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Reporting requirements
We require both narrative and financial reports on all of our grants
Reports can be submitted via the grants portal.
Begin by logging in to the grants portal using the steps outlined in How to Apply.
To access either your interim or final report, navigate to the Requires Attention section on your dashboard and click on the Pending Reports tile.
Once you open the report in the system, you will be able to uploading the narrative and financial reports using the available upload fields.
If you are unable to access the online grants portal, you may submit your report or inquiries by email at reports@fryfoundation.org or by postal service to the address below.
Ms. Unmi Song
President
Lloyd A. Fry Foundation
120 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 1950
Chicago, IL 60603-3419
Narrative reports
Narrative reports should describe the specific progress made toward reaching the goals of the project. General activity reports or summaries contained in the annual report do not fulfill this requirement. The narrative report should include, but not be limited to, a description of the project, how staff was involved in carrying out the project activities, and the impact it had on project participants. Any changes in the project's implementation as described in the original applications should be fully discussed, offering insight as to why and how the project was adapted.
For information on reporting project outcomes and impact, see our Outcomes and Assessments page.
The Employment Program has recently revised its requirements for the narrative report. Please view the Employment Program’s Reporting Requirements PDF for more information.
Financial reports
The financial report should follow a standard, three-column format. The first column should outline the project budget as it was estimated in the application. It should contain specific line items for relevant expenses.
The second column should outline the actual project expenditures and should maintain the same format and line item breakdowns as the projected budget column. Together, these columns provide a point of comparison between estimated and actual costs, as well as a context for project activities as described in the narrative report.
The third column should provide details on how the Fry Foundation grant was allocated. Line item breakdowns should be provided. The chart below offers an example of this format. (The fourth column is not always needed and is explained below in further detail.) A narrative discussion explaining any major variances to the budget should be included in the financial report.
Sample financial report
Agency X
Project Name: Budget & Financial Report
Date
| Expense Description | Estimated Project Budget | Actual Project Expenditures | Fry Foundation Grant Expended | Remaining Fry Grant to be expended by xx/xx/xx |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salaries | $35,000 | $35,000 | $10,000 | $5,000 |
| Transportation | $7,500 | $8,100 | $4,000 | $0 |
| Supplies | $1,500 | $1,375 | $1,000 | $0 |
| Total: | $44,000 | $44,475 | $15,000 | $5,000 |
Reporting deadlines for renewed requests
Final narrative and financial reports must be received and approved by the Foundation before any subsequent applications will be reviewed. For agencies submitting an application to be reviewed one year from their last grant, the final reports will cover a ten-month period rather than the full twelve months in order to meet the application deadline. In such cases, the narrative report should discuss all activities that have occurred in the grant period to date, with a description of the projected activities for the remaining months covered by the grant. Financial reports should include, when necessary, a fourth column describing how and when the remaining funds will be expended. The sample financial report above uses an example of this optional fourth column.