Items are sequenced by dependency — complete each section in order, because later items depend on earlier ones.
Section 1: Legal Status & Registration
These are hard prerequisites. Without them, you cannot receive federal or state grant funds.
IRS determination of tax-exempt status
Required501(c)(3) determination letter on file. Government entities and tribal organizations have alternative documentation.
EIN (Employer Identification Number)
RequiredCurrent IRS-issued EIN. Verify it matches across all registrations (SAM, state, banking).
SAM.gov registration — Active
RequiredMust show “Active” status. Not “Pending,” not “Expired.” Check expiration date — if it expires before the grant period starts, renew now. Renewal takes 7–10 business days minimum.
UEI (Unique Entity Identifier)
Required12-character alphanumeric ID assigned through SAM.gov. Replaced DUNS as of April 2022.
Grants.gov registration with authorized AOR
RequiredOrganization must be registered. At least one Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) must be approved by your EBiz Point of Contact. Test the submission pipeline before a deadline.
WA State Vendor Registration
Required (state grants)Registered with Department of Enterprise Services (DES). Need WA UBI number and banking information for EFT.
WEBS registration
Strongly RecommendedRegister at webs.wa.gov with correct commodity/service codes to receive state solicitation notifications. Free.
HRSA EHBs registration
Required (HRSA only)If applying to any HRSA program, separate registration in HRSA Electronic Handbooks is required.
Common failure: SAM.gov registration expires and nobody notices. Set a calendar reminder 60 days before expiration. Renewal is not automatic.
Section 2: Governance & Organizational Structure
Funders want evidence that your organization has the governance infrastructure to manage public funds responsibly.
Board of Directors — current and active
RequiredUpdated board roster with names, affiliations, and terms. Board must meet regularly with documented minutes.
Bylaws — current
RequiredBylaws must reflect current organizational structure. Review date within last 3 years.
Conflict of Interest policy
RequiredWritten policy covering board and staff. Must include annual disclosure process. Federal requirement under 2 CFR 200.318(c)(1).
Organizational chart — current
Strongly RecommendedShows reporting structure, key leadership positions. Required attachment in most federal applications.
Board resolution authorizing grant pursuit
Strongly RecommendedFormal board action authorizing the executive to apply for and accept grants. Some funders require this as an attachment.
Whistleblower / ethics policy
RecommendedWritten policy for reporting fraud, waste, and abuse. Required for some federal programs.
For HRSA Health Centers: Board must meet Section 330 requirements — 51%+ patient-majority, meeting composition and authority requirements per the Health Center Program Compliance Manual.
Section 3: Financial Systems & Controls
This section separates organizations that are ready to manage grant funds from those that will generate audit findings.
Accounting system — fund accounting capable
RequiredSystem must track expenditures by grant/cost center, separately from general operating funds. QuickBooks can work for smaller orgs; larger orgs typically need fund accounting software.
Annual financial audit or review
RequiredMost recent audit within 12 months. Clean opinion preferred. Organizations expending $750K+ in federal funds require a Single Audit (2 CFR 200 Subpart F).
Indirect cost rate — established
Strongly RecommendedEither a negotiated rate (NICRA from your cognizant federal agency, typically HHS for healthcare orgs) or election of the 10% de minimis rate per 2 CFR 200.414(f). If you’ve never had a negotiated rate, the de minimis is available immediately and requires no approval.
Written procurement policy
RequiredMust meet 2 CFR 200 standards (competitive bidding thresholds, documentation requirements). Your internal policy alone is not sufficient — it must align with federal requirements.
Written travel policy
Strongly RecommendedShould reference GSA per diem rates or establish equivalent limits. Required for travel cost reimbursement on federal grants.
Time and effort reporting system
RequiredMust document how employees allocate time across programs/grants. Personnel costs are typically 60–80% of healthcare grant budgets — this is where auditors look first.
Bank account documentation
RequiredVerified banking information matching SAM.gov and state vendor registration. Required for Electronic Funds Transfer.
Written financial management procedures
Strongly RecommendedDocumented procedures for accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and grant fund drawdown.
