4
Grant Readiness Checklist
Is your organization grant-ready?
Use this checklist to see how prepared your organization is to compete for grants. It covers six areas funders look at, takes about 15 minutes, and ends with a clear result: whether you are grant-ready, and why.
S C O R I N G A T A G L A N C E
YES
2 POINTS
PARTLY
1 POINT
NO
0 POINTS
★ ESSENTIALS
Starred items must be Yes
T H E S I X A R E A S
1
Legal and Eligibility
Can your organization legally receive grants?
Governance and Leadership
Is your organization well led and accountable?
Grant Documents
Is your case for support ready to share?
2
Financial Health
Can funders trust how you manage money?
Programs and Impact
Can you show what funding will accomplish?
Capacity and Relationships
Do you have the people and systems to pursue grants
3
4
5
6
Legal and Eligibility
Can your organization legally receive grants?
1.1
★ We have an IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter, or our community programs operate through a separate 501(c)(3).
1.2
★ We are in good standing with our state (annual reports filed and registration current).
1.3
Our articles of incorporation and bylaws are current and easy to locate.
1.4
We are registered with our state’s charitable registration office, where required.
1.5
We have an active SAM.gov registration and Unique Entity ID (needed for federal grants)
Financial Health
Can funders trust how you manage money?
2.1
★ We have an independent audit or CPA review for our most recent fiscal year.
2.2
Our board approves an annual operating budget before the year begins
2.3
Leadership and the board review financial statements at least quarterly.
2.4
We filed our Form 990 on time for each of the last three years (churches:mark Yes if you have audited or reviewed statements instead).
2.5
We can track grant funds separately and report exactly how each grant was spent.
Governance and Leadership
Is your organization well led and accountable?
3.1
We have an active board of at least five members that meets regularly.
3.2
Our board has adopted conflict-of-interest, whistleblower, and document-retention policies.
3.3
Every board member gives financially and/or helps open doors to funders.
3.4
Staff and volunteer roles are clearly defined, with an up-to-date organizational chart.
3.5
We have a strategic plan written or updated within the last three years.
Programs and Impact
Can you show what funding will accomplish?
4.1
★ We have a clear written description of each program we want funded: who it serves, what it does, and where.
4.2
We track how many people we serve and the services they receive.
4.3
We measure results, such as changes in skills, stability, or well-being, for at least one program.
4.4
We can describe the need in our community using current data.
4.5
We have partners who would write letters of support for our work.
Grant Documents
Is your case for support ready to share?
5.1
Our mission, vision, and organizational history are written and up to date.
5.2
We have a budget for each program we want funded, not just an organization-wide budget.
5.3
We have current bios for key staff and board leaders.
5.4
We produced an annual report or impact summary in the last 12 months.
5.5
We have photos and stories (with permission) that show our impact.
Capacity and Relationships
Can your organization legally receive grants?
6.1
★ A named person is responsible for grants and has time each week to manage them.
6.2
We keep a calendar of grant deadlines, submissions, and reports.
6.3
We have received at least one grant in the last three years.
6.4
Our leaders are willing to meet with funders, host site visits, and build relationships.
6.5
We have submitted grant reports on time, or have a system ready to do so.
SCORING SUMMARY
Your answers will be scored automatically. Review your essential requirements, section scores, and overall grant readiness result below.
Did you answer Yes to all five ★ essentials (1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 4.1, 6.1)? Mark each one below.
STEP A — ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
Check the box only if you answered Yes. Any unchecked essential means your result is “Not Yet Grant-Ready.”
STEP B — SECTION SCORES
Section:
Score:
/10
/10
/10
1. Legal and Eligibility
2. Financial Health
3. Governance and Leadership
4. Programs and Impact
5. Grant Documents
6. Capacity and Relationships
Total Readiness Score:
/10
/10
/10
/60
STEP C — YOUR RESULT
First, if any ★ essential is unchecked in Step A, your result is Not Yet Grant-Ready. Otherwise, find your total score
Grant-Ready
Why: Your foundations, documents, and capacity are in place. Funders will see an organization that can manage and report on their investment.
Score 50 – 60
Next step: Begin building a pipeline of matched funders and submitting applications.
Nearly Ready
Score 35 – 49
Why: Your essentials are in place, but gaps in one or two areas could weaken applications or slow you down.
Next step: Strengthen your priority areas over the next 30–60 days while you start pursuing your best-fit grants
Building Readiness
Why: Important pieces are missing in several areas. Applying now could cost time on proposals that are unlikely to succeed.
Score 20 – 34
Next step: Focus on your lowest-scoring sections first, then reassess in 3–6 months.
Not Yet Grant-Ready
Why: One or more essentials funders require is missing, or most areas need work.
Next step: Resolve every ★ essential first. These are the minimum requirements to be eligible for most grants
Score 0 – 19, or any ★ No
YOUR READINESS ACTION PLAN
Use your results to plan what to strengthen first. Start with any ★ essential you answered No or Partly, then yourpriority areas (any section scoring 5 or less).
GAP (QUESTION NUMBER AND DESCRIPTION)
WHO WILL OWN IT
BY WHEN
2
1
3
Q U I C K F I X E S F O R C O M M O N G A P S
-
Legal and Eligibility: No 501(c)(3) for community programs? Form a separate nonprofit or partner with a fiscal sponsor while you apply. Register at SAM.gov early; approval can take several weeks.
-
Financial Health: Ask your accountant about an independent review if a full audit isn’t yet required, and set up restricted-fund tracking in your accounting system.
-
Governance and Leadership: Adopt the three core board policies at your next meeting; templates are widely available from state nonprofit associations.
-
Programs and Impact: Pick one program and begin tracking three simple measures: people served, services delivered, and one result.
-
Grant Documents: Build a shared folder with your mission, history, bios, budgets, and photos so every application starts from the same materials.
-
Capacity and Relationships: Name one grant lead, block weekly time on their calendar, and start a deadline calendar today.
N E E D H E L P G E T T I N G R E A D Y ?
Mitan Consulting can help you close the gaps and win grants.
Send us your completed checklist at nnoel@mitann.com or visit mitann.com to get started.