Guide for funders
Grant tracking spreadsheet for trusts: columns, rules and limits
A grant tracking spreadsheet works well for a small trust if each row is one application, every column has a fixed format and the columns match the 360Giving Data Standard you may want to publish in later. Keep funds and statuses in a short code list, and store charity and company numbers as text. It stops working when several people edit at once, when you need permissions or a history of decisions, or when applicants' personal data has to be kept apart from what you publish.
Friedrich Otto Krone, Managing Director · Last reviewed 18 October 2026 · 7 min read
Who this guide is for
This guide is for grant-making trusts, foundations and community funders that receive applications and award grants. If you are a charity tracking the grants you apply for, the idea is the same but the columns differ: you record funders, deadlines and reports due instead of applicants and decisions.
A column layout that works
These columns cover most small programmes. Put every column with a fixed set of values, such as status or fund, on a separate code list sheet.
| Column | Format | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Application ID | text, for example FCT-2026-014 | one reference for emails, decisions and payments |
| Applicant name | text, as on the register | matches Charity Commission or Companies House records |
| Charity number | text | check it on the register of charities |
| Company number | text, eight characters | check it on Companies House; keep the leading zero |
| Fund or programme | value from your code list | reports by fund without retyping |
| Project title and description | text | needed for decisions and for 360Giving |
| Amount requested | number, no £ sign | totals and checks against your maximum |
| Status | value from your code list | for example received, eligible, shortlisted, awarded, declined |
| Decision date | date | the 360Giving ‘Award Date’ for awarded grants |
| Amount awarded | number | totals and 360Giving |
| Payments | separate sheet with ID, date, amount | instalments do not fit in one cell |
| Monitoring report due | date | a filter shows what is overdue |
| Contact name and email | text | personal data: keep it in its own columns |
Make it ready for 360Giving
UK funders can publish their grants as open data using the 360Giving Data Standard. Even if you do not publish yet, matching its fields now saves work later. All 360Giving data must include ten required fields:
- Identifier, Title, Description, Currency, Amount Awarded and Award Date.
- Funding Org:Identifier and Funding Org:Name.
- Recipient Org:Identifier and Recipient Org:Name for grants to organisations, or Recipient Ind:Identifier and Recipient Ind:Name for grants to individuals.
Identifiers: charity and company numbers
360Giving organisation identifiers combine a list prefix with the number from that list: GB-CHC for charities registered in England and Wales, GB-SC for Scotland, GB-NIC for Northern Ireland and GB-COH for companies (360Giving identifiers guidance). The same guidance notes that company numbers have eight characters, some including letters, that most of them start with a zero, and it warns against identifiers that have lost that leading zero.
According to the 360Giving reference, data shared about individual recipients is expected to be anonymous, with no personal data included. Keep names and contact details of individuals out of anything you publish.
Excel settings that prevent errors
- Format identifier columns as text before you paste data in, or Excel drops leading zeros from company numbers.
- Use data validation with drop-down lists for status and fund, so ‘Awarded’, ‘awarded’ and ‘Award’ do not become three values.
- Turn the range into an Excel table, so new rows are picked up by formulas and filters.
- Keep amounts as numbers, without £ signs or text such as ‘approx.’; put notes in a separate column.
- One fact per cell: no merged cells, and no colour as the only marker of a status.
- One sheet for all rounds, with a round or year column, instead of a new file each year.
Data protection: what to keep and for how long
Applications contain personal data, at least contact names and email addresses. Under the UK GDPR you should collect only what is adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary, and you must not keep personal data for longer than you need it. The ICO expects a retention policy with standard periods wherever possible, and a periodic review of what you hold.
In practice: keep contact details in their own columns, so you can delete them from declined applications after your retention period and still keep the statistics. Decide who may open the file, because a spreadsheet's permissions apply to the whole file. This is general information, not legal advice.
When several people edit the file
If the workbook is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint Online, several people can edit it at once with co-authoring in Excel for Microsoft 365 or Excel for the web. Microsoft's co-authoring guidance also lists the limits: someone using an unsupported version can lock the file for everyone else, and when edits conflict, the last saved change generally wins.
Size is rarely the problem. A worksheet holds up to 1,048,576 rows. Shared editing, permissions and a missing history of decisions usually are.
Signs it is time for a database
- Several editors overwrite each other or wait for the file to be free.
- No history: nobody can see who changed a status from ‘shortlisted’ to ‘declined’, or when.
- Permissions: panel members should see applications but not bank details, or only the fund they assess.
- Copies: one sheet per round or per fund, and totals across them are built by hand.
- Retyping: answers arrive by email or PDF, and someone copies them into the sheet.
- Reporting: trustees' reports and 360Giving files are assembled by hand every year.
What comes after the spreadsheet
There are three usual routes. A grant management platform covers the whole cycle on a subscription; published UK prices are in our guide how much grant management software costs. A no-code database such as Airtable or Microsoft Lists suits teams who want to build and look after it themselves. A custom database keeps your columns and rules, adds permissions and a history of changes, and imports your existing spreadsheet with an audit log; see turn your spreadsheet into a database.
If the main problem is how applications arrive, start there. An online grant application form delivers structured records instead of email attachments. Our demo for a fictional trust shows the reviewer portal with a CSV export that opens in Excel.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free grant tracking spreadsheet template?
You can build one in a few minutes from the column layout above. Start with the 360Giving required fields, add status, fund and monitoring dates, and set data validation on the columns with fixed values.
Should we use Excel or Google Sheets?
Either works for one person or a small team. What matters more is where the file is stored, who can open it and whether several people edit at once. For co-authoring in Excel, Microsoft requires the file to be in OneDrive or SharePoint Online.
How do we stop Excel removing leading zeros?
Format identifier columns as text before entering data, or import CSV files with those columns set to text. 360Giving's guidance warns against company numbers that have lost their leading zero.
Do we have to publish our grants with 360Giving?
360Giving is a data standard, and whether to publish is a decision for your trust. Matching its fields in your spreadsheet costs little and makes publishing easier later.
How long should we keep declined applications?
Set a retention period in your policy and apply it. The ICO says you must not keep personal data longer than you need it and should review what you hold. Accounting records follow separate rules, so check with your accountant or adviser.
When is a database worth it?
When several people edit at once, when you need permissions or a history of decisions, or when you rebuild reports by hand every year. A database can keep your columns and import your existing spreadsheet.
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