions

Limitations of Spreadsheets

Be aware of these challenges:

Challenge	Impact
Manual data entry	Time-consuming, error-prone
No real-time data	Always slightly out of date
Limited collaboration	Version conflicts
No audit trail	Can't see who changed what
Doesn't scale	Gets unwieldy with many grants
No integration	Double entry with accounting

When to Upgrade

Consider grant management software when:

• You're spending 2+ hours/week on spreadsheet maintenance
• You're finding errors in reports
• You have 5+ active grants
• Multiple people need access
• You want QuickBooks integration

The time saved typically pays for software within the first reporting cycle.

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When spreadsheets aren't enough, GrantLink connects to QuickBooks Online and automates the budget tracking, expense allocation, and reporting you're doing manually. See how it works.