Advancement · Grants & Funding

Audit-ready before
the auditor calls.

Audit findings on school grants repeat year after year: pay with no time and effort records, purchases with no quotes, reports filed late. Check each award against the ten documents an auditor asks for. The checklist counts what is in the file, works out the closeout date for federal awards and flags what to collect while the people who know are still on staff.

Check an awardWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Grant writer’s desk, $49 for 55 items.

Awards

The worked example is made up: a federal literacy grant ending in 50 days with effort records and invoices missing, a state pass-through grant that closed in September with reports outstanding, and a foundation award with a complete file. Saved on this device only.

Loading the award form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Advancement · Grants & Funding$5 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A record per award: funder, award number, federal or not, amount, period end, total federal spending this fiscal year and ten documentation checks. Works out checks complete, days to period end and the 120-day closeout date for federal awards; counts awards with nothing missing and ranks the rest; flags awards ending within 90 days with gaps, closeout dates coming or past, missing time and effort records and spending at the Single Audit threshold.
Who it is for
Grant managers, federal programs directors, business officers and finance staff preparing for audits and closeout.
Format
Browser checklist with a saved record per award. Prints one award, every award in a table or a blank audit checklist; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Grant writer’s desk ($49) and the Advancement Suite pass ($99), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Grants & Funding space in Caveat Advancement.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Add every open award and any closed in the last year.
  2. Mark each document in the file or missing.
  3. Enter this year’s total federal spending.
  4. Collect missing items before staff move on.
  5. Print the table for the auditor’s first visit.

Check an award

The paper trail

A federal award’s paper trail1AwardLetter, terms, approvedbudget.2SpendingApprovals, bids, invoices,payments.3PeopleTime and effort for anyonepaid from it.4ReportingProgress and financial reportson time.5Period endsSpend nothing new after theend date.6CloseoutFinal reports within 120 days.A federal award’s paper trail1AwardLetter, terms, approved budget.2SpendingApprovals, bids, invoices, payments.3PeopleTime and effort for anyone paid from it.4ReportingProgress and financial reports on time.5Period endsSpend nothing new after the end date.6CloseoutFinal reports within 120 days.
Thresholds and deadlines here follow the federal Uniform Guidance as revised in 2024. Your award terms and state rules govern.

The Single Audit line

A non-federal entity that spends $1,000,000 or more in federal awards in a fiscal year needs a Single Audit under the Uniform Guidance, as revised in 2024 for fiscal years beginning on or after October 1, 2024; earlier years used $750,000. Money a state passes through from a federal program counts.

Time and effort

When an award pays part or all of someone’s salary, the file needs records that show the work they actually did on it, certified as your district’s system requires. Missing effort records are among the most frequent findings in school audits.

Sources

  1. Office of Management and Budget. Uniform Guidance, 2 CFR part 200: 200.430 (compensation and documentation), 200.344 (closeout), 200.501 (audit requirements), with the 2024 revisions (ecfr.gov).
  2. U.S. Department of Education. Monitoring and closeout guidance for grantees (ed.gov).
  3. Federal Audit Clearinghouse. Single Audit submissions and common findings (fac.gov).
  4. Government Finance Officers Association. Grants administration and audit readiness (gfoa.org).

The worked example is made up. This checklist is not audit or legal advice; your auditor, award terms and state rules govern. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.