Run every grant from first prospect to final report with one clear system
A complete grants toolkit for small and mid-size nonprofits: score funders on evidence, keep one pipeline and calendar, write to each funder's format, budget at full cost, stay compliant after the award and report on time.
- A 17-sheet Grants Workbook: funder fit scores, a probability-weighted pipeline, deadlines calendar, proposal tracker, budget builder with full cost recovery, restricted balances and burn rate, reporting RAG, due diligence expiry flags, stewardship log and dashboards
- An 8-sheet Grant Budget and Full Cost Recovery Calculator: your true indirect rate, overhead by project, budget against actual with an ask-the-funder flag, and an exchange-rate check
- 4 fillable PDF forms (13 pages): funder fit scorecard and go/no-go, concept note planner, budget narrative worksheet, post-award compliance and close-out checklists
- Brand-ready Word templates: proposal, LOI and concept note; a 17-block content library; 45 funder messages; interim and final reports with a consent form; a grants policy one-pager
The Grant Lifecycle Kit · Bodhih Pro Kits · 259 by Bodhih Training, trainers to 2,000+ companies since 2008.
How do you manage grants for a small nonprofit?
Decide what grants are for, score funders on evidence before applying, track every opportunity and deadline in one pipeline, write to each funder's format from a reviewed content library, budget at full cost, keep promises after the award and report on time. The Grant Lifecycle Kit from Bodhih Training gives you the workbook, templates and method for each step.
Want the full free guide first? Read How to Manage Grants for a Nonprofit: The Full Lifecycle, Step by Step.
You already feel the problem. Here is what it is costing you.
Applying everywhere, winning rarely
A long list of funders, most of whom never fund work like yours. Every application costs days of staff time, and nobody knows what each one really costs or returns.
Deadlines found too late
A renewal round missed because the date lived in one person's inbox. Reports written the night before, with data chased on the day.
Budgets that starve the organisation
Projects funded for direct costs and a token percentage for admin, while the finance system, audit and office are funded by nobody in particular.
Compliance surprises
Money moved between lines without approval, an underspend discovered at close-out, a document expired the week a funder asked for it.
Picture the next few weeks with the kit open beside you.
Picture next Monday at 9.30. You open the Dashboard and the whole grants picture is on one screen: what is due, what is overdue, what is likely, what has been awarded against the year's target. The meeting takes 30 minutes and everyone leaves with an action and a date.
When a new funder appears, you score it in ten minutes: the eligibility gate first, then six factors with evidence beside each. As you fill in the go/no-go sheet, the cost of applying sits next to the likely value, and the decision is easy to explain to your director.
Imagine building your next budget and seeing, before you submit, the full cost of the project, what the funder will pay, the match you are bringing and the gap you must cover. You take that number to your board before the deadline, not after the award.
And when the award comes, you open the start-up checklist, set up the grant in the accounts, put every report on the schedule and send the thank-you within 48 hours. Whether you start with the workbook tonight or the content library tomorrow morning, the next round begins with a system rather than a scramble.
20 files that do the work for you
The e-book shows you how. The tools make it happen. Here is exactly what you download.
The Grant Lifecycle Kit (e-book, PDF)
The guide: methods, worked examples, scripts and exercises
Start here: the grants map
Your first hour, Brand it in five minutes, the ten-step job map with the file to open at each step, your first week and a 30/60/90 day use plan.
Grants Workbook
17 sheets: settings, funder prospects with fit score, pipeline with weighted value, deadlines calendar, proposal tracker, budget builder with full cost recovery, awarded grants with restricted balance and burn rate, reporting schedule, due diligence register, stewardship log, results by funder type and three dashboards.
Grant Budget and Full Cost Recovery Calculator
8 sheets: your true indirect cost rate, overhead allocated by direct cost, staff time or floor space, full cost and funding gap by project, budget against actual with an ask-the-funder flag, and an exchange-rate check.
Funder fit scorecard and go/no-go decision
Three-page fillable set: the funder fit scorecard (eligibility gate plus six weighted factors) and a two-page go/no-go decision sheet with capacity, cost and risk checks and a signed decision.