If you’re spending more than 10% of direct costs on indirect: Get a negotiated rate. The de minimis is simple but caps your recovery. For a $500K grant, the difference between 10% de minimis and a negotiated 15% rate is $25,000 in indirect cost recovery.
Section 4: Compliance & Audit Status
Single Audit — current (if required)
Required (if applicable)Organizations expending $750K+ in federal awards in a fiscal year must complete a Single Audit. Results filed on Federal Audit Clearinghouse and visible to all federal agencies.
No unresolved audit findings
RequiredOutstanding findings from prior audits must be resolved or have a corrective action plan in place. Unresolved findings signal high risk to funders.
No debarment or suspension
RequiredVerify no exclusions for the organization or key personnel in SAM.gov.
Tax filings current
RequiredForm 990 filed and publicly available (990 is public for nonprofits). IRS compliance must be current.
Insurance — current
RequiredGeneral liability, professional liability (if clinical services), workers’ compensation, Directors & Officers (D&O). Specific coverage requirements vary by funder.
Nondiscrimination assurances
RequiredCompliance with Title VI, Section 504, Age Discrimination Act, and WA state nondiscrimination laws (RCW 49.60). Most applications require signed assurance forms.
Lobbying restrictions acknowledgment
Required (federal)Certification that grant funds will not be used for lobbying (2 CFR 200.450). Standard form required with federal applications.
Common surprise: The Single Audit threshold is $750K in total federal expenditures across all programs — not per grant. An organization with three $300K federal grants triggers the Single Audit requirement. Budget $15K–$50K for the audit cost.
Section 5: Organizational Capacity
These are the qualitative indicators reviewers use to assess whether your organization can actually execute the proposed work.
Key personnel identified
RequiredProject Director and Financial Officer at minimum. Most NOFOs require biosketches or CVs. These people must exist and be committed — not “to be hired.”
Job descriptions for grant-funded positions
Strongly RecommendedCurrent job descriptions for any positions that will charge time to the grant. Required for budget justification.
Data collection and reporting systems
Strongly RecommendedEHR, program database, or other systems capable of tracking the outcomes the funder requires (UDS for HRSA, GPRA for SAMHSA, etc.).
Prior grant management experience
Strongly RecommendedDocumentation of past federal or state grants managed successfully. If this is your first grant, address how you’ll build capacity (consultants, training, partnerships).
Letters of support / MOUs from partners
Strongly RecommendedSpecific commitment letters from partner organizations — not generic endorsements. Must describe the partner’s role, resources committed, and governance of the partnership.
Community needs assessment
Strongly RecommendedRecent (within 3 years) assessment using local data. Required for most HRSA and SAMHSA applications. National or statewide data is insufficient — reviewers want service-area-specific evidence.
Section 6: Program Readiness (Application-Specific)
These are per-application items, not standing requirements. But if you don’t have the capacity to produce them, you’re not ready to apply.
Logic model
Required (most federal)Visual representation of inputs → activities → outputs → outcomes. SAMHSA weights this heavily.
Work plan with milestones
RequiredSpecific activities, responsible parties, and quarterly milestones for the full period of performance.
Budget and budget justification
RequiredLine-item budget with narrative justification for every cost. Math must be correct. Every activity in the narrative must have corresponding budget support.
Evaluation plan
Required (most federal)How you will measure outcomes, collect data, and report results. Must align with funder’s required performance measures.
Sustainability plan
Required (most federal)Credible plan for continuing the program after grant funding ends. “We will seek additional grants” is not sufficient.
How to Use This Checklist
If you're checking readiness for a specific grant:
Start with Sections 1–4. If anything is missing, stop and fix it before investing time in the application. Then assess Section 5 against the specific NOFO requirements.
If you're building general grant readiness:
Work through sections in order. Sections 1–3 take the longest to establish but only need to be done once. Section 4 requires ongoing maintenance. Section 5 builds over time.
If you want this done for you:
When you subscribe to Weave Alerts, we automatically check your SAM.gov registration, organizational profile, and readiness indicators. You'll see exactly where you stand.