Grant Tracking Spreadsheet Template (Free Download)

How do nonprofits track grant deadlines?

Most nonprofits keep one master list, usually a spreadsheet, with a row per grant and a date column for each deadline: letter of inquiry, full application, decision, and every report due after an award. They then copy those dates into a shared calendar with reminders, commonly 60, 30, 14 and 3 days ahead, so deadlines reach people without anyone opening the spreadsheet. Give each row a single owner.

The format matters less than the habit. For a longer walkthrough, read how to track grant deadlines without missing opportunities, or browse upcoming grant deadlines to find dates worth adding.

What should a grant tracker include?

At minimum: funder, program, amount requested, letter of inquiry date, application due date, expected decision date, amount awarded, award period start and end, report due dates, status, owner and notes. If you manage awards as well as applications, add budget versus actual spending, match or cost share documentation, and closeout requirements.

The free template has these columns:

• Funder and program. Two columns, because one funder often runs several programs with different rules.
• Amount requested. Lets you total your pipeline and compare it with what you are awarded.
• LOI due. Many funders want a letter of inquiry weeks before the full application. Leave it blank when there is none.
• Application due. The date most trackers have. Note the time zone and cutoff time in Notes.
• Decision expected. Tells you when to follow up and when to plan around a possible no.
• Award amount. What you were actually granted, which is often less than you requested.
• Award period start and end. Spending rules and reporting follow these dates, not the application date.
• Report due dates. The deadline people forget. Enter every interim and final report the day you get the award letter.
• Status. Researching, Drafting, Submitted, Awarded or Declined is enough to start.
• Owner. One named person per row, so every deadline has someone responsible.
• Notes. Required attachments, where the portal login is kept, the contact at the funder, lessons from a decline.

Spreadsheet vs grant management software: when is a spreadsheet enough?

A spreadsheet is usually enough when you track a modest number of grants at a time, one or two people update it, and your reporting needs are simple. Consider dedicated software when several staff edit at once and need permissions and audit history, when you manage many awards with separate budgets and reimbursements, or when funders require reports your spreadsheet cannot produce. Free tools like Excel, Google Sheets and a shared calendar cover the early stage well.

Be honest about the limits. A spreadsheet does not remind anyone by itself, it has no permissions, and it breaks when two people sort different copies. The fixes are cheap: keep one shared file, copy every date into a shared calendar, and name an owner on every row.

How to set up the template

1. Download and open the template. Download the CSV and open it in Excel or import it into Google Sheets.
2. Delete the two example rows. The example rows are labelled EXAMPLE and are not real grants. Delete them once you see how the columns work.
3. Add one row per grant. Enter the funder, program, amount requested and every date you know. Leave unknown dates blank rather than guessing.
4. Assign an owner and a status. Name one person per row and set the status to Researching, Drafting, Submitted, Awarded or Declined.
5. Copy deadlines into a shared calendar. Add each due date to a shared calendar with reminders at 60, 30, 14 and 3 days so the dates reach the team.
6. After an award, add the report dates. Enter the award period and every report due date the day the award letter arrives, then review the sheet weekly.

Free tools that work alongside it

You do not need to buy anything to track grants well. Excel or Google Sheets holds the master list, and a shared Google or Outlook calendar carries the reminders. Pair them with FindGrants search or a saved search on Grants.gov so new opportunities reach you without checking by hand.

When you outgrow the free sheet

The free CSV has no formulas, drop-downs, dashboards or colour rules. If you want those built and tested, Palavir, the company behind FindGrants, sells three Excel trackers on Etsy. Details below come from each listing.

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