Concept note planner
Three-page fillable planner that turns an idea into a two-page concept note or letter of inquiry: problem and evidence, the change you will make, the results chain, the ask and the fit to the funder.
Budget narrative worksheet
Two-page fillable worksheet to explain every budget line, the indirect cost basis, match funding, in-kind valuation and currency assumptions in the words a funder's finance reviewer needs.
Post-award compliance and close-out checklists
Five-page fillable set: the grant start-up checklist from the agreement, a monthly compliance check, a budget change request record, and the two-page close-out checklist.
Proposal, LOI and concept note templates
Brand-ready Word templates: a 13-section full proposal with prompts, logframe, objectives and risk tables, a letter of inquiry, a two-page concept note and a proposal cover email.
Reusable proposal content library
17 brand-ready blocks with owners and review dates: organisation profile in three lengths, mission, track record, need statement, theory of change, MEL approach, staff bios, governance, financial management, safeguarding, data, policies, sustainability, inclusion and AI-use statements.
Funder message library
45 brand-ready emails and messages for every stage: first approach, eligibility questions, LOI follow-up, clarifications, thank-you on award, feedback after a decline, budget change and extension requests, report cover notes, visits and renewal.
Interim and final grant report templates
Brand-ready interim and final narrative and financial report templates with indicator and budget tables, plus a plain-words story and photo consent form.
Grants policy and roles one-pager
A brand-ready one-page grants policy (principles, full cost, AI rule, approval authority) with a roles table and the weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual grants rhythm.
Worked example pack: an education NGO's grants year
A fictional 22-person education NGO's year with the forms filled in: 14 prospects scored, a go and a no-go, a concept note plan, a budget with the full cost gap, 6 decisions and feedback, post-award start-up, one restricted grant closed and reported, and the mid-year numbers.
AI prompt pack for grants
29 tool-agnostic prompts grouped by stage (strategy and prospects, writing, budget, compliance and reporting, stewardship), each with what to paste in and the check before you use it.
Apply-or-not decision card and mistakes funders flag
An if-then card for go/no-go decisions and the 20 mistakes reviewers flag most, each with what to do instead.
Numbers that matter: grants KPI card
14 numbers the grants job runs on, each with plain words, the exact formula, where it lives in the workbook and what to do if it moves.
Grant rules by country (October 2026)
Dated notes for the UK, US, India (FCRA, Income-tax Act 2025 and CSR), Canada, Australia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and the EU, with the regulator to check.
Annual grants calendar
36 events for one year of the grants rhythm: monthly burn and compliance checks, quarterly pipeline and board reviews, due diligence sweeps, content library reviews, report reminders, the indirect rate update and year-end thank-yous.
Grants task board
40 tasks for setting up and running the grants rhythm, ready to import into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira.
Chapter by chapter
Each chapter opens with a real situation, gives you a method and ends with something to do today, using the tools in your kit.
- Format
- PDF e-book + XLSX + fillable PDF + DOCX + PDF cheat sheets + ICS + CSV
- Files
- 20 files plus a one-click ZIP
- E-book
- 58 pages
- Works with
- Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice, Word, Google Docs, Acrobat Reader, Google, Outlook and Apple Calendar, Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner, Jira
- Best for
- Small and mid-size nonprofits, NGOs, charities, trusts and social enterprises with 1 to 150 staff
- Currency and country
- Any currency; dated rules sheet for the UK, US, India, Canada, Australia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and the EU
Funding Strategy and the Grants Mix
Write a one-page grants strategy: the role of grants, a target, the funder types you prioritise, a concentration limit and a no-go list.
Finding and Scoring the Right Funders
Find funders and score their fit with an eligibility gate and six weighted factors, using evidence from what they actually fund.
The Pipeline and the Grants Calendar
Track every opportunity by stage with a probability-weighted value, and put every date in one calendar with internal deadlines.
The Case for Support and Your Proposal Library
Build a reusable case for support: need statement, theory of change, results chain, logframe, SMART indicators and trust blocks.
