Grant applications written, costed and signed in one place
Summary, budget schedule, milestones, outcomes and declarations in one document your board signs, exported as a PDF for the funder.
- 5/5 on G2
- 4.2 on Capterra
- Building QuoteCloud since 2013
Charities and foundations use QuoteCloud to prepare grant applications and funding proposals as structured documents: a project summary, a budget schedule with requested and own contributions, milestones on a Gantt chart (Business), outcomes with the organisation's own targets and declarations its office holders sign. Export the PDF and submit it through the funder's own portal.
A grant application from Paperbark Reading Trust (fictional) to the Ellery Family Foundation, Books at Home, as a dossier with five index tabs that light one by one: Summary (program, where, when, 600 families), Budget ($120,000 requested and $28,600 of Paperbark's own contribution), Plan (a 12-month milestones chart, Business plan), Outcomes (Paperbark's own targets, such as children reading at home most days from 38% to 60%) and Declarations (signed by the chief executive Helen Vu and the board chair Patricia Nwosu). A 14-page PDF then slides out into a tray marked: uploaded by your team to the funder's own portal.
One application, from summary to signed declarations
Paperbark's Books at Home application to a family foundation, part by part: what comes from your library, which figures are yours, what needs the Business plan and who signs.
-
From the library
The summary the funder's form asks for
Program, place, dates, families and the amounts, with a paragraph Kiri writes for this round. The organisation profile and program outline come from the content library.
Content library: Essentials and up
Paperbark Reading TrustGrant application PRT-GA-0412 Sample · fictional organisationGrant application
Books at Home: reading packs for 600 families
Our application to the Ellery Family Foundation's 2027 community round for Books at Home, a 12-month program that puts books and reading coaches into 600 homes across the northern suburbs.
Project summary
Children in the northern suburbs start school with fewer books at home than the regional average. Books at Home gives 600 families a pack of 12 books their child chooses, two reading coaches in four primary schools and 24 family reading sessions, then measures what changes over the year.
- Program
- Books at Home
- Where
- Four primary schools, northern suburbs
- When
- February 2027 to January 2028
- Families
- 600
- Requested
- $120,000
- Total project
- $148,600
-
Your figures
A budget schedule that adds up
Each line with what's requested and what Paperbark puts in, cash or in kind, totalled and split. The costs are Paperbark's own estimates; the funder decides what's eligible.
Budget schedule
Tax exclusive. Paperbark's contribution includes volunteer time valued at $20 an hour.
Item Requested Paperbark Total Home reading packs600 packs of 12 books at $108 $64,800 – $64,800 Reading coachesTwo coaches, 0.6 FTE, 40 weeks $38,400 $6,000 $44,400 Family reading sessions24 sessions: venue, catering, books $7,200 $2,400 $9,600 Volunteer reading mentorsIn kind: 480 hours at $20 – $9,600 In kind $9,600 Independent evaluationExternal reviewer, two reports $6,000 – $6,000 Program managementCoordination, reporting, administration $3,600 $10,600 $14,200 Total $120,000 $28,600 $148,600 Requested 81%Paperbark 19%
Costs are Paperbark's own estimates from supplier quotes. The funder decides what is eligible.
-
Business plan
Milestones on a Gantt chart
Twelve months from enrolment to the final report, with the mid-point report and the evaluation marked, so the funder sees when each part happens.
Gantt charts: Business plan
Milestones
StageM1M2M3M4M5M6M7M8M9M10M11M12Enrol families & schools Month 1 to 2Pack & deliver books Month 2 to 4Reading coaches in schools Month 3 to 10Family reading sessions Month 4 to 11Mid-point report Month 7Independent evaluation Month 10 to 12Final report Month 13 -
Your own targets
Outcomes, labelled as your own
Each measure with Paperbark's own baseline, its target and how it will be measured. The note says where the baselines come from: QuoteCloud doesn't supply or check them.
Outcomes we will measure
- Children who read at home most days Now38%Target60% Family survey, start and end
- Books in the home NowFewer than 10Target22 or more Pack records and survey
- Families at a reading session NowNone yetTarget400 Session sign-in sheets
- Teachers who see a change NowNot measuredTarget8 in 10 Teacher interviews
Organisation's own figures Baselines are from Paperbark's own 2025–26 survey of 212 families. Targets are Paperbark's own.
