Grant Pre-Submission Checklist
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A two-pass checklist that catches the deadline, eligibility, budget, attachment and sign-off problems that sink otherwise finished grant applications in the final days.

[ ] Confirm the funder deadline date, the exact cutoff time, and the time zone from the current guidelines or portal, not from your tracker or last year's notes.
[ ] Confirm how the application is submitted (portal, email, or mail) and whether the portal needs an organizational registration that can take days to approve.
[ ] Re-check every eligibility rule: tax status, geography, budget size, years of operation, audited financials, and whether the funder only accepts invited applications.
[ ] Set an internal deadline at least a few business days before the funder deadline and record it in the shared pipeline next to the funder deadline.
[ ] Name one owner and one backup for the application, and confirm both will be reachable through submission day.
[ ] List every required attachment from the guidelines and check each one off against the document library: determination letter, board list, key staff bios, current budget, financials for the correct year.
[ ] Confirm the project budget totals match across the narrative, the budget form, and the budget justification, down to the dollar.
[ ] Confirm the amount requested falls inside the funder's stated range and that any match or cost-share requirement is documented and approved by finance.
[ ] Update the boilerplate: fiscal year, organizational budget figures, staff names and titles, and program numbers should all be current.
[ ] Request letters of support, memoranda of understanding, and partner commitments now, with a due date well before the internal deadline.
[ ] Find out whether a board resolution, authorized signature, or fiscal sponsor approval is required and get it on the right person's calendar.
[ ] Get finance sign-off on the budget and on how restricted funds will be tracked before the executive director's final review.
[ ] Check the narrative against the funder's questions, character or page limits, and formatting rules such as fonts, margins, and accepted file types.
[ ] Have someone who did not write the proposal read it once for clarity and for consistency between the narrative and the budget.
[ ] Verify that outcomes, metrics, and timelines are things program staff have agreed they can deliver and later report on.
[ ] Confirm the fiscal year, dates, and amounts in this proposal do not contradict what you told the same funder in a previous application or report.
[ ] Save final files under your naming convention with the version marked final, and move drafts out of the submission folder.
[ ] Submit on the internal deadline day, not the funder's, then save a screenshot or PDF of the confirmation screen and any confirmation email.
[ ] Log the submission date, confirmation number, and expected decision date in the pipeline record.
[ ] Move the record to Submitted, set the next action date to the follow-up or decision date, and note the program officer's name and preferred contact method.
[ ] File a copy of the exact package that was submitted so it can be reused for the report and the renewal.