Welcome to Day 4 of the 30-Day Grant Readiness Challenge!
You’ve written a compelling narrative and built a perfect budget—but is your attachment package ready? Many grant applications are disqualified before they are even read because a required document was missing or outdated.
Today’s challenge is to build your Master Folder of Grant Attachments.
The Essential Checklist of Grant Attachments
Most funders require a standard set of supplemental documents. Take time today to ensure you have the most recent versions of the following:
- Financial Documents: Your most recent 990, audited financial statements (or a two-year financial summary), and your current year-to-date organizational budget.
- Governance Documents: Your IRS Letter of Determination (501c3 letter), your current Board of Directors roster (including professional affiliations), and your organization’s bylaws.
- Impact Documents: Your current strategic plan, an organizational chart, and any high-level program evaluations or annual reports.
Pro Tip: The “Ready-to-Go” Folder
Create a folder in your shared drive (like Dropbox, Google Drive, or SharePoint) titled Master Grant Attachments – [Current Year]. That way, when a funder asks for a document, you won’t have to email the Finance Director or dig through various files to find it—it should be right there.
Strengthen Your Documentation
To ensure that your attachments meet the highest standards, check out these existing resources:
- Read: One of our most popular blog posts, Top Grant Writing Mistakes to Avoid, discusses why missing attachments are one of the easiest, and most avoidable, ways to receive a “no.”
- Download: Visit our Grant Readiness Hub for a deep dive into the types of documents that prove your organization’s capacity.
- Re-Assess: How many of today’s documents did you have ready? Don’t stop there: Check your overall readiness status with the GRASP Tool.
What is the hardest attachment for your organization to keep updated? Tell us in the comments below!
Did you miss the launch of the 30 Day Grant Readiness Challenge? It isn’t too late for you to start! You can sign up at any point and it will start you back on Day 1!