Letters of Inquiry, Concept Notes and Writing to the Funder's Format
Write letters of inquiry, concept notes and proposals in each funder's own format, within the limits, reviewed against their criteria.
The Project Budget and Full Cost Recovery
Find your true indirect cost rate, budget every project at full cost, show match funding honestly and decide how to cover the gap.
Due Diligence, the Decision and the Grant Agreement
Keep due diligence documents current, thank funders fast, read agreements with finance, and turn every decline into feedback.
Compliance After the Award
Set up each award properly, check burn and compliance monthly, ask before money moves, and close out cleanly.
Reports, Stories and Funder Stewardship
Report against what you promised, collect stories only with consent, and keep funder relationships warm between reports.
The Grants Team Rhythm and AI with a Human Review Rule
Share grants work across roles, run a weekly to annual rhythm, and use AI to draft and check with a human review rule.
Not just reading. Tools you will actually open again.
Start here
- 00-Start-Here-Grants-Map.pdf: your first hour, Brand it in five minutes, the ten-step job map with the file to open at each step, your first week and a 30/60/90 day plan
Workbooks
- Grants-Workbook.xlsx: 17 sheets (settings, funder prospects with fit score, pipeline with weighted value, deadlines, proposal tracker, budget builder, budget summary with full cost recovery, awarded grants with restricted balance and burn rate, reporting schedule, due diligence, stewardship log, funder types, target check and three dashboards)
- Grant-Budget-and-Full-Cost-Recovery-Calculator.xlsx: 8 sheets (true indirect rate, overhead allocated by direct cost, staff time or floor space, full cost by project, budget against actual, exchange rates, summary)
Forms (fillable PDF)
- Funder-Fit-Scorecard-and-Go-No-Go-Decision.pdf (3 pages)
- Concept-Note-Planner.pdf (3 pages)
- Budget-Narrative-Worksheet.pdf (2 pages)
- Post-Award-Compliance-and-Close-Out-Checklists.pdf (5 pages)
Word templates (brand-ready)
- Proposal-LOI-and-Concept-Note-Templates.docx: a 13-section full proposal with logframe, indicator and risk tables, a letter of inquiry, a two-page concept note and a cover email
- Reusable-Proposal-Content-Library.docx: 17 blocks with owners and review dates
- Funder-Message-Library.docx: 45 emails and messages from first approach to renewal
- Interim-and-Final-Grant-Report-Templates.docx: narrative and financial reports, interim and final, with a story and photo consent form
- Grants-Policy-and-Roles-One-Pager.docx: principles, approval authority, roles and the grants rhythm
- Worked-Example-Pack-Education-NGO-Grants-Year.docx: a fictional education NGO's year with the forms and numbers filled in
- AI-Prompt-Pack-for-Grants.docx: 29 prompts, each with what to paste in and the check before you use it
Cheat sheets
- Apply-or-Not-Decision-Card-and-Mistakes-Funders-Flag.pdf: an if-then decision card and 20 mistakes reviewers flag
- Numbers-That-Matter-Grants-KPI-Card.pdf: 14 numbers with exact formulas and what to do when they move
- Grant-Rules-by-Country-Oct-2026.pdf: dated notes for the UK, US, India, Canada, Australia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and the EU
Calendar and import
- Annual-Grants-Calendar.ics: 36 events for one year of the grants rhythm
- Grants-Task-Board.csv: 40 tasks for Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira
E-book
- The Grant Lifecycle Kit e-book: 8,500 words, 10 chapters, 6 illustrations and 2 appendices
When you have worked through it, you will be able to…
Every outcome is practised with a worked example and a tool, not just described.
- You will be able to write a one-page grants strategy with a target, a mix and a concentration limit
- You will be able to score any funder's fit in minutes and make a documented go or no-go decision
- You will be able to keep every opportunity, deadline and report in one pipeline and one calendar
- You will be able to build a reusable case for support with a theory of change, logframe and SMART indicators
- You will be able to work out your true indirect cost rate and budget each project at full cost
- You will be able to set up, monitor and close out a restricted grant with a clear audit trail
- You will be able to report on time, with stories collected ethically and with consent
- You will be able to run a weekly grants meeting and use AI with a human review rule
Know your starting point. Prove your progress.
