Programme overview
Technical depth: Practitioner · Practical mode: Case study
Introduction
Grant funding brings conditions that many organisations underestimate: eligible cost rules, reporting deadlines, results frameworks, procurement and audit requirements, and donor rights to reclaim money that is not properly spent. Late or weak reports, disallowed costs and unprepared audits damage donor relationships and future funding. This course from Core Concept equips managers to run the full grant lifecycle to standard, from interpreting the agreement and building the budget to tracking results, reporting and close-out. Participants work through multi-donor cases and leave with a Grant Compliance and Reporting Toolkit for a live or planned grant.
Course Objectives
- Interpret grant agreements and donor conditions and assess the organisation's readiness to manage restricted funding
- Apply logical framework, results-based management and internal control frameworks to funded projects
- Build grant budgets with appropriate cost recovery and track spending against them
- Prepare narrative and financial donor reports that meet donor templates, evidence requirements and deadlines
- Control grant risk, fraud and sub-grantee compliance, and prepare for donor audits and verifications
- Produce a Grant Compliance and Reporting Toolkit for a live or planned grant
Target Audience
- Grant and partnership managers responsible for donor relationships and funding agreements
- Programme and project managers delivering donor-funded activities
- Finance managers accountable for restricted funds, grant budgets and financial reports
- Monitoring, evaluation and reporting leads responsible for results data
- Compliance and internal audit managers overseeing donor-funded operations
- Grant-making managers in foundations who monitor grantees and review their reports
Course Outline
Day 1: The Grant Landscape and the Grant Lifecycle
- Grant Lifecycle: Pre-Award, Award, Implementation and Close-Out
- Funder Types: Institutional Donors, Foundations, Corporate Funders and Pooled Funds
- Grant Agreement Anatomy: Conditions, Eligible Costs and Special Clauses
- Organisational Grant Readiness Self-Assessment
- Funding Portfolio Mapping and Donor Dependency Analysis
Day 2: Results, Accountability and Control Frameworks
- Theory of Change and Logical Framework for Funded Projects
- Results-Based Management and the Indicator Tracking Table
- COSO Internal Control Framework Applied to Restricted Funds
- Core Humanitarian Standard 2024 Accountability Commitments
- IATI Standard 2.03 Publishing and Transparency Requirements
Day 3: Managing and Reporting a Grant
- Grant Compliance Matrix and Obligations Register
- Grant Budget Build: Direct, Shared and Indirect Cost Recovery
- Budget-Versus-Actual Tracking and Budget Realignment Requests
- Narrative Reporting with the 8+3 Harmonised Template
- Financial Report Preparation and Cost Allocation Evidence
Day 4: Grant Risk, Audit and Problem Cases
- Grant Risk Register Aligned to ISO 31000
- Fraud, Bribery and Diversion Controls Using ISO 37001 Principles
- Donor Audit and Expenditure Verification Preparation
- Ineligible Costs, Disallowances and Corrective Responses
- Sub-Grantee Due Diligence, Monitoring and Capacity Support
Day 5: Case Work and the Grant Compliance and Reporting Toolkit
- Multi-Donor Project Case Study: Reconciling Conflicting Requirements
- Delayed Implementation Case Study: No-Cost Extension and Reforecast
- Grant Compliance Matrix and Reporting Calendar Build
- Donor Report Drafting from Case Data
- Peer Review Panel and Toolkit Defence
Skills You Will Gain
- Grant Agreement Interpretation
- Donor Compliance Management
- Restricted Fund Budgeting
- Cost Recovery Analysis
- Donor Report Writing
- Grant Audit Preparation
- Sub-Grantee Oversight
- Results Framework Management
Why Attend This Course
- Return to work with a Grant Compliance and Reporting Toolkit ready to apply to a live or upcoming grant
- Submit donor reports on time, with figures and results that reconcile and evidence that holds up
- Recognise the budget, procurement and cost allocation decisions that most often lead to disallowed costs
- Compare grant practice with managers from non-profits, foundations and public bodies working with different donors
Conclusion
Donors renew funding for organisations that deliver results and account for every restricted amount they receive. This course moves from the grant lifecycle and the agreement itself, through results, accountability and control frameworks, to budgeting, reporting, audit preparation and the problem cases that put funding at risk. The final day turns that material into a Grant Compliance and Reporting Toolkit that participants take back to their organisation, giving grant, programme and finance teams a shared way to manage their next grant from award to close-out.