Reviewing and Approving Allocations

Accurate allocations are critical for grant compliance. This guide covers how to review and approve allocations in GrantLink.

The Allocation Review Process

Why Review Matters

Regular review ensures:

• Correct grant assignment
• Proper budget category coding
• Compliance with grant terms
• Accurate financial reports

Review Frequency

Recommended cadence:

• Weekly - Review new allocations
• Monthly - Reconcile totals
• Quarterly - Deep dive analysis
• At reporting - Pre-report verification

Finding Allocations to Review

Todos Dashboard

New transactions awaiting allocation appear in Todos:

• See unallocated transactions
• Filter by date, amount, vendor
• Sort by priority

Allocation History

Review past allocations:

1. Go to a grant's Transactions tab
2. See all allocated transactions
3. Filter by date range or category
4. Click any row for details

Audit Log

Track who did what:

1. Go to Activity
2. Filter by allocation actions
3. See user, timestamp, and details

Approving Allocations

Single Transaction Review

1. Click on a transaction
2. Verify:
   • Correct grant assignment
   • Appropriate budget category
   • Accurate amount
3. Confirm or correct
4. Add notes if needed

Bulk Review

For efficiency:

1. Go to Allocations
2. Select multiple transactions
3. Review summary
4. Approve in batch

Correcting Allocations

Changing Grant Assignment

If allocated to wrong grant:

1. Find the transaction
2. Click Edit Allocation
3. Remove from current grant
4. Allocate to correct grant
5. Save with correction note

Changing Category

If wrong budget category:

1. Find the transaction
2. Click Edit
3. Select correct category
4. Save

Reversing Allocations

To completely undo:

1. Find the transaction
2. Click Remove Allocation
3. Transaction returns to Todos

Audit Trail

Every change is logged:

• Original allocation
• Modifications with timestamp
• User who made changes
• Notes and reasons

This trail is essential for audits.

Separation of Duties

Best practice for internal controls:

Role	Can Allocate	Can Approve	Can Correct
Staff	✓	-	-
Manager	✓	✓	✓
Admin	✓	✓	✓

Consider requiring approval for:

• Large transactions
• Sensitive categories
• End-of-period entries

Best Practices

1. Don't batch too long - Review regularly to catch errors early
2. Document exceptions - Note unusual allocations
3. Cross-reference - Compare to invoices and supporting documents
4. Train staff - Ensure everyone understands proper coding
5. Reconcile monthly - Catch discrepancies before reporting