A grant report that comes back from the reviewer costs more than the time to fix it. It costs the deadline window. Most returns are not about eligibility or compliance policy — they are about arithmetic that does not add up across sections of the same report.
CPB and other public-media grant reviewers run a predictable set of consistency checks. Knowing what those checks are — and running them yourself before you file — is the difference between a report that clears on the first review and one that bounces.
1. Revenue total does not match the sum of its parts.
Total Revenue must equal Federal Share + Non-Federal Share. This is the simplest check a
reviewer performs, and it is the most common finding. If the spreadsheet formula omitted a
row, or a number was entered in the wrong column, the mismatch is obvious to the reviewer.
Grantforge computes this comparison automatically and reports the exact dollar discrepancy
when the two figures disagree.
2. Expense total does not match the sum of functional categories.
Total Expenses must equal Program Services + Management & General + Fundraising. Each of
these functional categories may itself contain sub-items, and a sub-item entered on the wrong
line cascades into a total mismatch. Grantforge checks every expense category against the
summed total and names which two figures diverged.
3. Expenses exceed revenue — and the deficit is not noted.
A grant period that ends with expenditures exceeding revenue is not automatically a problem,
but it requires explanation. When the report simply shows a deficit without any flag, the
reviewer will send it back. Grantforge flags the deficit amount and percentage, so you can
address it before attaching the report.
4. Non-Federal Financial Support (NFFS) percentage is outside the expected range.
The non-federal share of total revenue typically falls between 20% and 80% for most
public-media stations. A figure outside that range — especially when it drops below the
matching requirement threshold — signals a possible data-entry error or a misunderstanding
of what counts as non-federal support. Grantforge alerts you when the percentage is outside
this band, with the exact figure printed so you can verify.
5. Revenue equals expenses to the penny (net zero).
A grant period where revenue exactly equals expenses is statistically unlikely. It usually
means the same figure was entered twice, or a mid-year adjustment was copied into both sides
without updating the other. Grantforge flags a net-zero result for manual review.
A spreadsheet accepts whatever you type into a cell. If you enter Total Revenue as $500,000 but the sum of Federal and Non-Federal is $495,000, the spreadsheet does not object — it treats both as correct because each is entered by hand. Grantforge treats the relationship between figures as the checkable property, not the individual cell values. Every total that has a definitional relationship to another figure is compared, and every discrepancy is reported with the two disagreeing values and the dollar amount of the difference.
Enter your figures into Grantforge once. Click generate. Review the consistency findings section of the output. If no findings are flagged, every cross-field relationship is consistent. If findings are shown, each one tells you which two figures disagree and by how much — fix the entry, re-generate, and confirm the finding clears. Only then attach the report to your filing.