Assemble one evidence pack for each reporting period
This page shows how program and finance contributors prepare the material behind a grant report so a reviewer can trace every statement to a dated record. The worked example is fictional: Harbor Neighbors, a community pantry program preparing its January–March report for the Community Pantry Support Grant.
Always use the grant's own reporting instructions for required fields, definitions and the submission route. This page covers how to coordinate the evidence, not what a particular funder requires.
Four things to settle, in order
- Reporting period: the exact start and end dates the grant uses.
- Program evidence: dated records that show what the program delivered.
- Financial handoff: what finance needs from the program team, and what finance prepares.
- Review and submission: who checks the draft and who submits it.
Worked example: the Harbor Neighbors evidence pack cover sheet
Illustrative sample values, shown as a readable preview of the page you build for each report. It is not an approved form.
| Cover sheet field | Harbor Neighbors example |
|---|---|
| Grant and report | Community Pantry Support Grant, Q1 report |
| Reporting period | 1 January – 31 March, as stated in the grant's instructions |
| Program evidence | Service-session log: 11 sessions held, 1,284 household visits recorded. Volunteer shift sheets for each session. |
| Gaps explained | 2 sessions cancelled for severe weather (4 and 18 February); cancellation notices attached to the log. |
| Financial handoff | Program team sends the period dates and supply and transport records; Finance prepares the Q1 expense summary. |
| Program review | Program Director |
| Finance review | Grants Accountant |
Program evidence and the finance handoff answer different questions
Keep them separate in the pack, but tie both to the same reporting period.
| Details | Program evidence | Finance handoff |
|---|---|---|
| Question it answers | What did the program deliver? | What did delivery cost, and where was it charged? |
| Prepared by | Program coordinator, with site leads | Finance, using program records |
| Example item | Dated service-session log | Q1 expense summary reconciled to the period |
| Supports | The activity narrative | The financial section of the report |
| Reviewer needs | Dates, counts and the reason for any gap | The period used and how it matches the program log |
From reporting period to submission
The sequence Harbor Neighbors follows. This page describes coordination only; it is not an approval or submission system.
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1
Confirm the reporting period
Check the start and end dates against the grant's reporting instructions, not last year's report. Write the dates at the top of the pack, and tell finance the same dates in writing.
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2
Assemble dated program evidence
Collect the service-session log and volunteer shift sheets for that period only. Check that every entry has a date and a count. Add a one-line reason for each missing or cancelled session, with its supporting record.
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3
Hand off to finance
Send finance the period dates, the supply and transport records for the period, and any questions about how costs were charged. Ask finance to name the figures it has prepared so the reviewer can compare them with the program log.
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4
Route the draft for review and submit
Send the assembled draft to the designated program reviewer and finance reviewer. Resolve their comments in the pack, not in side conversations. Submit through the route the grant authorizes, through whoever the organization has designated to do so.
Explaining a gap: two versions of the same log
Both versions below describe the same two cancelled sessions. A reviewer can only use the first.
Traceable
The log shows each cancellation with its date and reason.
- 4 Feb: session cancelled, severe weather warning; notice to households attached.
- 18 Feb: session cancelled, severe weather warning; notice to households attached.
- Household visit total (1,284) covers the 11 sessions held.
Hard to review
The log leaves blanks and the total cannot be checked.
- Two February weeks have no entry and no explanation.
- A total of 1,350 visits appears with no per-session counts.
- The report period in the pack differs from the one finance used.
Owners, discrepancies and where to raise them
This page is maintained by Public Service and Program Operations. Raise corrections with that team, and ask for a review whenever a grant's reporting instructions or evidence ownership change.
If the numbers don't match
- Compare the period dates in the program log and the finance summary first; a period mismatch can make the figures unsuitable to compare.
- Ask the program lead to confirm which records are the source for each count.
- Ask the finance lead to confirm which period and cost categories the summary covers.
- If ownership of a piece of evidence is unclear, ask the responsible program or finance lead before the draft goes to review.
Definitions
Evidence pack: the cover sheet, program records and finance summary for one report. Handoff: the point at which one role passes records or figures to another, with the period stated.
The list below shows published organization policies you can read. Check with your program or finance lead which of them apply to your grant, location and reporting period.