Federal, state & philanthropic grants
Grant management, made simple by experience you can trust
Grant-funded organizations are evaluated on fiscal and programmatic compliance together — but almost always manage them separately. I do both, which is why the two reconcile before anyone asks.
01 The disconnect
Two records, one audit
Here is the structure that produces most of the findings I get called in to fix.
The fiscal record
- Drawdowns and expenditure reports
- Allowable cost determinations
- Indirect cost / de minimis rate application
- Payroll allocation across awards
- Maintained by accounting
The program record
- Performance and outcome reporting
- Participants served, units delivered
- Work plan and milestone narrative
- Subrecipient activity
- Maintained by the program director
The monitor reads both. The numbers do not agree. The finding is written against your organization — not against either spreadsheet.
02 Core, always included
Fiscal management & compliance
My proven foundation, and the anchor of every grants engagement I take.
- Award set-up done right the first timeChart of accounts, fund structure, and cost allocation methodology built to the terms of the actual award.
- Drawdowns and financial reportingRequests prepared and supported, expenditure reports filed on the schedule the awarding agency set.
- Allowable cost disciplineCost decisions documented at the time they are made, not reconstructed under audit.
- Time and effort documentationPersonnel costs allocated and substantiated across funding sources.
- Procurement and subrecipient monitoring supportThe compliance obligations that pass through to you when you pass money along.
- Audit and monitoring responseI assemble the file, sit in the review, and answer the questions. I have performed monitoring visits myself, so I know what the reviewer is looking for before they ask.
03 Modular add-on
Program-side management
For organizations that would rather one vendor own the money and the performance story.
- Performance reportingNarrative and outcome reports written against the approved work plan.
- Work plan and milestone trackingDeliverables tracked on the same calendar as the fiscal deadlines.
- Fiscal-to-program reconciliationThe single highest-value piece: the two records agree because the same team produces both.
- Data collection structureParticipant and output data captured in a form the report can actually be built from.
- Reporting calendar ownershipOne calendar, one owner, no surprise deadline.
Add it, leave it off, or start fiscal-only and add it later. Scope and price are stated separately so you always know what you are buying.
Managing federal, state, and philanthropic grant funding requires more than good bookkeeping — it demands a precise understanding of fiscal compliance requirements, reporting standards, and accounting expectations. Bookkeeping Etc., Inc. has spent over 28 years building that expertise, providing organizations with reliable fiscal management related to grants while ensuring accurate tracking, compliant financial reporting, and attention to detail that keeps clients fully prepared year after year.Bookkeeping Etc., Inc.
Most competitors sit on one side of this line: accounting firms that understand compliance basics but not program administration, or program consultants without accounting-level fiscal rigor. Few firms credibly do both.
04 How an engagement runs
No mystery about what happens after you sign
Every engagement starts with an honest assessment of where you actually stand — including the parts nobody wants to say out loud.
- Weeks 1–2
Assessment
I read the award terms, the current books, and the last reports filed. You get a written summary of what is solid, what is exposed, and what has to be fixed first.
- Weeks 3–8
Stabilize
Fund structure and allocation methodology corrected, documentation gaps closed, reporting calendar built, drawdown process brought current.
- Ongoing
Invoicing, reimbursement and final reporting
Monthly and quarterly invoices submitted, monthly and quarterly payment reimbursements filed, and final financial reporting prepared when the award closes out.
- Ongoing
Steady state
Monthly close, drawdowns, expenditure reporting, and — if the program add-on is in scope — performance reporting reconciled to the fiscal record every period.
- As it arrives
Monitoring & audit support
The file is already assembled because it was maintained, not built. I prepare your team, attend the review, and respond in writing.
Start with an assessment
Before any long-term commitment, you get a written read on where your grant file actually stands — what is solid, what is exposed, and what has to be fixed first. If the answer is that you are in good shape, that is what it will say.
- A fixed reporting calendarOne you can hand to your board.
- Records that reconcileFiscal and program agreeing before anyone asks.
- Someone who answersDuring a monitoring visit, not after it.