Grant Risk & Readiness Index by GrantFusion
Grant Risk & Readiness Index
Free, self-reported readiness planning for nonprofit leaders. Identify documentation gaps, set priorities, and plan your next steps—not prove compliance.
No cost. For organizations that spend federal or State grant funds.Answers and documents are not verified. GrantFusion and ReddStrategy Group are not CPA firms.
How common these gaps are
Every Illinois state grant, whichever agency issues it, carries the same core requirements under the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act and the federal Uniform Guidance. When the Illinois Auditor General examined a sample of 60 grant agreements at one state agency, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, it reported:
- 73% had periodic fiscal reports submitted late or not at all
- 48% had quarterly timekeeping certifications late or not on file
- 50% had no approved pre-award cost letter on file
- 45% had not submitted their financial statement audit report
The Index asks about each of these.
Most findings are about paperwork, not misconduct.
An organization can spend every dollar properly and still struggle to respond to a funder’s document request. The Index organizes the documentation gaps you report so you can decide what to address first. It does not determine whether a control works or whether your records meet a funder’s requirements.
The rules change as you grow.
Bracket A
Annual reporting only
Contributions under $300,000
Annual report to the Illinois Attorney General (Form AG990-IL) and IRS Form 990, where required. No CPA requirement from this contribution threshold alone.
Bracket B
CPA review
Contributions of $300,000 to $500,000
Financial statements reviewed by a licensed CPA.
Bracket C
Independent financial statement audit
Contributions over $500,000, or State-issued awards of $500,000 or more
A financial statement audit by an independent licensed CPA. Additional requirements depend on the award and applicable rules.
Bracket D
Single Audit
Federal awards spent of $1,000,000 or more
Single Audit, in addition to the financial statement audit.
These contribution and State-award brackets summarize Illinois rules. For other states, only the federal Single Audit threshold is mapped; the Index shows “State requirements not yet mapped” when it is not triggered. Requirements also depend on how your state defines contributions. Confirm your organization's requirement with your CPA or the Attorney General's office.
Your compliance bracket summarizes outside reporting requirements; your planning-priority tier reflects your self-reported gaps. The bracket is not a service offered by GrantFusion or ReddStrategy Group.
Your results, in context.
- Your compliance bracket: the level of outside scrutiny your size triggers.
- Your tier, I through IV: a planning-priority category, not a compliance grade.
- Your area profile: seven control areas.
- Your next steps: a 30/60/90-day planning roadmap.
The full report gives you a tier, a seven-area profile, and a roadmap.
Seven control areas.
Internal controls
Whether the basic checks that prevent and catch errors exist on paper and in practice.
Personnel time documentation
Whether the time charged to each grant is supported by records that reflect the work actually performed.
Cost allocation and indirect rates
Whether shared costs are divided across grants by a method you can show and explain.
Procurement
Whether purchases made with grant funds follow documented competition and approval rules.
Subrecipient oversight
Whether you monitor the organizations you pass grant funds to.
Financial reporting
Whether the reports you file match your books and are prepared on time.
Governance
Whether the board reviews, approves, and documents the decisions it is responsible for.
Choose how to begin.
Both options begin with a short contact form, then the same questions about your organization and funding.
Mode A
Self-Assessment
Answer from what you know. About 10 minutes.
Mode B · Recommended
Documented Self-Assessment
For every "Yes," name the document that supports it and where it is kept. A "Yes" without a named document counts as Partial. You leave with a self-reported documentation list you can work from. No documents are uploaded or verified. About 20 to 25 minutes.
Built by an investigator who has also run the budget.
Dr. DeAndre Redd is a Certified Fraud Examiner, a retired Chicago Police Department detective and former FBI task force computer forensics officer, and the former Chief Administrative Officer of the Chicago Fire Department, where he managed a $700 million budget.
Questions
- Are my records checked?
- No. Both modes use your answers only. No documents or transactions are inspected or verified. Results are advisory planning aids, not proof of compliance.
- Who sees my answers?
- GrantFusion. Your results may be shared with its affiliate ReddStrategy Group, and ReddStrategy Group may contact you about your result. Your answers are never shared with a funder, auditor, or regulator.
- Do I need my files in front of me?
- The Self-Assessment asks you to answer from what you know. The Documented Self-Assessment asks you to name supporting documents and where they are kept, not upload them.
- What does it cost?
- Nothing.
- What happens after?
- You can stop at your bracket and tier, or confirm your details and consent to unlock your full report and download a PDF. An optional 20-minute advisory conversation with ReddStrategy Group is a separate next step.
Find out before someone else asks.
Not ready to start? Stay in touch.
Leave your details and ReddStrategy Group will follow up about grant readiness planning for your organization.