Grant Document Retention Quick Guide

Project records document compliance with legal requirements, provide support for audits, and serve as a basis for reporting. The following records need to be kept for at least five years for all funded grant awards:

Funder/Legal Documents

Administrative guidelines and regulations
Approved application and budget
Audit reports, if applicable
Official notification of award

Budget Records – most of these are stored electronically within PeopleSoft

All contracts and agreements for consultants
All purchasing documents
Evidence of cost comparison/analysis
All reimbursement requests
Copies of payroll documents
Drawdown documentation
Expenditure and income tracking files
In-kind budget worksheets (not in PeopleSoft)
In-kind documentation of expenses
Monthly guideline reports
Monthly statements for P-Cards

Personnel Records:

Job descriptions and staff resumes
Staff schedules
Staff and volunteer sign-in sheets (time-tracking sheets)
Time and Effort Documentation

Programmatic Records

All correspondence with the funder
All project reports
Any records that document problems and successes
Contact information for staff and program officers
Data used to demonstrate effectiveness in meeting objectives
Inventory records if equipment was purchased with government funds
Minutes of meetings
Press releases, newsletter, brochures, publicity, videos (be sure funder is properly recognized per grant agreement)
Project sign-in sheets
Project timelines
Surveys and results