People who measure before and after improve faster and can show it. AssessAll, our sister assessment platform, has AI-graded assessments that pair with this kit. Take one now, work through the kit, then re-take it.
Bid and Proposal Quality Assessment for Sales, Consulting and Grant Teams
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentThree Rooms: Donor, Team and Board
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentStructured Business Writing Work Sample for Consultants, Managers and Technical Leads
Take the assessment →JobularyHow a Jobulary development plan works
Make it a growth plan →A taste of Chapter 2
Every application costs staff time, and the cost is the same whether the funder was a good fit or a long shot. A short list of funders who genuinely fund work like yours, in your place, at your size, will serve you better than a long list of hopes. The skill is not finding names. It is deciding quickly which names are worth a proposal. Good prospect research uses evidence a funder has already published: its guidelines and priorities, its exclusions, the list of grants it made in recent years, its annual report, and anything its staff have said in public. Candid (formerly GuideStar and the Foundation Center) and national equivalents such as 360Giving data in the UK make grants data easier to search in some countries. Elsewhere, annual reports, CSR reports and government notices do the same job with more reading.
The honest comparison
| Free templates and typical advice | This kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Funder research | A long list of names | An eligibility gate and six weighted fit scores with evidence, sorting funders into Apply, Maybe and Pass |
| Pipeline | A list of applications and dates | Stages, next actions, probability-weighted value, cost per proposal and results by funder type |
| Budget | Direct costs plus a token admin line | A true indirect rate from your own costs, full cost by project, match, and the gap made visible before you submit |
| After the award | Find the agreement when the report is due | Start-up, monthly compliance, budget change and close-out checklists, with burn flags in the workbook |
| Words to use | Start from a blank email | 45 funder messages for every stage, from first approach to renewal |
| AI | Paste everything into a chatbot | 29 prompts with a human check on each, and a rule to follow each funder's AI policy |
Made for you if…
- Founders and executive directors of small and mid-size nonprofits, NGOs, charities and trusts
- Grants officers, fundraisers and development managers
- Programme managers who shape proposals and write reports
- Finance leads who build grant budgets and manage restricted funds
- Trustees and board members who oversee grants
- Section 8 companies, social enterprises and community organisations that apply for grants
Probably not for you if…
- Businesses seeking loans or investment (see The Bank Loan and Funding Proposal Kit)
- Companies answering commercial tenders (see The Proposal and Tender Response Kit)
- Anyone looking for a guaranteed way to win grants, or for legal and tax advice
Built by trainers, tested in real rooms.
Bodhih Training has designed and delivered corporate programmes since 2008. Bodhih Pro Kits package what works in those workshops into a guide plus the exact tools we use, so you can apply it the same day without a facilitator in the room.
From here to using it in three steps
- STEP 1
Tap Get the kit
Name, email and country. UPI, card or netbanking in India; international cards everywhere else. No account to create.
- STEP 2
Download instantly
Your download page opens at once, with every file and a one-click ZIP. A permanent link lands in your inbox too.
- STEP 3
Open the first tool
Start with the quick-start chapter, then the main spreadsheet or planner. Most buyers use something from the kit the same day.
Open the map, follow the first hour, hold the Monday meeting
Start with Settings and your funder list, and as you score your first prospects the rest of the system falls into place. Whether you begin with the workbook tonight or the budget calculator with your finance lead tomorrow, your next application goes out on time, at full cost, to a funder who fits.
Personal licence for the buyer's own use (and use with your own team or clients where the kit says so). Please don't share or resell the files. Team and company licences: solutions@bodhih.com.
What buyers say
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The Bodhih family, when you are ready for more
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Plan and run individual-giving campaigns and fundraising events.
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Run a nonprofit board that works.
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Recruit, place, train, support and keep volunteers.