-
The board's questions, in the document
Patricia asked whether evaluation should be its own line; Kiri replied in the same comment thread, and the budget changed before anyone signed.
Before we submit
- Attach the 2025–26 audited financial statements in the funder's portal.
- Letters of support from two principals are in the shared folder.
Patricia NwosuShould the evaluation be a separate line, or part of program management?
Kiri, PaperbarkSeparate. The guidelines ask for evaluation costs on their own line.
-
Signed
Declarations your office holders sign
The funder's declaration wording, signed by the chief executive and the board chair, each with their own signature and an audit trail.
eSignatures: every plan
Declarations
- The information in this application is true and complete.
- Paperbark Reading Trust is a registered charity and will provide its registration details on request.
- Funds will be used only for the project described, and unspent funds returned or reported as the foundation requires.
- We will report on outcomes at the mid-point and at the end of the project.
Wording copied from the foundation's application guidelines.
- Helen VuChief Executive Signed Wed 11 Nov
- Patricia NwosuBoard chair Signed Thu 12 Nov
Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached when everyone has signed
-
A PDF for the funder's portal
Export the finished application and upload it to the funder's own form. QuoteCloud doesn't submit applications, check eligibility or guarantee funding.
PDF export: Starter and up
PRT-GA-0412 Books at Home.pdf14 pages · exported Thu 12 Nov 2026, 3:18 pmDownloaded from QuoteCloud and uploaded by Paperbark to the foundation's own online form.
QuoteCloud doesn't submit applications, check eligibility or guarantee funding.
Prepared by your grants lead, or with your accountant
Most applications are written in-house. When an accountant or grant consultant helps, they work in QuoteCloud too, and the accounting microsite shows their side.
Your grants leadThis page
- Start each round from your program's application template, not last year's Word file.
- The CEO and board members comment on the draft in the document.
- Office holders sign the declarations; you export the PDF and upload it yourself.
An accountant or grant consultantOn the accounting microsite
- They scope and price the application work in an engagement your directors sign.
- They gather your figures and evidence and assemble the application for you to sign.
Either way, eligibility and the decision belong to the funder, and the application goes in through the funder's own process.
The budget and the outcomes it pays for
Funders read the budget and the outcomes together. In QuoteCloud they sit in the same document, so a change to coach hours or the number of families is made once and read in context.
Paperbark shows its own contribution beside the request, including volunteer time valued at an hourly rate it states. The outcomes table carries a note saying the baselines and targets are Paperbark's own.
- Requested and own contribution, line by line
- Cash and in-kind contributions labelled
- Outcomes with your own baselines, targets and methods
- A note on where every figure comes from
Budget schedule
Tax exclusive. Paperbark's contribution includes volunteer time valued at $20 an hour.
| Item | Requested | Paperbark | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home reading packs600 packs of 12 books at $108 | $64,800 | – | $64,800 |
| Reading coachesTwo coaches, 0.6 FTE, 40 weeks | $38,400 | $6,000 | $44,400 |
| Family reading sessions24 sessions: venue, catering, books | $7,200 | $2,400 | $9,600 |
| Volunteer reading mentorsIn kind: 480 hours at $20 | – | $9,600 In kind | $9,600 |
| Independent evaluationExternal reviewer, two reports | $6,000 | – | $6,000 |
| Program managementCoordination, reporting, administration | $3,600 | $10,600 | $14,200 |
| Total | $120,000 | $28,600 | $148,600 |
Requested 81%Paperbark 19%
Costs are Paperbark's own estimates from supplier quotes. The funder decides what is eligible.
Outcomes we will measure
- Children who read at home most days Now38%Target60% Family survey, start and end
- Books in the home NowFewer than 10Target22 or more Pack records and survey
- Families at a reading session NowNone yetTarget400 Session sign-in sheets
- Teachers who see a change NowNot measuredTarget8 in 10 Teacher interviews
Organisation's own figures Baselines are from Paperbark's own 2025–26 survey of 212 families. Targets are Paperbark's own.
Prepare your next application in QuoteCloud
Free for 14 days, no credit card required. Send us an application you've written before and we'll convert it into a template during the trial.
When the funder comes back with questions
A foundation asks for coach hours per school and more detail on how teachers will be interviewed. Kiri opens the application, revises it and exports a new PDF.
