Nairobi, Kenya

Course Introduction Grants Management Training Workshop provides practical skills for managing donor-funded grants effectively, ensuring compliance with donor requirements, Effective Grants Management & Compliance Training is a practical professional course designed to equip NGO, government, humanitarian and development professionals with the skills required to manage donor-funded grants effectively, maintain compliance and demonstrate accountability for grant resources. The course covers the complete grant lifecycle, from award preparation and grant agreements through implementation, financial management, procurement, monitoring, reporting, audit readiness and close-out.

The training is designed around practical donor-funded scenarios and tools that participants can immediately adapt within their organizations. Effective grants management requires more than financial administration; it requires coordinated programme, finance, procurement, compliance and monitoring systems. Recent oversight findings have also highlighted the importance of clear procedures, complete documentation, timely reporting and strong grant-management systems

Course objectives

  • Explain and manage the complete grant lifecycle from award preparation and implementation to reporting and close-out.
  • Manage procurement and sub-grants in accordance with applicable donor and organizational requirements.
  • Strengthen audit readiness and respond appropriately to findings, questioned costs and corrective actions.
  • dentify potential fraud, conflicts of interest, misuse of funds and other compliance concerns and understand appropriate escalation and disclosure processes
  • Conduct effective grant close-out while ensuring financial reconciliation, documentation, asset management and lessons learned.
  • Develop and manage grant budgets, monitor expenditure and conduct budget-versus-actual analysis

Who should attend

Grants Managers, Grants Officers, Grants Coordinators, Grants Administrators, Programme Managers, Project Managers, NGO Managers, NGO Staff, Finance Managers, Finance Officers, Project Accountants, Compliance Officers, Donor Compliance Officers, Programme Officers, Monitoring and Evaluation Officers, MEAL Officers, Procurement Officers, Supply Chain Officers, Partnership Officers, Sub-Grant Managers, Sub-Award Officers, Fundraising Officers, Resource Mobilization Officers, Development Practitioners, Humanitarian Programme Staff, CSO Staff, Government Project Officers, Donor-Funded Project Teams, International Development Organization Staff, Internal Auditors, Risk Officers, Consultants, Project Coordinators, Operations Managers, Professionals responsible for donor-funded programmes.

