For nonprofit leaders managing restricted grants, especially government-funded ones

If the state pays late, how many days can you operate?

A 13-week cash forecast, margin by program, and a grant compliance check. You see how many days you can operate, which programs cost you money, and whether your grants are safe.

Book a Runway & Grant Review$2,500 fixed fee. Delivered within 10 business days after we confirm your data is complete.

Your bank balance is not your runway.

Nonprofits on government grants spend first and get reimbursed later, and payroll does not wait. In a survey of New York City nonprofits, first payments to human services providers arrived an average of 6.5 months after the contract start date.

Source: Nonprofit Finance Fund, 2025

Foundation and donor grants have the opposite problem. The cash is in the bank, but it is restricted, so your balance overstates what you can actually spend.

Meanwhile, programs look profitable until shared costs are fully allocated, and restricted dollars land on the wrong grant. You find out at reporting time or audit time, when fixing it costs the most.

Illustrative example

A fictional family services nonprofit with five grants. Every state reimbursement arrives 30 days late.

The 13-week forecast shows the pinch point while there is still time to act.

Lowest point

Week 9

Unrestricted cash falls to about 11 days of operations

The delayed case

+30 days

Shown next to the base case, so leaders see the gap between them

What you control

3 levers

Billing speed, spending timing and short-term financing

Two steps. You decide after the first.

Step 1

Runway & Grant Review

$2,500

Fixed fee, delivered within 10 business days after we confirm your data is complete. Yours to keep, whether or not you continue with us.

13-week cash forecast. Restricted and unrestricted cash shown separately, with reimbursement timing for each grant
Program margin snapshot. What each program costs fully allocated, and which programs your unrestricted dollars are covering
Compliance risk report. Spending that may not hold up, deadlines and match requirements at risk, Single Audit exposure
Leadership walkthrough. 60 minutes on the three decisions that matter most

Step 2

Monthly Runway Support

Starting at $1,500 a month

Scoped after the Review to your annual budget and the number of active grants you carry. It supports your CFO or finance team and does not replace it. Three-month minimum.

Rolling cash outlook and a decision check before major moves: the effect on each grant and your reserves
Program margins tracked every month, with a monthly CPA working session
Every grant reconciled to its approved budget, by line, with restricted funds tracked and released on time
Platform access included (in pilot), plus a board-ready dashboard
Grant reports prepared and reviewed by us. You sign and submit.

Start within 30 days of your Review and $1,250 of the Review fee is credited to your first month.

PreciseGrants is not an audit firm. We get you ready for your auditor; we do not replace them. Forecasts rest on stated assumptions and are not guarantees of future results.

Built for nonprofits that spend first.

You are a fit if most of these are true:

$1M–$5M

Annual budget

Big enough for real cash and compliance risk, too small for a full grants accounting team.

Restricted or government grants

Each with its own budget, payment terms and reporting calendar.

QBO Plus

Or Advanced

Class tracking lets us see program and grant detail in your books.

Lean

Finance team

A bookkeeper and an executive director carrying most of the load.

Before we start, so the clock is fair.

The 10 business days begin when we confirm in writing that your data is complete and usable. We check readiness on your intro call, before you pay anything.

Books reconciled through your last closed month
Transactions coded by program or grant
Twelve months of ledger detail you can export
Your grant agreements, budgets and reimbursement terms

If your books need work first, we will tell you, and you can use any bookkeeper you choose.

Why now.

Dec 31

Year-end is when cash and grants collide.

For December 31 fiscal years, every grant reconciliation and restriction release has to be done before the books close, and next year's budget gets set on the same numbers. Problems found in November get fixed quietly. Problems found in January get fixed in front of your auditor.

$1M · 15%

The federal rules changed.

For fiscal years beginning on or after October 1, 2024, the Single Audit threshold is $1,000,000 in federal spending. The 15% de minimis indirect rate applies to awards issued or modified on or after that date. Many grant budgets haven't caught up.

Request your intro call

Ten short questions, about 3 minutes. Qualified organizations get a booking link right away.