Grant reporting is key for accountability, but remains challenging for funders and grantees. Gathering data, agreeing on metrics, and turning data into insights take time and coordination that many lack. Without good processes, reporting feels burdensome rather than a growth opportunity.
For many, the issue isn’t effort but efficiency. Managing spreadsheets, emails, and manual systems risks errors and slows work, frustrating staff and hindering trust-based relationships.
Grant reporting software simplifies data collection, standardizes reporting, and makes sharing results easy. Instead of wasting resources, reporting becomes a chance to learn, improve, and show impact. This article explains why reporting is tough and how software aids better work.
Grant reporting is harder than it should be
For many funders, grant reporting is one of the most time-intensive and high-stakes parts of the grantmaking process. Reports are critical for demonstrating impact, guiding funding decisions, and ensuring accountability. And it spans well beyond ticking boxes and meeting deadlines.
Although reporting is a necessary function of grantmaking, it often pulls staff away from strategic work. Staff forgo building new programs or engaging with stakeholders, and instead find themselves buried in spreadsheets, spending valuable time recovering missing information or reformatting report documents.
While grant reporting is standard for grantees, it doesn’t have to be a time-consuming or frustrating process. With the right systems and grant management software in place, accurate reporting supports your organization’s mission without slowing you down.
Why the process breaks down
In many organizations, reporting challenges are often caused by outdated and disconnected tools. These systems rely on spreadsheets, email threads, and clunky databases, requiring staff to manually update each database as new information becomes available.
Staff have no choice but to spend more time on administration and less time on analysis or other tasks critical to the organization’s mission. When a grant team consists of 1 to 3 people, this approach becomes taxing.
The problem compounds when funder requirements shift, making it challenging to update processes, track changes, or ensure everyone is working from the same data set. Even minor discrepancies in grant tracking can create significant issues, especially when reports need to meet varying formats or compliance standards.
What great reporting looks like in action
When reporting is aligned with every phase of the grant lifecycle, the process becomes a strategic asset.
Great reporting creates:
- Clarity and consistency: Data is entered and tracked in a way that’s standardized across programs.
- Full lifecycle visibility: From application to award closeout, you can see progress, fund accounting history, and results in one place.
- Decision-ready insights: Information is easy to interpret and share, supporting board reviews, audits, and program adjustments.
With the right grant management software, reporting becomes part of a seamless workflow rather than a frustrating scramble at year-end. And if you’re gearing up for end-of-year specifically, following proven best practices for grant reporting will help you close the books with confidence.
The hidden costs of manual reporting
56% of grantmakers struggle with compliance due to their manual processes. Manual processes, such as reporting, significantly impact an organization’s ability to plan effectively and measure impact, which are critical factors in compliance and auditing.
Without the appropriate reporting software, grantmakers run into various issues:
- Lost hours: Reformatting spreadsheets, double-checking numbers, and hunting down missing files can eat up days or weeks of staff time. This is especially concerning, considering a typical grant approval already takes between 30 days and 18 months. The more time reviewers spend on reporting, the less time available for granting needed funding.
- Missed insights: When data is scattered across systems, it’s nearly impossible to see long-term trends or cumulative impact.
- Operational bottlenecks: Manual processes often rely on a single person’s institutional knowledge, making them vulnerable to turnover or absence.
On the surface, some of these problems might seem like non-issues. However, they compound as silos form and bottlenecks increase, reducing overall efficiency within an organization’s grantmaking process.
How grant reporting software changes the game
Grant reporting software centralizes reporting data inside your grant management system.
This software:
- Eliminates silos: All information lives in one place, accessible to stakeholders at the right time.
- Repeatable workflows: Automated templates and standard reporting formats reduce the need to reinvent the wheel for each funder.
- Customizable outputs: Tailor reports for different audiences without duplicating effort.
By reducing duplication and manual entry, grant management software frees staff to focus on interpreting results, giving them the runway to act on them.
See more, faster: Introducing Data Visualization in Foundant’s Grant Management Solutions
Data visualization, takes reporting one step further, making it easier to interpret data and fully understand impact.
Instead of exporting data to another platform or manually building charts, decision-makers can access embedded dashboards and actionable insights directly within the software.
These dashboards provide a quick overview of:
- Application volumes over time
- Funding trends by program or geography
- Engagement patterns across grantees
With these visual insights, staff can prepare for strategic planning sessions, support board reporting, and monitor operational performance, all without switching between various reporting databases and systems.
Start making reporting easier, starting now
Grant reporting is a critical step in grantmaking, but it shouldn’t drain your resources. Grant management software consolidates and eliminates reporting challenges, making it easier to measure and report impact.
With tools like GLM’s Data Visualization and a fully integrated grant management system, you can reduce administrative load, improve data accuracy and consistency, and deliver insights that guide critical funding decisions.
Start a conversation with Foundant to see how data-driven reporting tools can help you work smarter and show your impact with confidence.