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

Grant call rules: eligibility tests, eligible costs, indirect costs (MTDC example), scoring rubric, due diligence, reporting, closeout, US and UK annexes

सार्वजनिक क्षेत्रपूर्ण2 CFR 200 incl. 200.414(f) 15% MTDC (eCFR 2026-10-30); UK GovS 015 Grantsgrant programme guidelinesअपडेट किया गया 29 अक्टू॰ 2026

एडिटर में खोलें.md डाउनलोड करें

उपयोग कैसे करें: Use it when a public funder or foundation opens a grant round and must publish fair, checkable rules. Fill the objectives and the scoring criteria with weights first, then the eligible cost and indirect cost rules. The main pitfall is applying the indirect cost rate to costs the base excludes, such as equipment, participant support and subawards above the cap.

प्रीव्यू

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

Field	Value
Document ID	[GPG-2026-001]
Version	[1.0]
Status	[Draft / Approved / Published / Closed]
Programme	[Programme name], round [n]
Funding body	[Organisation]
Legal basis or authority	[Statute, budget line or trust deed]
Owner	[@programme-manager]
Approvers/reviewers	[@senior-responsible-officer], [@finance], [@legal], [@counter-fraud]
Call opens / closes	YYYY-MM-DD / YYYY-MM-DD
Last updated	YYYY-MM-DD
Classification	[Public]

Approvals

Role	Name	Decision	Date
Senior officer responsible for the grant	[@name]	[Approve]	YYYY-MM-DD
Finance lead	[@name]	[Approve]	YYYY-MM-DD
Legal adviser	[@name]	[Approve]	YYYY-MM-DD
Counter-fraud lead	[@name]	[Approve]	YYYY-MM-DD

Revision history

Version	Date	Author	Change summary
1.0	YYYY-MM-DD	[@name]	Published for round [n]
1.1	YYYY-MM-DD	[@name]	[Clarification only, scoring unchanged]

Programme summary
Objectives and outcomes
Funding available
Who can apply
What we fund
Indirect costs
How to apply
How applications are assessed
Due diligence and award decisions
Conditions of grant and payments
Monitoring, reporting and evaluation
Changes, closeout and recovery
Complaints, fraud and data protection
Jurisdiction annexes
Glossary and references
Standard and licence note

1. Programme summary

Item	Detail
Purpose	[One sentence]
Total funding	[Amount]
Grant size	[Minimum to maximum]
Expected number of awards	[n]
Who can apply	[Organisation types]
Project length	[Months]
Call opens / deadline	YYYY-MM-DD / YYYY-MM-DD, [time and time zone]
Decision expected	YYYY-MM-DD
Contact	[Programme mailbox]

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

ID	Outcome	Indicator	Programme target
OUT-01 (Example)	More adults can complete an online public service on their own	Learners completing a task unaided at the end of the course	6,000 learners
OUT-02 (Example)	Support reaches people least likely to be online	Share of learners aged 65 or over, or without home internet	50%
OUT-03 (Example)	Skills last	Learners still using online services 6 months later	70% of those followed up

3. Funding available

Item	Detail
Total budget	[Amount, by financial year if relevant]
Lots or strands	[Strand, amount]
Match funding	[Not required / Required at n% / Encouraged]
Capital or revenue	[Split and rules]
Partial awards	[Allowed / Not allowed]
Subsidy control or state aid	[Assessment and route, e.g. de minimis or scheme; check your national rules]

4. Who can apply

ID	Eligibility test	Evidence required
ELG-01	[Legal form, e.g. registered charity, non-profit company, local public body]	[Registration number]
ELG-02	[Location of operation]	[Address, area of benefit]
ELG-03	[Minimum and maximum annual income]	[Latest accounts]
ELG-04	[Not excluded: insolvency, debarment, unpaid taxes]	[Declaration and register checks]
ELG-05	[One application per lead applicant]	[Declaration]
ELG-06	[Project fits the programme objectives]	[Application form section]

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

5. What we fund

Cost type	Eligible?	Conditions
Staff salaries and benefits for time on the project	Yes	Time recorded; rates in line with normal pay policy
Travel	Yes	Economy class; in line with your own policy
Materials and supplies	Yes	Used on the project
Equipment	[Yes, up to n% of budget / No]	[Threshold and ownership rules]
Subgrants to partners	[Yes / No]	[Agreement and monitoring required]
Participant support (learner travel, childcare, data costs)	[Yes]	[Paid to or for participants]
Fundraising, lobbying, alcohol, fines, bad debts	No
Costs incurred before the start date	No, unless pre-award costs are approved in writing
Recoverable VAT or sales tax	No

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):

Budget line (Example)	Direct cost	In MTDC base?	MTDC amount
Salaries	120,000	Yes	120,000
Fringe benefits	36,000	Yes	36,000
Travel	8,000	Yes	8,000
Supplies	6,000	Yes	6,000
Equipment (one mobile training unit, unit cost 15,000)	15,000	No, equipment excluded	0
Participant support	20,000	No, excluded	0
Subaward to partner	80,000	First 50,000 only	50,000
Total	285,000		220,000

