Grants:APG/Reporting requirements

Summary of this section

Reports must be published on Meta through the FDC portal and will be reviewed and commented upon by FDC staff and the community.
Reporting requirements have changed in 2015, so be sure to review the new requirements. Submit one progress report, one impact report, and your audited financial statements.
Beyond reporting requirements, the FDC and FDC staff will be facilitating more ways for grantees to share learning.
WMF staff and contractors may engage in reviews or audits of funds spending as required by law, the grant agreement, and good governance.

This page describes the basic reporting requirements for all Annual Plan Grants, as described in the FDC grant agreement. Effective reporting is fundamental to openness and transparency in the movement, as each grantee is responsible to report to stakeholders (including contributors and donors) about how movement funds are used. Reports are a critical input into the FDC's decisionmaking process for grant proposals, as the FDC considers each organization's past work along with each proposal. Beyond these basic reporting requirements required by the grant agreement, there are many ways that grantees can share learning with the movement.

The FDC and FDC staff are working on more effective ways to offer grantees feedback about their reports. FDC staff currently offer individual feedback about each report after it is submitted.

Reporting requirements

Reporting requirements for Annual Plan Grants have changed, beginning with 2014-2015 Round 1. Instead of three progress reports, only one progress report will be required at the halfway point. Grantees applying for funding in the subsequent year will also be asked to provide information about their current grants (including financials) as part of the proposal process. Finally, the FDC or FDC staff will be facilitating other ways for grantees to share learning during their grants. Requirements for impact reports and audited financial statements have not changed.

New reporting requirements (for 2015 grants)

Within 30 days of the end of the second quarter, submit a progress report. Submit information about the current grant as part of the proposal process for the next year's funding.
Within 90 days of end of the funding period, submit an impact report for each allocation of funding they receive.
An audited financial report is required within 120 days of the end of the funding period.
In addition to the reporting requirements outlined here, WMF staff and contractors may engage in reviews or audits of funds spending as required by law, the grant agreement, and good governance.

Old reporting requirements (still applicable for 2013 and 2014 grants)

Within 30 days of the end of each quarter, funds recipients will be required to submit a quarterly progress report. Within 90 days of end of the funding period, funds recipients will be required to submit an impact report for each allocation of funding they receive. In addition, an audited financial report is required within 120 days of the end of the funding period. In addition to the reporting requirements outlined here, WMF staff and contractors may engage in reviews or audits of funds spending as required by law, the grant agreement, and good governance.

Narrative requirements for progress and impact reports

A description of your use of the grant funds and the progress that you have made
A description of the activities facilitated by the grant and the impact of these activities on the strategic priorities of the movement
A summary of the strategic choices you have made or are making as a result of the grant
Copies of any publications resulting from the grant
A report of your compliance with the terms of the grant agreement (details below)
Any other information requested in the reporting form or by FDC staff

Financial requirements for progress and impact reports

The amount of grant funds budgeted and spent for each program initiative listed in the grant proposal
An explanation of variances from the planned budget for each initiative listed in the proposal
A description of the amount and nature of other sources of funding (including and beyond this Grant)
Any other information requested in the reporting form or by FDC staff

Compliance

FDC Staff will request some information from you in each progress report and in the impact report in order to confirm that you are meeting the standards and requirements explained in your grant agreement:

Note that any changes from the Grant proposal, among other things, must be consistent with the WMF mission, must be for charitable purposes as defined in the grant agreement, must be reported to WMF, and must otherwise comply with the grant agreement. The WMF mission is "to empower and engage people around the world to collect and develop educational content under a free license or in the public domain, and to disseminate it effectively and globally."
In the financial section of each report, we will ask you for an explanation of any big change in actual spending compared to your planned budget from the proposal by each key initiative.
In the final impact report, we will ask you to report interest earned on grant funds during the funding period or the reporting period, and to report any funds you did not use within 15 months of the start of your grant.
In each report, we will ask you to confirm you are in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations (as explained in the grant agreement).
In each report, we will ask you to confirm you are in compliance with the US Internal Revenue Code, and with relevant tax laws and regulations that restrict the use of grant funds (as explained in the grant agreement).

Reporting schedule for the FDC process

Please refer to Grants:APG/Calendar

Helpful links