Tracking isn’t just about saving opportunities — it’s about moving grants intentionally through your pipeline, collaborating with your team, and staying ahead of deadlines.
Use the practices below to keep your Tracker clean, organized, and action-oriented.
Assign a Grant Owner for accountability and clarity
You can assign a distinct Grant Owner to each funding opportunity that you save. This helps increase collaboration across your team and reduces duplicative work!
To do so, open an individual grant you’ve saved and then click Select Owner or the initials of the current grant "owner".
You’ll be able to see who is responsible for the grant directly from your Tracker view under the Owner column. You can filter your Tracker by "Owner" as well -- simply select the filter button next to 'OWNER' and search or scroll to find the "owners" whose grants you wish to view.
Move Grants Intentionally Through Your Pipeline
Strong tracking habits lead to better results.
We recommend:
Reviewing your grants in the Researching status weekly
Ensuring every Planned grant has a Task
Adding reporting Tasks immediately after a grant is awarded
Updating statuses consistently
A clean, up-to-date Tracker improves visibility, collaboration, and grant success.
Use Tasks to Keep Grants Moving
Tasks represent the next clear action step for a grant.
Instead of relying on Notes or memory, create Tasks to document important milestones throughout the grant lifecycle.
Create Tasks for:
Reviewing guidelines and making a yes/no decision
Gathering required documents
Steps of drafting LOIs or full proposals
Submitting applications
Tracking reporting deadlines after an award
Each Task should reflect a specific next step that moves the opportunity forward.
For detailed instructions on creating Tasks, assigning owners, adding attachments, and managing reminders, see our guide to Tasks: Assign action items for saved grants
Align Tasks with Grant Status
Your Tasks should reflect where the grant sits in your pipeline.
Researching: Avoid leaving grants in Researching indefinitely — make a decision and move them forward or change the status to avoid backlog.
Planned / In Progress: Every Planned opportunity should have at least one active Task tied to it, such as drafting/writing tasks, internal approvals, and submission goals.
Awarded: Adding reporting Tasks immediately after marking a grant as Awarded ensures nothing is missed later.
Assign Clear Task Ownership
While a Task can only have one Assignee, you can add multiple Followers to increase visibility.
Assign one clear owner for accountability
Add collaborators as Followers
Include deadlines to activate reminders
Duplicate Tasks if responsibilities need to be split
Clear ownership reduces confusion and improves follow-through.
Use Grant Statuses Strategically
Grant statuses help you track where each opportunity stands in your pipeline. Review tips for staying organized throughout every stage.
Researching (Potential): You’ve identified a possible fit but haven’t committed to applying.
Researching grants rolls over to future cycles and fiscal years.
Review this list regularly to avoid a backlog.
Planned (Upcoming Proposals / In the Works): You intend to apply.
Set a Submission Goal (your internal deadline).
Enter the Amount Requested.
Planned grants do not roll over once the deadline passes.
If timelines shift, you can edit your Submission Goal or cycle at any time (under the Overview tab of the opportunity).
LOI / Application In Progress: You’ve started drafting or cultivating the funder relationship.
Upload proposal drafts (under the 'Documents' tab)
Track preparation-related Tasks
LOI Submitted / Application Submitted: You’ve completed and submitted your application.
Add the Date Submitted
Monitor for follow-up communication
Awarded – Active: You’ve received funding or agreement and still have reporting obligations.
Enter the Amount Awarded
Add the Date Notified
Add the Grant Period start and end dates
Immediately create reporting Tasks
Declined: Your application was not funded.
Add the Date Notified
Document any feedback in Notes for future reference
Abandoned: You began pursuing the grant but decided not to apply.
Abandoned grants remain visible in your Tracker and Deadline Digest emails, so you can revisit them later.
We recommend changing the status to Abandoned instead of removing the grant. This preserves your evaluation notes and decision history.
Duplicate Opportunities to Reapply
If you plan to reapply in a future cycle:
Open the opportunity.
Click More Options → Duplicate.
Assign it to the appropriate fiscal year.
Duplicating ensures this opportunity stays on your radar for upcoming years.
Generate Reports to Stay Aligned
Use Reports to:
Share bi-weekly pipeline updates with leadership
Review Researching grants before moving them to Planned
Track win rates and submission totals
Monitor progress toward fundraising goals
Add Grants from Outside Instrumentl
You can track opportunities not found in your Matches tab.
To add a custom grant:
Click + Add New in your Tracker
Select + Add one
You can also use Quick find to search for a funder or opportunity and save it directly.
For detailed instructions, see our guide to adding custom grants.
Import Your Existing Grant Spreadsheet
If you’ve tracked grants in Excel or another system, you can import them into Instrumentl to centralize your data.
To import:
Go to your Tracker
Click + Add New → Import your grants spreadsheet
Download the Grant Template
Complete the required columns: Funder Name, Grant Name, Project, Status and Fiscal Year
Upload the completed file to Instrumentl
Our team typically processes imports within a few business days.
For step-by-step instructions, see our detailed import guide.
By consistently updating statuses, assigning clear Tasks and regularly reviewing your Tracker, you’ll create a streamlined grant workflow that keeps your team organized and your deadlines on track.
Contact Us 
Reach out to our friendly support team if you have any questions about tracking. Message us via the chat bubble when you're logged in, or email us at hello@instrumentl.com.