Grant Management Checklist
When to use it
- Onboarding a new award so nothing in the notice of award is missed.
- Monthly or quarterly award reviews between the PI and the grants manager.
- Training new research administrators on the full award lifecycle.
- Preparing for an audit or an internal review of award management.
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Grant Management Checklist
Award: [Sponsor and award number] | PD/PI: [Name] | Project period: [MM/DD/YYYY] to [MM/DD/YYYY] | Grants manager: [Name]
Mark each item when complete and add the date. Delete items that do not apply to this sponsor.
1. Before submission
☐ Funding opportunity read in full: eligibility, page limits, budget limits, required attachments.
☐ Budget built with current salary, fringe, and F&A rates; NIH salary cap applied if NIH.
☐ Subawards: only the first $25,000 of each subaward included in the F&A base (NIH, and other sponsors unless your rate agreement adopts $50,000).
☐ Budget justification matches every line of the budget.
☐ Subrecipient budgets, statements of work, and letters of intent collected.
☐ Cost sharing and internal commitments approved in writing.
☐ Compliance needs identified: human subjects, animals, export controls, financial conflicts of interest.
☐ Proposal routed to the sponsored programs office by the internal deadline.
2. At award
☐ Notice of award reviewed: amount, budget period, terms incorporated by reference, special conditions.
☐ Differences from the proposed budget noted and the budget revised to match the award.
☐ Reporting dates recorded: progress, financial, invention, and closeout.
☐ Account set up and personnel added to payroll distribution.
☐ Subawards issued with a subrecipient risk assessment on file.
☐ IRB, IACUC, or other approvals current for the funded work.
3. During the award
☐ Monthly review of spending, encumbrances, and burn rate against time elapsed.
☐ Payroll matches effort commitments; changes of 25% or more in key personnel effort reviewed for prior approval.
☐ Cost transfers made within the institutional window, with justification.
☐ Prior approvals requested before changes in scope, key personnel, or restricted rebudgeting.
☐ Subrecipient invoices reviewed against their budgets and scope.
☐ Effort certified on schedule.
☐ Annual progress report on time (NIH RPPR: 45 days before the next budget period for SNAP awards, 60 days for non-SNAP).
☐ Protocol renewals tracked so approvals never lapse.
4. Closeout
☐ 90 days before the end date: decide whether a no-cost extension is needed.
☐ Final subrecipient invoices and reports requested (NIH subrecipients report within 90 days of the end date).
☐ Account reconciled: unallowable and unsupported charges removed, encumbrances closed.
☐ Final financial report, final progress report, and final invention statement submitted (NIH: within 120 days of the end date).
☐ Equipment inventory reported if required.
☐ Records retained for the required period, generally three years from the final financial report.
Tips
- Copy the checklist for each award and keep it with the award file, so the history is in one place.
- Set calendar reminders for every date in section 2 the day the award arrives.
- Review section 3 with the PI monthly. Most closeout problems start as small monthly issues.
- Adjust deadlines for non-NIH sponsors. NSF, DoD, and others set their own reporting dates in the award terms.
Frequently asked questions
What should a grant management checklist include?
Tasks for each stage of the award: proposal preparation and approvals, review of the notice of award and setup, monthly spending and effort review, prior approvals and progress reports during the award, and final reports and reconciliation at closeout.
When are NIH closeout reports due?
The final federal financial report, final RPPR, and final invention statement are due within 120 calendar days of the end of the period of performance.
How long must grant records be kept?
Under the Uniform Guidance, generally three years from the date the final financial report is submitted, with longer periods for litigation, audits, and some property records. Your institution may require longer.
How often should grant budgets be reviewed?
Monthly is the common standard: spending, encumbrances, and burn rate compared with the share of the award period elapsed.
Track proposals and awards in GrantsManager
Keep every proposal, deadline, award, and report in one place, shared between PIs and research administrators.
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