Template · Fundraising

Grant tracking calendar

One sheet for every grant you're researching, applying for or managing: a pipeline, a month-by-month calendar of deadlines and reports, and renewals to watch.

Download for Word (.docx)Rich Text (.rtf)Plain text (.txt)

Three editable formats: Word (.docx), Rich Text (.rtf) and plain text (.txt). Reviewed October 21, 2026.

How to use this template

Download it as a Word file (.docx), which opens in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Pages and LibreOffice, or as Rich Text (.rtf) or plain text (.txt). All three are editable.
Fill in every blank. Blanks are in square brackets, like [ORGANIZATION NAME], and are highlighted in the preview below. Delete any bracketed notes you don't need.
Make it yours. Check it against your bylaws and your state's rules, and change anything that doesn't fit. Have your board approve it where it says so.
Printing? Print this page: the printout leaves out the site's menus and shows the template with lines for the blanks.

Grants come with a lot of dates: application deadlines, letters of inquiry, decisions, start and end dates, interim reports, final reports and renewals. Missing one can cost you a grant, or a funder's trust. This template puts every grant in one place, in two parts: a pipeline of funders at each stage, and a calendar of what's due each month.

Use it with our guide to researching foundations, which explains how to find funders that fit, and our guide to grant reporting, which explains what to put in your reports.

How to use it

Keep one copy, shared. A shared spreadsheet or document that the person writing grants, the treasurer and the board chair can all see. Not one person's inbox.
Fill it in when anything changes: a new prospect, a submission, a decision, a signed agreement.
Set two reminders for every deadline: one about 30 days ahead and one a week ahead. Reports and applications take longer than you think.
Copy dates from the source. Take deadlines from the funder's own guidelines or your signed grant agreement, and note where you found them.
Review it monthly at a staff or committee meeting, and give the board a short summary each quarter.

Federal grants have fixed reporting windows

If you receive a federal grant, your award sets the reporting schedule. Under the federal rules at 2 CFR 200.329, performance reports are required no less often than once a year and no more often than quarterly, unless special conditions apply. The same rule says:

annual performance reports are due no later than 90 calendar days after the reporting period
quarterly or semiannual reports are due no later than 30 calendar days after the reporting period
a final performance report is due no later than 120 calendar days after the period of performance ends, or 90 calendar days for a subrecipient reporting to a pass-through entity

Your award may set its own dates within these limits, and the agency or pass-through entity "may extend the due date for any performance report with justification," so always check your award and ask early if you need more time. Federal applicants also need an active SAM.gov registration. SAM.gov says you must renew it every 365 days to keep it active, so put the renewal date on this calendar too. Our guide to federal grants readiness explains registration.

Preview