How to report on a grant correctly: a step-by-step guide

A substantive report is one of the final documents that must be submitted upon completion of the project.

You can find all the necessary files via this link on the International Renaissance Foundation’s website.

Substantive reports are submitted electronically, so we recommend that you save the necessary materials and files in electronic format from the very start of the project.

What are the components of a substantive report?

• General information about the organisation.

Here you should provide key details about your organisation and the project, such as the project number and title, the organisation’s name, the budget, who the project manager is, and so on.

• Activities and results.

In this section, you examine the following issues in greater detail:

1. The project’s objectives and tasks.
2. What are the project’s key achievements?
3. Compare the results achieved with those expected
4. Has the project context changed due to external and internal factors? What risks and difficulties arose during the project’s implementation?
5. Describe the project’s beneficiaries: which specific groups received support, what type of support, and the regional distribution
6. Were your findings useful to central government bodies and/or local authorities? Is the project focused on local development?
7. How did the project affect your team, and what are the long-term consequences of the project’s implementation?
8. A special table – a form that will help you compare what was planned with what was actually achieved during the project’s implementation period

What exactly can be included as appendices to the content report?

Please attach to the substantive report, in electronic form, detailed information on activities carried out as part of the project, examples of project outputs, copies of media coverage, etc., in particular:

a) Project deliverables (analytical materials, reports, draft legislation, etc.); links to official reports and documents where the project’s outputs have been utilised.

b) For events (seminars / training sessions / conferences / round-table discussions / focus groups / press conferences, etc.):

• the programme and handouts;
• press announcements, press releases and post-event reports;
• copies of the lists of participants for each event, including contact details, with the participants’ handwritten signatures and confirmation of their consent to the processing of personal data;
• copies of the accreditation lists for media representatives;
• photographs from the events, etc.

c) For consultations/services:

• copies of consultation logbooks;
• information on the number of people who received consultations or services;
• an analysis of the topics covered in enquiries.

d) For printed materials:

• lists and methods of distribution of printed materials;
• electronic versions of printed materials (books, brochures, leaflets, etc.);
• printed versions of materials produced using project funds must also be submitted to the IRF.

(e) For media and online materials:

• links to materials published on websites and/or on social media; or scanned copies of materials published in print media
• links to web platforms, web archives and other resources where recordings of television and radio reports or programmes are stored.

f) For trips, placements and on-site consultations:

• reports on the programmes, objectives, tasks and outcomes of the trips, as well as information on the composition of participants and itineraries.

Cooperation during the implementation of the project

In this section, we will seek answers to the following questions:

1. Which partner organisations took part in the project?
2. What was the level of your cooperation with the partners, and how were your tasks allocated?
3. Were you able to establish any partnerships during the project’s implementation that were not envisaged in the project proposal?
4. Which of the project’s new partners, and in what way, could enhance the effectiveness of the project’s implementation in its next phase(s)?
5. Do you plan to continue cooperating with these partners in the future?

Communication during the project

Here, we would like you to share the following with us:

1. What communication objectives did you set at the start of the project? Were you able to reach your target audiences? What were the key messages of your public communications?
2. How do you assess the effectiveness of your communication with target audiences and the media, as well as the impact of your communication activities during the project?
3. What challenges did you face in terms of communication and media coverage of the project, and how did you overcome them?
4. How was your project covered in the media and on social media?

Frequently Asked Questions

How long must the report and its annexes be retained?

Under the agreement signed between you and the International Renaissance Foundation, the Foundation may request any project-related materials for a further three years after the end of the project implementation period.

Can the IRF publish the results of the organisation’s report?

Please note that the International Renaissance Foundation cannot publicly disseminate the results without your consent. Copyright and all matters relating to copyright remain with the organisation implementing the project.

Do changes to the project need to be agreed with the International Renaissance Foundation?

If the activity differs significantly from what was planned, you should, during the course of the project, contact the International Renaissance Foundation with a request for permission to amend the implementation of the substantive activities.

However, if the changes are of a technical nature – for example, if you had planned training sessions but held seminars instead – these do not constitute substantial changes, and you may make such changes independently during the course of the project.