Advancement · Grants & Funding

The finances, in order,
before the deadline.

Grant applications are often decided on the program and lost on the paperwork: an audit from two years ago, an expired SAM.gov registration, a project budget that does not match the narrative. List each application and its documents, and the checklist flags what is stale, missing or required for that kind of funder.

Add an applicationWhat 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 32 items.

Your applications

The worked example is made up: a federal application due in 23 days with SAM.gov to renew and a single audit required, and a family foundation request. Saved on this device only.

Loading the application 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 application: funder, kind, deadline, amount, annual budget, federal spending, each financial document with its as-of date and status, and ten checks. Counts documents ready, days to the deadline and the request as a share of the budget; flags documents not ready near the deadline, stale financials, SAM.gov, the de minimis indirect rate, the single audit threshold and large requests.
Who it is for
Grant writers, development directors, business managers and finance staff at schools and nonprofits.
Format
Browser checklist with a saved record per application. Prints one application, every application in a table or a blank sheet; 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 the application with its deadline and amount.
  2. List every financial document and the date it is current to.
  3. Work through the ten checks.
  4. Renew SAM.gov and update stale documents first.
  5. Have the signer ready on the deadline day.

Add an application

What funders ask for

What funders usually ask forDocumentFederalFoundationIRS determination letterSometimesAlmost alwaysForm 990SometimesAlmost alwaysAudit or reviewSingle audit if requiredOften, by budget sizeSAM.gov and UEIRequiredNoIndirect rateAgreement or de minimisFunder’s own capWhat funders usually ask forIRS determination letterFederal: SometimesFoundation: Almost alwaysForm 990Federal: SometimesFoundation: Almost alwaysAudit or reviewFederal: Single audit if requiredFoundation: Often, by budget sizeSAM.gov and UEIFederal: RequiredFoundation: NoIndirect rateFederal: Agreement or de minimisFoundation: Funder’s own cap
The 2024 Uniform Guidance raised the de minimis indirect rate to 15 percent and the single audit threshold to $1,000,000, for fiscal years starting on or after October 1, 2024.

Audits and reviews

Some funders require an independent audit; others accept a review or compiled statements for smaller budgets, and some states set audit thresholds for charities. The funder’s guidelines say which; send exactly what they ask.

Budgets that match

Reviewers read the budget against the narrative. Every staff position, purchase and activity in the narrative should appear in the budget, and nothing in the budget should be a surprise.

Sources

  1. 2 CFR Part 200, Uniform Guidance, as revised in 2024: §200.414(f) de minimis indirect rate and §200.501 single audit threshold (ecfr.gov).
  2. U.S. General Services Administration. SAM.gov entity registration (sam.gov).
  3. Internal Revenue Service. Form 990 resources and Tax Exempt Organization Search (irs.gov).
  4. Candid. What financial documents do funders want? (candid.org).

The worked examples are made up. Each funder’s guidelines govern what to submit. Not legal or accounting advice. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.