Free grant templates
Templates, worksheets and full sample proposals for every stage of a grant, from deciding whether to apply to the final report. Every file is a free Word or Excel download, with no sign-up and no email.
Each card links to the guide that explains the file. Use the files as they are, change them, and share them with your team. They open in Word and Excel, and in Google Docs and Google Sheets.
Templates
Files to fill in, grouped by the stage of the grant where you use them.
Planning
Decide whether to apply, then plan the project, its schedule and how you will measure it.
Grant tracking spreadsheet
One row per grant from first look to closeout, with flags for close deadlines, days to the next report and money left.
Excel · 15 KB
Read the guideGrant readiness checklist
Check your registrations, governance, finances and documents before you write your first application.
Word · 54 KB
Read the guideGo/no-go scorecard
Score an opportunity on five weighted tests and record the decision, with three scored examples.
Excel · 25 KB
Read the guideGrant process map and RACI
The eight-step grant process with owners, handoffs, an application checklist and internal due dates.
Excel · 32 KB
Read the guideGrant lifecycle checklist
Tasks, owners and the records to file at each of the eight stages, from finding a grant to closeout.
Word · 74 KB
Read the guideProposal timeline and work plan
A month-by-month project timeline, an eight-week writing schedule and a two-week plan for tight deadlines.
Excel · 42 KB
Read the guideLogic model template
A one-page table from inputs and activities to long-term impact, with rows for assumptions and outside factors.
Excel · 6 KB
Read the guideLogic model builder
Work through inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and impact; the one-page model and logic checks fill in as you go.
Excel · 75 KB
Read the guideSMART goals and objectives worksheet
The rules for a measurable objective, 12 worked examples, weak objectives rewritten, and pages to build your own.
Word · 56 KB
Read the guideEvaluation method chooser
Compare nine evaluation methods, score them for your award, and budget the evaluation.
Excel · 29 KB
Read the guideProject evaluation matrix
An evaluation matrix to fill in, three worked examples, a results tracker and a collection calendar.
Excel · 31 KB
Read the guideWriting
Draft the proposal, its letters and the sections reviewers score.
Grant proposal outline
The seven core sections of a proposal with prompts for each, plus an attachments checklist.
Word · 37 KB
Read the guideNonprofit grant proposal template
Ten sections, each with what reviewers look for and an example written for a composite organization.
Word · 57 KB
Read the guideGrant narrative template
Seven narrative sections from need to sustainability, starting with a map of the funder's scored criteria.
Word · 39 KB
Read the guideFoundation proposal template
Research the funder on its 990-PF, write the letter of inquiry, then the full proposal, with a worked example.
Word · 55 KB
Read the guideNonprofit project proposal template
Ten sections for asking a board, donor or partner to approve one project, its budget and its timeline.
Word · 38 KB
Read the guideResearch proposal planner
Every component of a research proposal, from abstract to data sharing plan, with its format source, owner and due date.
Word · 39 KB
Read the guideSpecific aims page template
One page for the problem and the gap, the central hypothesis and approach, two to four aims, and expected outcomes.
Word · 36 KB
Read the guideStatement of need template
Five parts: the problem in numbers, who is affected, why now, the gaps, and why your organization.
Word · 37 KB
Read the guideExecutive summary template
Five parts, from the opening hook to the request and the impact, with a length for each.
Word · 37 KB
Read the guideEvaluation plan outline
Six headings: questions, outcomes and indicators, data collection, analysis, reporting, and roles and budget.
Word · 37 KB
Read the guideEvaluation plan builder
Turn each objective into a question, an indicator, a data source and a schedule, with two worked examples.
Word · 55 KB
Read the guideSustainability plan template
How the work continues after the grant: what continues, the financial plan, partner commitments and decision dates.
Word · 38 KB
Read the guideLetter of intent (LOI) template
Five paragraphs: the request, the need, your solution, outcomes and fit, and the close.
Word · 37 KB
Read the guideCover letter template
From letterhead to signature, with what goes in the request, fit and credibility paragraphs.
Word · 37 KB
Read the guideDonation proposal template
A one-page ask for one gift of cash, goods or a sponsorship, a shorter request letter, and the follow-up schedule.
Word · 38 KB
Read the guideLetter of support template
A one-page draft to send a partner, wording for three kinds of writer, the request email and a four-week timeline.
Word · 39 KB
Read the guideLetter of support pack
Four sample letters (partner, official, participant, fiscal sponsor), the email asking for one, and a tracker.
Word · 47 KB
Read the guideGrant boilerplate document
One place for the mission, history, programs, staff, board and finance text you reuse, with an update log.
Word · 45 KB
Read the guideProposal review checklist
Review a draft from the biggest risk to the smallest edit, with red flags, a review timeline and a findings log.
Excel · 21 KB
Read the guideBudget
Build the budget, show your math and split staff costs across grants.
Grant budget template
Request, match and total columns for every cost category, with the totals calculated and a budget narrative sheet.
