Understanding Financial Dashboards

GrantLink provides powerful financial dashboards that give you insight into your grant spending. This guide explains how to read and use them.

Grant Financial Overview

Each grant has a financial dashboard showing:

Budget vs. Actual

A visual comparison of:

• Budgeted - What the grant allows
• Spent - What's been allocated
• Remaining - What's left to spend
• Committed - Pending expenses (if tracked)

Burn Rate Analysis

Understanding spending velocity:

• Monthly burn rate - Average spending per month
• Projected spend - Where you'll be at grant end
• Runway - Months of funding remaining at current rate

Category Breakdown

Spending by budget category:

• Pie chart showing distribution
• Bar chart comparing budget to actual
• Table with detailed numbers

Portfolio Dashboard

See all grants together:

Summary Metrics

• Total active grants
• Combined budget and spending
• Overall health indicators

Comparison View

• Side-by-side grant comparison
• Identify outliers and issues
• Sort by various metrics

Time-Based Analysis

Spending Over Time

Line charts showing:

• Monthly spending trends
• Cumulative spending
• Comparison to budget pace

Period Comparisons

Compare different time periods:

• This month vs. last month
• This quarter vs. same quarter last year
• Year-over-year trends

Using Dashboards Effectively

Regular Review Cadence

• Daily - Quick dashboard check
• Weekly - Review any alerts
• Monthly - Deep dive analysis
• Quarterly - Portfolio-level review

Questions Dashboards Answer

• Are we on track with spending?
• Which grants need attention?
• Are there any budget overruns?
• Where is most of our funding going?
• Do we have carryforward concerns?

Exporting Dashboard Data

1. Click the export icon on any chart
2. Choose format (PNG, PDF, CSV)
3. Use in board reports or presentations

Best Practices

1. Check regularly - Make dashboards part of your routine
2. Investigate anomalies - Unusual patterns deserve attention
3. Share with stakeholders - Keep leadership informed
4. Use for planning - Inform budget decisions
5. Document observations - Note trends and concerns