Grant report template: narrative and financial report with example

When to use this template

Use this template for interim or final reports to foundations, corporate funders, and community foundations that do not provide their own form, or as a drafting worksheet before you enter answers into a funder's portal. It works for program grants and, with small changes, for general operating support.

Federal awards use agency-specific formats, such as the government-wide Federal Financial Report (SF-425) for financial data and agency performance report formats. Use those; this template can still help you organize your content. For strategy, read our grant reporting guide.

The template

[INTERIM / FINAL] GRANT REPORT

Submitted to: [FUNDER NAME]
Submitted by: [ORGANIZATION NAME]
Grant number or reference: [NUMBER, if any]
Project name: [PROJECT NAME]
Grant amount: [$AMOUNT]
Grant period: [START DATE] to [END DATE]
Reporting period: [START DATE] to [END DATE]
Report date: [DATE]
Contact: [NAME, TITLE, EMAIL, PHONE]

1. SUMMARY
[ONE PARAGRAPH: what the grant supported, for whom, and the headline results. Include the most important outcome numbers. A reader should know how the grant went after reading only this paragraph.]

2. PROGRESS ON OBJECTIVES
Objective | Target | Actual | Status / Notes
[OBJECTIVE 1] | [TARGET] | [ACTUAL] | [MET / EXCEEDED / PARTIALLY MET / NOT MET]
[OBJECTIVE 2] | [TARGET] | [ACTUAL] | [STATUS]
[OBJECTIVE 3] | [TARGET] | [ACTUAL] | [STATUS]

[FOR EACH OBJECTIVE, ONE SHORT PARAGRAPH: lead with the result, then explain the context or cause.]

3. OUTCOMES AND MEASUREMENT
[TWO TO FOUR SENTENCES on what changed for participants, using the measures promised in the proposal.]
How we measured: [TOOLS, e.g., pre/post assessment, attendance logs, surveys; who collected data and when; number of respondents].

4. PARTICIPANT STORY (optional)
[ONE SHORT, SPECIFIC STORY that illustrates the data. Use a first name only or a pseudonym, and confirm you have consent.]

5. CHALLENGES AND ADAPTATIONS
[WHAT DID NOT GO AS PLANNED, WHY, AND WHAT YOU DID. Be specific.]

6. CHANGES TO THE PROJECT
[ANY CHANGES IN SCOPE, TIMELINE, STAFFING, PARTNERS, OR BUDGET, and whether the funder approved them, with dates.]
[If none: "There were no changes to the approved project."]

7. LESSONS LEARNED
[TWO OR THREE SPECIFIC LESSONS and how they will change the program.]

8. SUSTAINABILITY AND NEXT STEPS
[HOW THE WORK WILL CONTINUE: other funding secured or pending, plans for the next cycle, any renewal request.]

9. FINANCIAL REPORT
Budget line | Approved budget | Actual expenses | Variance | % of budget
[LINE 1] | [$] | [$] | [$] | [%]
[LINE 2] | [$] | [$] | [$] | [%]
[LINE 3] | [$] | [$] | [$] | [%]
TOTAL | [$] | [$] | [$] | [%]

Variance explanations:
- [LINE]: [AMOUNT AND %]. [REASON. Note whether the funder approved any reallocation and when.]

Unspent funds: [$AMOUNT, or "None"]. [PROPOSED HANDLING: return, approved extension, or other, per funder guidance.]

Other project funding during this period: [SOURCES AND AMOUNTS, if the funder asks].

10. ATTACHMENTS
[LIST ONLY WHAT THE FUNDER REQUESTED OR WHAT CLEARLY HELPS: evaluation summary, photos with releases, media coverage, materials produced.]

CERTIFICATION
I certify that the information in this report is accurate and that grant funds were used for the purposes described in the grant agreement.

[SIGNATURE]
[NAME, TITLE]
[DATE]

Filled-in example

FINAL GRANT REPORT

Submitted to: Harbor Family Foundation
Submitted by: Riverside Literacy Project
Grant number or reference: HFF-2027-114
Project name: Summer Reading Bridge
Grant amount: $25,000
Grant period: May 1, 2027 to April 30, 2028
Reporting period: May 1, 2027 to April 30, 2028
Report date: May 20, 2028
Contact: Jordan Lee, Executive Director, jordan@riversideliteracy.example, (555) 010-0142

1. SUMMARY
With Harbor Family Foundation's $25,000 grant, Riverside Literacy Project ran Summer Reading Bridge, a six-week program for 112 students in grades 2–4 from three Eastside schools. Eighty-one percent of students attended at least 80 percent of sessions, above our 75 percent target. Fifty-eight percent of regular attenders gained at least one reading level, just under our 60 percent target. Students took home 1,344 books. We spent the full grant, with small variances explained below.

