Blue Heron Nonprofit Consulting

Nonprofit Grant Readiness Checklist

Most grant funding comes after a long stretch of unglamorous groundwork. Use this checklist to see where you stand before you apply.

Certain funders may request more or slightly different information. This isn't meant as a complete list, but as guidance toward being as ready as possible.

  • 1. Organization Name
  • 2. Grant Contact Person
  • 3. Authorized Signer
  • 4. Address
  • 5. Phone Number
  • 6. Email Address
  • 7. Website
  • 8. Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • 9. Certificate of Insurance
  • 10. SAM.gov / UEI Registration (federal applications only)
  • 11. State Charitable Registration
  • 12. Mission
  • 13. Vision
  • 14. Summary/History
  • 15. Services Offered
  • 16. Geographic Service Area
  • 17. IRS Determination Letter
  • 18. 990s (most recent filings)
  • 19. Organizational Chart
  • 20. Board of Directors List
  • 21. Strategic Plan (or Business Plan)
  • 22. By-Laws
  • 23. Conflict of Interest Policy
  • 24. Letters of Support / MOUs Not all grants require these; check individual grant requirements before assuming you need them.
  • 25. Profit & Loss Statement (most recent fiscal year)
  • 26. Fiscal Year Budget (current year)
  • 27. Balance Sheet
  • 28. Audited Financials
  • 29. Indirect Cost Rate The rate your organization uses to charge overhead and administrative costs against grant funding. If you have a federally negotiated cost rate, make sure you have that documentation. If not, that's fine. You can use the standard indirect rate.
  • 30. Goals and objectives
  • 31. Detailed program description
  • 32. Staffing plan
  • 33. Impact and outcomes
  • 34. Key partnerships
  • 35. Project-specific budget (separate from your overall operating budget) Need help building one? Contact us about Organizational Design

Checked most of these off? Good sign. A handful of gaps? Also normal, and worth knowing before you apply, while there's still time to close them.