Version history keeps each version, so the team can see exactly what changed between the PDF that was uploaded and the revision, and who changed it.
- Revise the last version instead of starting again
- Every version kept, with who changed it and when
- A fresh PDF for the funder's portal
Version history: Business plan
Version history
Business plan-
Version 3CurrentFri 4 Dec 2026 · Kiri Mahuika
Revised after the foundation's questions: coach hours shown per school, and how teachers will be interviewed.
-
Version 2Thu 12 Nov 2026 · Kiri Mahuika
Declarations signed by the chief executive and the board chair; PDF exported for the portal.
-
Version 1Mon 2 Nov 2026 · Kiri Mahuika
First draft from the Books at Home template, shared with the board for comments.
Every version is kept, so you can see what changed between the PDF you uploaded and the revision.
Downloaded from QuoteCloud and uploaded by Paperbark to the foundation's own online form.
QuoteCloud doesn't submit applications, check eligibility or guarantee funding.
From program outline to a PDF for the portal
How a grants lead prepares an application in QuoteCloud.
Start from your template
One template per program, in the order most of your funders ask for.
Write the summary
Add your organisation profile and program outline from the content library.
Cost the budget
Requested and own contributions line by line, with your milestones on a Gantt chart (Business).
Comment and sign
The board comments on the draft; the CEO and chair sign the declarations.
Export and upload
Export the PDF and upload it to the funder's own portal yourself.
Grant application questions, answered
Can I write a grant application in QuoteCloud?
Yes. Build the application as a document: a project summary, a budget schedule, milestones, outcomes and declarations, from a template you reuse each round. Board members comment on the draft, your office holders sign the declarations, and you export a PDF to upload to the funder's portal.
Does QuoteCloud submit the application to the funder?
No. QuoteCloud prepares and exports the application as a PDF. Your team uploads it through the funder's own portal or process. QuoteCloud doesn't submit applications, check your eligibility, track funding rounds or guarantee an outcome.
Can the milestones show as a Gantt chart?
Yes, on the Business plan. Add a Gantt chart to the application with each activity, its start and length, and milestones such as the mid-point and final reports. It appears in the document and in the exported PDF.
Who can sign the declarations?
Anyone you add as a signer, such as your chief executive and your board chair. Each signs with their own signature on any device, and the document records a Certificate of authenticity and an audit trail. Use the funder's own declaration wording.
Can we keep track of a revised application?
Yes. Revise the last version and export a new PDF. On the Business plan, version history keeps every version with who changed it and when, so you can see what changed after the funder's questions.
What if our accountant prepares the application?
That works too. Accountants and grant consultants use QuoteCloud to scope their work and assemble applications for their clients to sign. The accounting microsite covers their side of a grant application.
More for not-for-profits
Every page of the QuoteCloud not-for-profit microsite.
-
Corporate sponsorship & partnership proposalsTiers the partner chooses between, add-on assets they tick, both signers sign and the first payment is made on signing.Explore
-
Membership renewalsAnnual fees as a price table, renewals bulk-sent each year, expiry dates you can filter on, and nothing that renews by itself.Explore
-
Event sponsorship packagesGala, fun run or festival packages bulk-sent to local businesses, each choosing a package and paying on signing.Explore
- Major-gift & bequest proposalsA personal proposal for a long-time supporter: ideas to talk over, no deadline and no pressure, with replies in the comments.
- Fee-for-service program quotes & service agreementsPrograms you deliver for schools, councils and companies, quoted and agreed in one document their signers sign.
- Volunteer & partner MOUsWho does what, partner details collected in the document and both organisations signing, with no payment involved.
- Board approvals & delegationsProposals over the value your board sets go to the CEO or the chair to approve before they're sent.
- Impact stories & case studies libraryApproved impact stories, program descriptions and case studies saved once and dropped into any proposal.
- CRM & integrations for not-for-profitsSigned partnerships to your CRM, finance system or spreadsheet through Zapier, Make or the QuoteCloud API.
- Not-for-profit templatesReal QuoteCloud templates for sponsorship, grant, fundraising, event sponsorship and membership documents.
- QuoteCloud implementation for not-for-profitsYour templates converted, impact stories in the library, approvals set to your delegations and the team trained.
- FAQAnswers to the questions charities, foundations, clubs and arts organisations ask most.
Your next application, ready for the funder
Free for 14 days. No credit card required.