Every grant sits in an Airtable base with its report dates, staff owner and required attachments. A daily check emails the owner at 60, 30, 14 and 7 days out with what is still missing, and the director gets a Monday look-ahead.
Typical results
60 days
First reminder before each report is due
≈95%
Reports submitted complete and on time
1 email
Weekly look-ahead for the executive director
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
With about 15 grants, each funder sets its own interim and final report dates, formats and attachment lists, such as audited accounts or photos. Deadlines live in emails, contracts and one person's calendar. Reports get started a week before they are due, attachments are hunted at the last minute, and a missed report can put the next payment at risk.
Before and after
Hours per month on tracking grant deadlines
−80%Late or incomplete grant reports per year
−75%Days of lead time when a report is started
4.3×The automation
Each grant has an Airtable record with its interim and final report dates, the staff owner and the funder's list of required attachments, ticked off as files are uploaded. Every morning Make checks the dates and emails the owner at 60, 30, 14 and 7 days out with the checklist and what is still missing. Each grant shows a red, amber or green status, and a Monday summary of everything due within 30 days goes to the executive director.
How it works
- 01
Grant entered once
Each new grant gets a record with its report dates, the staff owner and the funder's required attachments, copied from the grant agreement.
- 02
Daily date check
Every morning Make compares today's date with each report date and picks out the grants at 60, 30, 14 or 7 days out.
- 03
Owner reminded with a checklist
The owner gets an email with the funder's checklist, the attachments already uploaded and the ones still missing.
- 04
Status shown in the base
Each grant is marked green, amber or red by days left and missing items, so the team sees at a glance where help is needed.
- 05
Monday look-ahead
The executive director gets one email listing every report due in the next 30 days, with its owner and status.
Starts from
- Grant records in Airtable
- Funder attachment lists
Delivers
- Reminders to grant owners
- Red, amber, green status
- Monday look-ahead email
The impact
Reports are started weeks ahead instead of days, and no deadline arrives unnoticed. Staff save about 4 hours a month of tracking dates and chasing attachments, the director sees every upcoming obligation in one Monday email, and around 95% of reports reach funders complete and on time.
Questions about this automation
Can the reminder schedule change for a large grant?
Yes. The 60, 30, 14 and 7 day points are a default set in the base, and any grant can have its own. A large multi-year grant might start at 90 days and copy the finance manager, while a small one-page report might need only the 14 and 7 day reminders.
How does it know which attachments are missing?
Each grant record has a checklist built from the funder's requirements, such as a budget report, photos or beneficiary figures. When a file is uploaded to the record or its Google Drive folder, the item is ticked. Reminders list only what is still open, so owners see exactly what to chase.
Where does the grant information come from at the start?
Most nonprofits already keep current grants in a spreadsheet, which is imported into Airtable with each report date, staff owner and the funder's attachment list taken from the grant agreement. Email access covers the reminders. Simple automations like this are usually live within days, and the first week of reminders is checked with the team.