2. PROGRESS ON OBJECTIVES
Objective | Target | Actual | Status / Notes
Enroll students | 120 | 112 | Partially met (93%)
Attend 80%+ of sessions | 75% | 81% | Exceeded
Gain 1+ reading level (regular attenders) | 60% | 58% | Partially met
Books taken home per student | 12 | 12 | Met

Enrollment: We enrolled 112 of 120 planned students. Grant Elementary ended its summer meal program in May, and families there were less able to send children to a morning program without breakfast at home. Enrollment from Grant fell from 40 planned to 32.
Attendance: Attendance exceeded our goal. We credit the daily text reminders we added in week two.
Reading gains: Among the 91 students who attended at least 80 percent of sessions, 53 (58 percent) gained one or more reading levels.

3. OUTCOMES AND MEASUREMENT
Students who attended at least 20 of the 24 program days were far more likely to gain a reading level than those who attended fewer. In our end-of-program family survey, 74 percent of responding families (68 of 92) said their child read independently at home at least three times a week, above our 70 percent target.
How we measured: Reading specialists administered our 10-item leveled reading assessment in week one and week six. Attendance was recorded daily. The program director administered the family survey during the final week.

4. PARTICIPANT STORY
Ana, a third-grader (name changed), arrived reading below grade level and rarely chose to read on her own. By week six she had moved up two levels and asked for a library card at our library partner's visit. Her mother told us Ana now reads to her younger brother before bed.

5. CHALLENGES AND ADAPTATIONS
Grant Elementary's summer meal program closed shortly before our start date. We worked with Eastside Elementary to extend breakfast to all participating students starting in week two, which helped attendance but came too late to recover early enrollment.

6. CHANGES TO THE PROJECT
There were no changes to the approved scope. On July 2, 2027, Program Officer Elena Alvarez approved by email our request to move $300 from Supplies to Other for additional family-event materials.

7. LESSONS LEARNED
- Attendance drives results. We will keep daily text reminders and add a mid-program family call.
- Breakfast matters. Next summer we will confirm meal service at all sites by April.
- Earlier enrollment helps. We will open enrollment in April instead of May.

8. SUSTAINABILITY AND NEXT STEPS
Lakeview Bank Foundation has renewed its $10,000 commitment for summer 2028. We plan to submit a renewal request to Harbor Family Foundation in the spring 2028 cycle for $27,500 to serve 130 students, including transportation support for Grant Elementary families.

9. FINANCIAL REPORT (Harbor Family Foundation funds)
Budget line | Approved budget | Actual expenses | Variance | % of budget
Reading specialist wages | $16,800 | $16,520 | $280 | 98%
Payroll taxes (FICA) | $1,285 | $1,264 | $21 | 98%
Supplies (books, materials) | $3,900 | $3,562 | $338 | 91%
Contractual (background checks) | $500 | $475 | $25 | 95%
Other (family events, texting) | $788 | $1,452 | ($664) | 184%
Indirect costs | $1,727 | $1,727 | $0 | 100%
TOTAL | $25,000 | $25,000 | $0 | 100%

Variance explanations:
- Other: $664 over budget (84%). $300 was moved from Supplies with the Foundation's written approval on July 2, 2027. The remaining $364 reflects a larger closing celebration attended by 210 family members, offset by savings in reading specialist wages ($280, one specialist missed two days), supplies ($38 beyond the approved transfer), payroll taxes ($21), and background checks ($25).
- Supplies: $338 under budget (9%), including the $300 approved transfer; we purchased 1,500 books at a lower bulk price than planned.

Unspent funds: None.

10. ATTACHMENTS
Evaluation summary (1 page); three program photos with signed family releases.

CERTIFICATION
I certify that the information in this report is accurate and that grant funds were used for the purposes described in the grant agreement.

Jordan Lee, Executive Director
May 20, 2028

The example leads with results, reports two shortfalls without hedging, ties every number back to the proposal, and documents the one approved budget change with its date. The variances sum correctly: savings of $280 + $21 + $338 + $25 = $664 equal the overage in Other.

Customizing tips

1. Answer the funder's questions first. If the funder has a form or a list of questions, use it in order, and move content from this template into it.
2. Use the proposal's objectives, word for word. Reviewers compare the report to the proposal. Do not rename objectives or quietly drop one.
3. Lead with numbers. "We enrolled 112 of 120 students" is clearer than "enrollment was strong."
4. Explain how you measured. Name the tool, the timing, and the number of respondents.
5. Report shortfalls in the summary. A missed target that first appears on page three looks hidden.
6. Document approvals. Note the date and form of any approved change. Keep the email in your grant file.
7. Match your accounting system. The financial report must agree with your general ledger for the grant. Have your finance lead review it. See post-award compliance.
8. Keep stories ethical. Get consent, change names, and remove identifying details, especially for children and vulnerable participants.
9. Set up the renewal. Use the next-steps section to preview your plans and any renewal request.
10. Proofread the math. Check that every percentage and total is correct and consistent across sections.

After you submit, send a short note to your program officer. Our thank-you letter template includes a version for report submissions.