Track a donor-funded project budget with one free template

When a programme manager asks mid-project, "How much is left on the training line?", the answer should not take a day. This template does one job: one file, one project, comparing what was planned with what was spent, line by line and month by month.

What is in the file

• ابدأ هنا / Start here: steps and colour key.
• البيانات Inputs: the only sheet you type in. It holds project details, budget lines and monthly spending.
• التقرير / Report: ready-made Arabic and English reports that update themselves.
• مثال وهمي SAMPLE: a fully invented project showing a filled-in file.
• القوائم Lists: budget categories.

You need a spreadsheet program. If you already have Excel, buy nothing. If not, LibreOffice is open-source software its official site offers at no cost (page read 2 November 2026).

If your organisation does need an Excel licence, ask about nonprofit offers first, and check eligibility and price for your country on Microsoft's nonprofit page. We could not confirm the terms from that page ourselves.

Before you start

Gather three documents:

1. The grant agreement.
2. The latest approved budget, including any change the donor accepted.
3. The project's expense ledger or bank statement.

Then answer two questions. Does the agreement set the reporting currency and how exchange rates are calculated? Does it limit moving money between lines without prior approval? Write both answers somewhere visible. The template cannot know them.

Setup: once, at the start

Open البيانات Inputs and type in the yellow cells only:

• Project name, donor and currency.
• Start date and project length in months. The template holds up to 24 months.
• Total grant, as written in the agreement.
• Review margin: your own choice, starting at 10%. This is not a donor rule. It is a limit you pick so the report tells you what deserves a second look.

Next, copy the budget lines exactly as they appear in the approved budget, with the same codes and order. Give each line a category. Write its name in Arabic, English or both. Each report shows its own language first and falls back to the other. The file holds 40 lines.

Now read the first check cell: budget lines minus grant total. It should be zero. If it is not, a line is missing, a figure is mistyped, or the project includes co-funding you need to separate. Find the reason before moving on.

The monthly routine: a short, regular task

1. Close the month's books first. Match expenses against the bank statement and cash before copying any figure.
2. Enter actual spending for each line in the right month's column. If money comes back, enter it as a negative in the month it returned, and keep a note of why in your records.
3. Update the reporting month number. Every result is calculated from it.
4. Read the second check cell. A figure there means you typed amounts in a month after the reporting month. Those amounts are left out of the totals.
5. Open the report and read it before sending it to anyone.

Reading the report

• Variance is budget minus actual to date, meaning what is left. In red brackets, the line has gone over budget.
• % spent is actual divided by the line's budget.
• Status compares % spent with the share of project time elapsed. It reads: within margin, ahead of plan, behind plan, or over budget.

Here is an example from the sample sheet, where every figure is invented. The project runs twelve months and we are in month six, so 50% of the time has passed.

• "Training materials" is at 11.7%, so it reads "behind plan". Has the activity slipped, or is the purchase due later?
• "Laptop" is at 110%, so it reads "over budget". Does a transfer the agreement allows cover the extra?
• "External audit" is at 0%. That is normal if the audit falls at the end.

Status asks a question, it does not give a verdict. It assumes even monthly spending, and many lines are spent in one go. Write a one-line answer for each notable line in your report to management.

Mistakes worth avoiding

• Changing the budget before the donor approves. Leave the budget column as approved until written approval arrives. Then save the old version before editing.
• Mixing commitments with actuals. A purchase order not yet paid does not belong here. Track it on a separate list.
• Typing over formulas. Non-yellow cells are formulas. Save a dated copy each month so you can go back.
• Several versions. Keep one master copy, with one person responsible for updating it.

What this template is not

This is a tracking tool, not an accounting system or a formal report. It does not post entries or store vouchers, and it does not replace a donor's own format when one is required. It makes no promise about any audit or assessment. When it starts to feel too small, read our other guide, "Excel or accounting software?"

Sanad Ventures' Policy Studio also prepares Arabic and English finance and HR policies for NGOs, as a paid service.

Need donor-ready policies? The Policy Studio prepares them for NGOs in Arabic and English, starting with a fixed-price gap review. See the service