Grant Report Template (Interim and Final, Funder Report)

Grant Report: [Project title], [Interim / Final] Report to [Funder]

An interim or final report to a funder on a grant-funded project: summary, progress against objectives and indicators, activities and outputs, changes and challenges, safeguarding and risk, lessons, financial report with budget-to-actual variance explanations, and the declarations and attachments a funder usually asks for. Based on common funder reporting practice; for US federal awards, also on the Uniform Guidance reporting rules in 2 CFR part 200 (sections 200.308, 200.328, 200.329 and 200.344, eCFR text current at 2026-10-01). The grant agreement and the funder's own report form always take precedence: reorder, rename or drop sections to match them. This is a reporting format, not legal, financial or audit advice. Replace every [bracketed] value and every row or passage marked Example.

Document control

Approvals

Revision history

Contents

1. Summary
2. Grant and reporting basis
3. Progress against objectives
4. Activities and outputs
5. Changes, challenges and corrective actions
6. Participants, equity and feedback
7. Safeguarding, risk and compliance
8. Financial report
9. Lessons and learning
10. Next period plan or sustainability
11. Declarations and attachments
12. Glossary and references

1. Summary

[Example: This interim report covers months 1 to 12 of the Family Reading Initiative in [District]. All 60 participating schools received classroom libraries, and 238 of the 240 planned teachers completed the five-day training. At the month 12 midline assessment, 55% of year 3 pupils read at the national benchmark, up from 47% at baseline; the month 24 target is 65%. Structured reading methods were seen in 52% of observed lessons (baseline 9%, target 70% by month 18). Parents reporting weekly shared reading rose from 20% to 31% (target 50%).]

[Example: We spent USD 82,665 against a year 1 budget of USD 84,700, an underspend of USD 2,035 (2.4%). Family reading sessions ran behind plan (171 of 240 sessions) after the partner organisation lost volunteers during the harvest season; a revised schedule and a volunteer stipend pilot are described in section 5. Training costs ran 19% over the line budget because of a fuel price rise, covered by savings in personnel and books. We request no change to the total award. We ask the funder to note the USD 2,035 underspend carried into year 2 for the delayed family sessions.]

2. Grant and reporting basis

2.1 If the award is US federal funding

For a US federal award, or a subaward of one, the Uniform Guidance (2 CFR part 200) sets the outer limits for reporting. Read the terms of your award first, because the agency or the pass-through entity sets the actual dates within these limits. As published on eCFR (text current at 2026-10-01):

• Financial reports (2 CFR 200.328): collected no less often than annually and, unless a specific condition applies, no more often than quarterly, using the government-wide data elements approved by OMB (at publication, the Federal Financial Report, SF-425). Annual reports are due no later than 90 calendar days after the reporting period; quarterly or semiannual reports no later than 30 calendar days after it.
• Performance reports (2 CFR 200.329): the same frequency limits and due dates. Where applicable, the report compares accomplishments with the award's objectives for the period, explains why goals were not met, and explains cost overruns or higher than expected unit costs. Report significant developments between due dates (200.329(e)).
• Final reports and closeout (2 CFR 200.344): a recipient submits all final reports no later than 120 calendar days after the end of the period of performance; a subrecipient reports to its pass-through entity no later than 90 calendar days after the end of its subaward, or earlier if agreed.
• Budget deviations (2 CFR 200.308): deviations from the approved budget, scope or objectives are reported under 200.329, and certain changes need prior written approval, such as a change in scope or objectives, a change in named key personnel, or moving participant support costs to other categories. An agency may restrict transfers among direct cost categories when the federal share exceeds the simplified acquisition threshold and cumulative transfers exceed or are expected to exceed 10% of the total approved budget (200.308(i)).

Check the current text at https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200 and your award terms before each report. Other governments and most private foundations have their own rules; this section is only one dated example.

3. Progress against objectives

Goal: [Example: children in rural [District] read with comprehension by the end of year 3.]

Worked check for the Example rows: IND-001 (55 − 47) / (65 − 47) = 8 / 18 = 44%; IND-002 (52 − 9) / (70 − 9) = 43 / 61 = 70%; IND-003 (31 − 20) / (50 − 20) = 11 / 30 = 37%. At month 12, half the project period has passed, so IND-001 and IND-002 are on or ahead of a straight line path, and IND-003 is behind.

Narrative per objective. For each objective, write three to five sentences: what changed, the evidence, how confident you are in it, and what explains any gap.

