Grant Writing Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield Grant Writing facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. What is the purpose of a 'period of performance' in a grant agreement? → It specifies the time frame during which grant funds may be expended
2. In grant budgeting, 'fringe benefits' typically include which of the following? → Health insurance, retirement contributions, and payroll taxes
3. A 'consortium' grant proposal involves: → Multiple organizations partnering together, with one serving as the lead/fiscal agent
4. Which factor distinguishes a 'cold prospect' from a 'warm prospect' in funder research? → A warm prospect has an existing relationship with your organization or a mutual connection
5. Which document serves as the authoritative record of a grant award's terms and conditions? → The Notice of Award (NOA)
6. What is a 'gap analysis' as used in grant needs assessments? → A comparison between what currently exists and what is needed to solve a problem
7. Which tool allows grant seekers to search for federal government grant opportunities across all US agencies? → Grants.gov
8. Which W.K. Kellogg Foundation resource is widely recognized as a foundational guide for developing logic models in the nonprofit sector? → The Logic Model Development Guide
9. When building a prospect list of potential funders, which factor should be evaluated FIRST? → Whether the funder supports your geographic area and program focus
10. A proposal narrative's 'organizational capacity' section is weakened most by: → Making vague claims about experience without supporting evidence
11. What are the three main qualities required for the job of a grant writer? → Writing skill, attention to detail, and organizational skills.
12. Which type of audit is required for non-federal entities that expend $750,000 or more in federal awards during a fiscal year? → Single Audit under 2 CFR Part 200
13. When a grantee needs to shift funds between budget categories, they typically must: → Obtain written prior approval from the funder if the reallocation exceeds threshold limits
14. What is the primary ethical concern with paying grant writers on a commission or percentage-of-award basis? → It creates an incentive to inflate budgets or misrepresent needs to secure larger awards
15. A grant seeker notices a foundation has dramatically increased its giving to climate organizations over three years. This trend suggests: → The foundation's priorities have shifted toward environmental issues
16. What is the standard record retention period for grant-related documents under federal guidelines? → Three years from submission of the final expenditure report
17. What is the primary risk of underestimating project costs in a grant budget? → The organization may need to use unrestricted funds to cover project shortfalls
18. What is the primary purpose of reviewing a foundation's IRS Form 990-PF during prospect research? → To verify the foundation's grant amounts, recipients, and officer compensation
19. Which evaluation approach compares program outcomes to a similar group that did not receive the intervention? → Quasi-experimental design
20. What is the purpose of a 'sustainability plan' in a grant proposal? → To explain how the project or program will continue after grant funding ends
21. A funder asks for 'disaggregated data' in the evaluation report. What does this mean? → Outcome data broken down by subgroups such as age, race, or gender
22. Which of the following best describes a 'mixed-methods' evaluation approach? → Combining quantitative data and qualitative data in the same evaluation
23. Which of the following is the best indicator that a nonprofit has strong evaluation infrastructure? → Staff routinely collect, review, and act on performance data between reporting deadlines
24. The term 'fidelity monitoring' in program evaluation refers to: → Assessing whether the program is implemented as designed
25. Which of the following is the MOST reliable indicator that a funder is actively making grants? → Recent 990-PF filings show grants paid within the last 12-24 months
26. A foundation's 990-PF form is particularly valuable for funder research because it reveals which of the following? → The foundation's total assets, grants paid, and recipient organizations
27. Which database is most widely used by nonprofit professionals for foundation prospect research in the US? → Foundation Directory Online (Candid)
28. When a funder's RFP specifies a '15% indirect cost rate cap,' a grantee with a negotiated rate of 25% should: → Request a waiver before the application deadline if the gap creates a hardship
29. A program serving 200 youth reports a 15% reduction in disciplinary incidents. To make this finding credible, evaluators should also report: → Baseline disciplinary incident rates before the program began
30. What is the correct procedure when a grantee discovers it has been overpaid by the federal agency? → Return the excess funds promptly and notify the awarding agency