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

Step	What happens	Date
1	Call opens; guidelines and form published	YYYY-MM-DD
2	Information session (recorded and published)	YYYY-MM-DD
3	Deadline for questions; answers published as FAQ	YYYY-MM-DD
4	Expression of interest (optional)	YYYY-MM-DD
5	Application deadline	YYYY-MM-DD, [time and zone]
6	Eligibility check	YYYY-MM-DD
7	Assessment and moderation	YYYY-MM-DD
8	Decision panel and notification	YYYY-MM-DD

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

ID	Criterion	Weight	What a high score looks like
CRT-01 (Example)	Need and target group	25%	Clear evidence of need in a defined group that matches OUT-02
CRT-02 (Example)	Project design	30%	Realistic activities, outputs and outcomes, informed by learners
CRT-03 (Example)	Capability to deliver	20%	Relevant experience, named staff, sound governance
CRT-04 (Example)	Value for money	15%	Reasonable cost per learner, costs justified, other funding used
CRT-05 (Example)	Inclusion and sustainability	10%	Accessible delivery and a plan after funding ends
	Total	100%

8.2 Scoring scale

Score	Meaning
0	No evidence or does not address the criterion
1	Major weaknesses
2	Some evidence, significant gaps
3	Satisfactory, minor gaps
4	Good, clear evidence
5	Excellent, strong evidence throughout

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

Check	Applies above	Source
Legal existence and bank account	All awards	Registers, bank letter
Financial health	[Amount]	Accounts
Exclusion and debarment registers	All awards	[National register]
Past performance on grants	[Amount]	Previous reports
Fraud and conflict of interest declarations	All awards	Declarations
Safeguarding (if working with children or adults at risk)	All relevant awards	Policy and checks

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

10. Conditions of grant and payments

Term	Summary
Grant agreement	[Link to model agreement]
Payment schedule	[In advance quarterly / In arrears on claims / Milestones]
Evidence for claims	[Receipts, timesheets, outputs]
Procurement by recipients	[Quotes or tender above set values]
Assets bought with the grant	[Ownership, use, disposal]
Publicity and acknowledgement	[Rules]
Records retention	[Years after closeout]
Audit and access rights	[Funder and auditors may inspect]

11. Monitoring, reporting and evaluation

Report	Frequency	Due	Contents
Progress report	[Quarterly / Six-monthly]	[n days after period end]	Activities, outputs, outcome indicators, risks
Financial report	[Same as progress]	[n days after period end]	Spend against budget, variances
Final report	Once	[n days after end date]	Outcomes, lessons, final accounts
Evaluation participation	[As requested]		Data for programme evaluation

12. Changes, closeout and recovery

Item	Rule
Budget moves without approval	[Up to n% between lines]
Changes needing written approval	[Scope, partners, key staff, end date]
Closeout	[Final report and final claim; unspent funds returned]
Recovery	[Grounds for clawback: ineligible spend, breach, fraud]

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.

Topic	Section	Rule (paraphrased)
Funding notices	200.204	Required notice elements; executive summary of no more than 500 words; open normally 60 days, not less than 30 except exigent circumstances
Merit review	200.205	Discretionary awards need a merit review process described in the notice
Risk review	200.206	Review of eligibility and integrity information; SAM.gov review above the simplified acquisition threshold
Indirect costs, de minimis	200.414(f)	Up to 15% of MTDC for entities without a negotiated rate
MTDC definition	200.1	Includes the first 50,000 of each subaward; excludes equipment, capital expenditure, patient care, rent, tuition remission, scholarships, participant support and subaward amounts above 50,000
Equipment	200.1	Useful life over one year and unit cost at or above the lesser of the capitalisation level or 10,000
Financial reporting	200.328	At least annually, no more than quarterly unless a specific condition applies; annual reports due within 90 days, quarterly or semiannual within 30 days; final within 120 days
Performance reporting	200.329	No more often than quarterly unless a specific condition applies
Closeout	200.344	Recipient reports within 120 calendar days after the period of performance; subrecipients within 90 days
Single audit	200.501	Required when federal award expenditure is 1,000,000 or more in a fiscal year

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

Term	Meaning
Direct costs	Costs that can be traced to the project
Indirect costs	Shared costs of running the organisation (premises, finance, HR)
MTDC	Modified total direct costs, the US cost base for the de minimis rate
De minimis rate	A flat indirect rate that needs no rate negotiation
Subaward	Funds passed by the recipient to a partner to carry out part of the project
Participant support costs	Costs paid to or for participants, such as travel or stipends
Closeout	Formal end of the grant once reports and claims are complete
Clawback	Recovery of funds that were not used as agreed

15.2 References

Reference	Version or date	Link
2 CFR part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards	Amended effective 2024-10-01, eCFR checked 2026-10-30	https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200
Government Functional Standard GovS 015: Grants, Cabinet Office	Version 2.0; page updated 2026-09-15	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-functional-standard-govs-015-grants
[Programme-specific rules]	[Version]	[Link]

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.