AssessAll
250+ AI-graded assessments to measure skills and earn verified credentials.
Jobulary
Individual development plans that start from evidence and stay yours.
Bodhih Training
Run this topic as a live workshop for your team, in person or online.
Pewple
Book a vetted coach for career, leadership or communication. Pay per session.
Bodhih.org pathways
Certification pathways in Applied AI, Workplace English and management.
Can I use this with my staff, volunteers or board?
Yes. The personal licence covers use within your own organisation, including sharing the workbook with your grants, programme and finance staff, branding the templates and using the policy with your board. For networks, federations or several organisations, ask about company and multi-site licences at solutions@bodhih.com.
Does it work in my country?
The method works anywhere: fit scoring, pipelines, full cost budgets, compliance and stewardship are universal, and the workbooks use any currency. The dated rules sheet covers the UK, the US, India (including FCRA, the Income-tax Act 2025 and CSR), Canada, Australia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and the EU. Charity, tax and foreign-funding rules still need checking with your regulator and adviser.
How do I manage grants for a small nonprofit with no grants team?
Share the job across a few roles, keep one workbook as the single source, and hold a 30-minute Monday meeting. Score funders before writing, keep a content library so you are not starting from scratch, and put every report date in the calendar. The kit is built for exactly that situation.
How do I calculate our indirect cost rate?
List a year of costs as programme direct, shared support, governance and (if you choose) fundraising. Divide the shared costs by the direct costs. The calculator does it for you and allocates the overhead to each project. Agree the method with your accountant and use it consistently.
What should I do after a grant is declined?
Thank the funder, and if they accept feedback requests, ask briefly for feedback one to two weeks later. Log what you learn, adjust your fit scoring, and keep in touch if the fit is good. The message library has the exact words.
Is this legal or financial advice? Does it guarantee grants?
No. The kit is educational. It helps you organise grants work, and the templates are starting points, not legally valid documents. It makes no promise about grants won, money raised or impact. Check grant agreements, tax and foreign-funding questions with your accountant, auditor, lawyer and regulator.
Does it cover monitoring and evaluation and individual donors?
It uses your monitoring data in reports and shows how to write indicators, but the measurement system itself is covered in depth by The Monitoring, Evaluation and Impact Report Kit. Individual-donor campaigns and events are in The Fundraising Campaign and Event Kit.
Can we use AI to write grant applications?
Use it to summarise guidelines, outline, check arithmetic and cut to limits, with a person checking every fact and claim. Do not paste personal data into unapproved tools, and follow each funder's AI policy: some public funders ask you to declare substantive use. The prompt pack builds the check into every prompt.
How can I measure my starting point?
If you want an outside view of your writing and judgment, AssessAll offers the Bid and Proposal Quality Assessment for Sales, Consulting and Grant Teams and Three Rooms: Donor, Team and Board (separate products, not included). Take one before you start and again after a year of using the kit.
How do I turn this into a development plan for my grants officer?
Pick two or three skills from the kit (fit scoring, full cost budgets, reports) and set monthly practice goals around real applications. Jobulary explains how its development plans work at jobulary.com/how-it-works.
How much does The Grant Lifecycle Kit cost?
₹1,299 including 18% GST for buyers in India, or $34 for buyers outside India. One-time payment, no subscription, with an automatic invoice.
How do I get the files after paying?
Instantly. Your download page opens the moment payment succeeds, and a permanent download link is emailed to you. Download each file separately or everything in one ZIP.
What software do I need?
Any of the usual tools: Excel or Google Sheets for spreadsheets, Word or Google Docs for templates, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Xodo or GoodNotes for the fillable PDFs, and Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar for the calendar plan.
Can I get a refund?
Because it is a digital download, kits are not refundable once downloaded. We always refund a duplicate charge or a failed delivery, and if a file is corrupted and we cannot fix it within 3 working days. Full terms: bodhih.org/refunds.
Can my company buy this for a team?
Yes. Team and company licences, and workshops on this topic run by Bodhih Training, are available. Write to solutions@bodhih.com or call +91 99000 11601.