[Example: OBJ-1. The midline assessment tested 768 of the 800 enrolled year 3 pupils (96%) with the same oral reading tool as the baseline, administered by assessors who had not coached the schools. Gains were largest in schools whose teachers joined cohort 1 and so had nine months of coaching. The 20 comparison schools moved from 46% to 48% over the same period, which suggests most of the gain is linked to the project, although the comparison schools were not randomly chosen.]

[OBJ-N narrative]

4. Activities and outputs

Add one or two short case examples if the funder asks for them. Use them only with the written consent of the people involved (and of a parent or carer for a child), remove identifying details, and never use images of children without consent and a safeguarding check.

5. Changes, challenges and corrective actions

Approval requests in this report: [Example: none. If a request is needed, state exactly what you ask for, the reason, the budget effect and the date you need a decision.]

6. Participants, equity and feedback

Feedback and complaints received this period: [Example: 23 feedback items through school suggestion boxes and a phone line, of which 3 were complaints (session times, book language). Session times changed in month 10; local-language books ordered for year 2.]

7. Safeguarding, risk and compliance

• Safeguarding incidents this period: [Example: 2 concerns recorded; both handled under the safeguarding policy (nonprofit/safeguarding-policy); 1 referred to the local child protection authority; the funder was notified within the 72 hours the agreement requires.]
• Safeguarding training: [Example: 238 teachers, 6 staff and 26 partner volunteers completed the safeguarding module.]
• Vetting: [Example: all staff and volunteers in roles with unsupervised contact with children have completed the check level set in the role risk assessment.]
• Top risks and their status: link to the project risk register (compliance/risk-register).

• Compliance with special conditions: [Example: all conditions met; funder logo used on 60 library signs.]
• Audit or monitoring visits: [Example: funder monitoring visit in month 9; two recommendations, both closed.]

8. Financial report

Reporting basis: [Example: accrual basis, figures in US dollars, from the general ledger as at YYYY-MM-DD, reconciled by [@finance-lead].]

8.1 Budget to actual for the period

Sign convention: variance = actual minus budget, so a negative value is an underspend. "Explanation required" applies the Example rule from section 2: more than 10% and more than USD 1,000 on a line.

8.2 Variance explanations

8.3 Transfers between lines

8.4 Funds received, spent and remaining

8.5 Match funding and in-kind contributions

9. Lessons and learning

10. Next period plan or sustainability

Interim report: plan for the next period

Final report: sustainability and closeout

• What continues and who funds it: [Example: the district education office absorbs coaching from month 25 under the signed agreement.]
• Assets and their ownership: [Example: libraries remain with schools.]
• Unspent funds: [amount, and whether returned or reallocated with written approval].
• Closeout items: final financial report, final performance report, equipment and property records, and any audit the agreement requires.

11. Declarations and attachments

Declaration [Example: I confirm that, to the best of my knowledge, the information in this report is accurate and complete, that the grant funds were spent on the purposes set out in the agreement, and that the financial figures agree with the organisation's accounting records.]

Attachments checklist:

• Funder's financial report form (or SF-425 for US federal awards)
• Ledger extract or transaction listing, if requested
• Midline or evaluation report (Annex B)
• Indicator data table with sources and dates
• Photographs or materials, only with consent and safeguarding check
• Audit report or management letter, if one fell due in the period
• Evidence of match funding and in-kind contributions

Final pre-submission checks:

• Every funder question answered in the order asked, within limits
• Figures identical in the summary, tables and the financial form
• Indicator and activity IDs match the proposal and the monitoring and evaluation plan
• Every variance above the threshold explained in 8.2
• Approval requests stated separately and clearly
• Submitted before the due date; receipt saved with this document

12. Glossary and references

Related templates: nonprofit/grant-proposal (the approved plan), nonprofit/monitoring-evaluation-plan (indicator definitions and data sources), nonprofit/theory-of-change, nonprofit/impact-report (the annual public report), finance/variance-analysis, compliance/risk-register and nonprofit/safeguarding-policy.

Standard and licence note

Based on common funder reporting practice (narrative progress against approved objectives and indicators, budget-to-actual financial report with variance explanations, and signed declarations). For US federal awards it also refers to the Uniform Guidance, 2 CFR part 200, sections 200.308 (revision of budget and program plans), 200.328 (financial reporting), 200.329 (monitoring and reporting program performance) and 200.344 (closeout), as published on eCFR with text current at 2026-10-01 (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200). Other governments and foundations set their own rules, and the grant agreement always takes precedence. The text is original and paraphrases public law; check the current official version before use. This is a reporting format, not legal, financial or audit advice. Template licence: MIT.