Grant Programme Guidelines Template (Eligibility, Scoring, 2 CFR 200)

Grant Programme Guidelines: [Programme name]

Grant programme guidelines tell applicants and assessors how a funding programme works: what it is for, who can apply, which costs are eligible, how indirect costs are treated, how applications are scored, what conditions come with an award, and what recipients must report. The structure is neutral so any public funder or foundation can use it, with dated national annexes: the US Uniform Guidance (2 CFR part 200, as amended with effect from 1 October 2024, checked on eCFR on 2026-10-30) and the UK Government Functional Standard GovS 015: Grants (collection page updated 15 September 2026). Replace every [bracketed] value and every row marked Example. This is a documentation format, not legal or financial advice: check the current official rules for your programme and ask your legal and finance teams.

Document control

Approvals

Revision history

Contents

1. Programme summary
2. Objectives and outcomes
3. Funding available
4. Who can apply
5. What we fund
6. Indirect costs
7. How to apply
8. How applications are assessed
9. Due diligence and award decisions
10. Conditions of grant and payments
11. Monitoring, reporting and evaluation
12. Changes, closeout and recovery
13. Complaints, fraud and data protection
14. Jurisdiction annexes
15. Glossary and references
16. Standard and licence note

1. Programme summary

Example: the Community Digital Skills Fund offers 1.5 million in grants of 50,000 to 350,000 to non-profit organisations and local public bodies that teach adults to use online public services. About eight awards are expected for projects of 12 to 24 months.

2. Objectives and outcomes

3. Funding available

4. Who can apply

Partnerships: [rules for lead applicants and partners, who signs the agreement and who is accountable for the money].

5. What we fund

6. Indirect costs

[State the rule: negotiated rate accepted, flat rate of n% of [base], or no indirect costs. State whether the same cost may be charged as direct and indirect (it may not).]

Example (US federal pass-through, using the 2 CFR 200.414(f) de minimis rate of up to 15% of modified total direct costs, MTDC):

Indirect costs at 15% of 220,000 = 33,000. Total project budget = 285,000 + 33,000 = 318,000. Applying 15% to the full 285,000 would have claimed 42,750, which is 9,750 more than allowed. Note that laptops or tablets below the per-unit equipment threshold (the lesser of the capitalisation level or 10,000) are supplies under 2 CFR 200.1, not equipment, so they stay in the MTDC base.

7. How to apply

Open period: allow enough time for applicants with little experience. As a dated example, 2 CFR 200.204(b) says US federal funding opportunities should normally be open for at least 60 calendar days and not less than 30 unless exigent circumstances apply.

Application contents: [form sections, word limits, budget template, letters of support, accounts, safeguarding and data policies].

8. How applications are assessed

8.1 Criteria and weights

8.2 Scoring scale

Weighted score = sum of (score / 5 x weight). Minimum to be considered: [e.g. 60% overall and no criterion below 2].

Example: an application scoring 4, 3, 4, 3 and 5 on CRT-01 to CRT-05 gets 4/5 x 25 + 3/5 x 30 + 4/5 x 20 + 3/5 x 15 + 5/5 x 10 = 20 + 18 + 16 + 9 + 10 = 73%.

8.3 Process

Portfolio balance: [say if the panel may balance awards by region or target group, and how, before the call opens].

9. Due diligence and award decisions

Higher-risk recipients may receive specific conditions, such as more frequent reporting or payment in arrears.

10. Conditions of grant and payments

11. Monitoring, reporting and evaluation

12. Changes, closeout and recovery

13. Complaints, fraud and data protection

• Complaints about the process: [route and time limit].
• Suspected fraud or misuse: [reporting line]. The funder will [describe the counter-fraud approach].
• Data protection: [privacy notice link; data shared with assessors and other funders for duplicate funding checks].

14. Jurisdiction annexes

14.1 United States: 2 CFR part 200 (Uniform Guidance)

Checked on eCFR on 2026-10-30; last amendment to part 200 in effect from 2024-10-01.

14.2 United Kingdom: Government Functional Standard GovS 015: Grants

GovS 015 (version 2.0 as listed on the collection page, updated 2026-09-15) sets expectations for managing government grants, supported by minimum requirements guidance (for example on the senior officer responsible for a grant and on approvals and data capture). Check the current minimum requirements and your department's grants guidance, and the Subsidy Control Act 2022 where grants go to economic actors.

14.3 Other funders

EU programmes, charitable foundations and research councils publish their own rules on eligible costs, indirect cost rates and reporting. Cite the programme's current rules by name, version and date in section 15.2.

15. Glossary and references

15.1 Glossary

15.2 References

16. Standard and licence note

Based on 2 CFR part 200 (US federal regulation, public domain) and the UK Government Functional Standard GovS 015: Grants (UK government publication). The guideline structure, scoring scheme and examples are original text. Rules, thresholds and rates change: check the current eCFR text, your department's grant rules and the terms of your funding source before each round. This template is not legal or financial advice.

Template licence: MIT.