Help Centre

Is Grantforge really free? Do I need an account?

Yes — free, with no account, no sign-up, and no usage limits. All computation runs in your browser, so there is nothing to meter. The Pro tier ($19 one-off for CSV download) is available as a test-mode checkout on the Pricing page — no payment processor is connected, and the checkout is a clearly labelled test-mode placeholder. No real card can be charged on this site. The price is proposed and not yet live.

Does Grantforge file my report or submit it to CPB?

No. Grantforge verifies arithmetic and downloads a CSV report; it does not submit anything to any grant-making body, does not connect to any grant portal, and never transmits your figures anywhere. Filing is entirely up to you. Grantforge is not affiliated with CPB or any grant-making body, and the figures and the filing are the filer's responsibility.

What happens to the figures I enter? Are they stored?

Nothing leaves your device. The figures you enter, the CSVs you upload, and the results exist only in the browser tab's memory for the duration of your session. No server stores them and no analytics or tracking scripts run. The only thing saved on your device is your light/dark theme preference. Close the tab (or click Clear All) and the figures are gone — download the CSV first if you need a copy.

What format does my CSV need to be in?

Any text file with a header row that includes a category column and an amount column — comma-, tab-, or semicolon-delimited all work. Recognised header names are category, item, line item, name, or description for the category, and amount, value, total, or figure for the amount. Category names are matched case-insensitively (for example membership dues, underwriting, programming, foundation grants), and amounts may include $ signs and commas. Rows with unrecognised categories are ignored; if the file has no recognisable categories you will see an error message in the upload status. A minimal example:

category,amount
membership_dues,300000
programming,600000

Why are the Download and Copy buttons disabled?

Copy Results enables after a report has been computed. Download Report (CSV) requires Grantforge Pro ($19 one-off purchase) — the button stays disabled on the Free tier. If you have just loaded the page with empty fields, click Compute Report first. Clicking Clear All resets the form and disables them again until you compute.

A check failed — what does that mean and what should I do?

Each check compares derived figures or ratios against a guideline: NFFS components sum to the displayed NFFS, revenue line items sum to Total Revenue, expense line items sum to Total Expenses, programming is at least 70% of expenses, fundraising is at most 10%, management & general is at most 15%, and NFFS does not exceed Total Revenue. A FAIL means two figures disagree or a ratio is outside the guideline, and the report names the figures involved and the size of the difference. Grantforge can only tell you that numbers disagree — not which one is right — so compare the flagged figures against your source records before filing. Note that a figure entered consistently wrong (for example a transposed digit) will pass every check, so always review the output against your records.