Restricted vs. Unrestricted: Clean Up Now Before Year-End

Your grant tracker and your accounting should tell the same story without translation.

Share this post and as a handoff to your internal lead. Even when we are not in your books, we want your team equipped with simple steps that hold up at audit and in board meetings.

Why this matters in October

Boards and auditors need clarity on restrictions, milestones, and releases. Aligning structure now prevents year end rework.

Build a one to one map

List each active award with award amount, period, restriction, spend to date, remaining, and notes. Map each grant to a unique class or tag. If the tracker and accounting do not match, adjust the system.

Document releases in plain English

For each release, record a memo that states what milestone was met and when. These short notes save time during reporting and audit.

Tie expenses to the grant budget

Validate payroll allocations and vendor costs against approved categories. If a report is due in Q4, draft it now and confirm that accounting aligns.

Pace at a glance

For every grant add percent spent and percent of period elapsed. Use the same phrasing in board materials to keep the message consistent.

Common pitfalls

Catch all program classes. Back dated fixes with no memo. Explaining restrictions live with no written backup. Just don't (please).

Copy ready template

Grant name, award, period, restriction

Spend to date and remaining 

Pacing statement 

Release memo and two sentence status for the board