Excel · 7 KB
Read the guideBudget narrative template
A justification sentence for every cost line, in SF-424A order from personnel to indirect costs, plus a short version.
Word · 38 KB
Read the guideGrant budget workbook
A master budget with fringe and indirect rates and a worked example, plus SF-424A, foundation and post-award sheets.
Excel · 24 KB
Read the guideBudget proposal examples
Three worked budgets with their budget narratives, a blank copy with the formulas, and a pre-submission checklist.
Excel · 30 KB
Read the guidePayroll allocation across grants
Split each salary and its fringe across awards by dated percentages, with the monthly charge and a 100 percent check.
Excel · 33 KB
Read the guideAfter the award
Track spending and results, stay compliant, and write the reports funders ask for.
Post-award management checklist
Award letter to closeout for one award: setup, restrictions, a data plan, reports, a monthly review and funder contact.
Excel · 23 KB
Read the guideGrant progress report template (12 sections)
Twelve report sections with a worked example for each, and the due dates federal awards follow.
Word · 64 KB
Read the guideProgress report template (10 sections)
Ten report sections in the federal RPPR pattern, plus wording for an extension request and for a shortfall.
Word · 39 KB
Read the guideBudget vs actual tracker
Approved budget against spending for one award, with payroll allocation, a portfolio summary and reconciliation dates.
Excel · 23 KB
Read the guideGrant KPI tracker
Define each indicator once, then track quarterly results, spending, deliverables and reporting dates.
Excel · 39 KB
Read the guideFederal grant compliance checklist
Checks under 2 CFR 200, from registration and procurement to time and effort, records and audit readiness.
Word · 48 KB
Read the guideGrant closeout checklist
Final reports, expense reconciliation, records and the renewal decision, with due dates set from the grant end date.
Excel · 21 KB
Read the guideSample proposals
Finished proposals for invented, composite organizations, written out section by section so you can see how a complete one reads.
Sample nonprofit proposal
A complete $48,000 foundation proposal for an adult reading program, every section written in full.
Word and PDF
Read the guideAnnotated proposal example
Nine sections of one proposal with notes on what each does, plus working pages to draft your own.
Word · 56 KB
Read the guideWeak and strong section examples
Each core proposal section written twice, with what changed and why the second version scores better.
Word · 53 KB
Read the guideSample proposal: animal rescue
A $25,000 request for spay and neuter surgery and intake medical care for 150 rescued animals.
Word · 53 KB
Read the guideSample proposal: arts organization
$30,000 toward a theater production with four school residencies and a costed access plan.
Word · 63 KB
Read the guideSample proposal: community development
$175,000 over 18 months to bring six vacant storefronts on a commercial corridor back into use.
Word · 57 KB
Read the guideSample proposal: education nonprofit
$116,105 for after-school math instruction for 120 middle school students at three schools.
Word · 60 KB
Read the guideSample proposal: environmental nonprofit
$75,000 over 18 months to restore 9,240 feet of streambank, with every cost priced per unit.
Word · 65 KB
Read the guideSample proposal: faith-based organization
$81,275 for a congregation's food pantry and benefits help, starting with which entity should apply.
Word · 71 KB
Read the guideSample proposal: food bank
$50,000 for a refrigerated truck and a mobile route to two rural townships.
Word · 57 KB
Read the guideSample proposal: health clinic
$190,865 to add behavioral health screening and same-day support at a rural health center.
Word · 58 KB
Read the guideSample proposal: housing nonprofit
$196,440 for rapid re-housing that moves 20 households into leases in their own names.
Word · 60 KB
Read the guideSample proposal: library literacy
$38,000 for adult tutoring and family literacy classes at a public library.
Word · 66 KB
Read the guideSample proposal: scholarship program
$150,000 for 30 scholarships for first-generation students, with two years of completion coaching.
Word · 66 KB
Read the guideSample proposal: veterans nonprofit
$88,000 for peer support and job help for 60 veterans in a rural county far from VA care.
Word · 63 KB
Read the guideSample proposal: youth program
$132,000 for a 60-slot after-school program at one middle school.
Word · 66 KB
Read the guideReference sheets
Explainers and data to keep open while you plan and write.
Grant proposal anatomy
What each section of a proposal has to do, what to include, and what costs points.
Word · 51 KB
Read the guideFormula vs discretionary grants
How each kind is awarded, three checks to tell them apart, and a worksheet to sort your prospects.
Word · 45 KB
Read the guidePrivate foundations by state
10,851 foundations from IRS 990-PF filings (September 2026), by the state their grants go to, with a prospect tracker.
Excel · 1.8 MB
Read the guideGrant database pricing comparison
List prices of grant search tools as read on September 22, 2026, plus free and discount routes.
Excel · 26 KB
Read the guideWriting a proposal from one of these?
Track its deadlines, tasks and drafts in GrantCue. Free, and every new workspace starts with 14 days of Team.