Course content

  • Module 1: Foundations of Grants Management Module sections: Grant management concepts and terminology, grant lifecycle, grant management principles, roles and responsibilities, grant governance, donor-recipient relationships, programme-finance-procuremen
  • Module 2: Understanding Grant Agreements & Donor Requirements Module sections: Grant agreements, award terms and conditions, donor regulations, special conditions, contractual obligations, eligible and ineligible activities, reporting requirements, compl
  • Module 3: Pre-Award Due Diligence & Grant Readiness Module sections: Organizational capacity assessment, financial-system readiness, governance assessment, internal controls, procurement systems, safeguarding systems, risk assessment, partner due diligen
  • Module 4: Grant Start-Up & Implementation Planning Module sections: Grant start-up meetings, award kick-off, implementation plans, work plans, grant calendars, deliverables, milestones, responsibility matrices, grant files, reporting schedules, budget se
  • Module 5: Grant Budgeting & Financial Management Module sections: Grant budget structure, budget categories, direct and indirect costs, cost allocation, budget narratives, expenditure controls, cash-flow planning, advances, financial documentation, expen
  • Module 6: Cost Eligibility & Financial Compliance Module sections: Allowable costs, allocable costs, reasonable costs, necessary costs, unsupported expenditure, unbudgeted expenditure, restricted costs, cost allocation principles, shared costs, staff cos
  • Module 7: Grant Procurement & Supply-Chain Compliance Module sections: Grant procurement principles, procurement planning, competitive procurement, quotations, tendering, supplier selection, conflict of interest, procurement thresholds, bid evaluation, p
  • Module 8: Internal Controls & Grant Accountability Module sections: Internal control frameworks, segregation of duties, authorization controls, approval workflows, bank controls, payment controls, cash management, asset controls, reconciliation, document
  • Module 9: Grant Risk Management Module sections: Grant risk identification, financial risks, compliance risks, operational risks, procurement risks, partner risks, fraud risks, safeguarding risks, reputational risks, risk scoring, risk registers, mitigat
  • Module 10: Fraud, Corruption, Conflict of Interest & Misuse of Funds Module sections: Fraud risks in grant programmes, corruption indicators, bribery risks, conflicts of interest, fictitious transactions, procurement fraud, payroll fraud, asset misuse, f
  • Module 11: Sub-Grant & Partner Management Module sections: Partner identification, partner due diligence, capacity assessment, sub-grant agreements, partner budgets, partner compliance requirements, partner monitoring, financial reporting, technical repo
  • Module 12: Grant Monitoring & Performance Management Module sections: Grant monitoring frameworks, programme indicators, outputs and outcomes, milestones, deliverables, performance tracking, field monitoring, financial-programme reconciliation, monitorin
  • Module 13: Grant Reporting & Donor Communication Module sections: Technical reports, financial reports, narrative reporting, results reporting, expenditure reporting, variance explanations, indicator reporting, reporting calendars, supporting documentati
  • Module 14: Grant Data, Documentation & Records Management Module sections: Grant filing systems, document retention, financial records, procurement files, contracts, invoices, timesheets, attendance records, asset registers, partner documentation, electr
  • Module 15: Grant Compliance Monitoring & Corrective Action Module sections: Compliance reviews, compliance checklists, internal compliance assessments, exception reporting, non-compliance identification, root-cause analysis, corrective action plans, mana
  • Module 16: Grant Audits & Audit Readiness Module sections: Types of grant audits, audit preparation, audit trails, supporting documentation, auditor requests, sampling, financial reconciliation, compliance testing, management letters, audit findings, que
  • Module 17: Grant Modifications, Budget Revisions & Extensions Module sections: Grant amendments, no-cost extensions, budget realignment, budget modifications, changes in scope, changes in key personnel, changes in implementation plans, donor approvals, m
  • Module 18: Grant Close-Out & Post-Award Compliance Module sections: Grant close-out planning, final technical reports, final financial reports, expenditure reconciliation, outstanding advances, asset disposition, procurement close-out, partner close-out,
  • Module 19: Digital Tools, Dashboards & AI for Grants Management Module sections: Digital grant registers, grant tracking systems, compliance dashboards, budget dashboards, expenditure monitoring, automated reporting, document management, data visualizati
  • Module 20: Integrated Grant Management Simulation Module sections: Grant award review, compliance assessment, implementation planning, budget analysis, procurement review, risk assessment, monitoring, reporting, audit preparation, corrective action and c

General notes

  • Practical Course Outputs Grant Compliance Matrix, Grant Start-Up Checklist, Grant Implementation Plan, Grant Budget, Budget Narrative, Budget-versus-Actual Analysis, Grant Procurement Plan, Supplier Evaluation Matrix, Grant Risk Register, Internal Control Checklist, Partner Due-Diligence Checklist, Sub-Grant Monitoring Tool, Grant Performance Framework, Donor Reporting Calendar, Technical Grant Report, Financial Grant Report, Grant Compliance Review Checklist, Corrective Action Plan, Grant Audit-Readiness Checklist, Grant Modification Request, Grant Close-Out Checklist, Grant Management SOP, Grant Compliance Dashboard, Complete Grant Management Plan.

Frequently asked questions

It is a practical course that teaches professionals how to manage donor-funded grants effectively while meeting contractual, financial, programme, procurement and reporting requirements.
Yes. Participants cover pre-award readiness, grant start-up, implementation, financial management, procurement, monitoring, reporting, compliance, audits, modifications and close-out.
Yes. Participants explore grant dashboards, automated reporting, digital compliance monitoring, AI-assisted document review, data analysis and risk identification, with emphasis on responsible use of AI.
Yes. It is particularly relevant to organizations managing grants from bilateral and multilateral donors, foundations, international development agencies, government funding programmes and humanitarian donors.
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