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NISN Facilities Program
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Fund Seeking File Tracker
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About this Document
This was produced as part of the NISN Facilities Training Program, an effort funded by the U.S. Department of Education Charter Schools Program (Award #U282T180018). Awarded to the NACA Inspired Schools Network (NISN), the program supports expansion of opportunities for Native American and other underserved students to attend high-performing, innovative, and culturally responsive charter schools. Work includes technical assistance to schools in three states and documentation and dissemination of information, resources, and tools for facilities needs assessment, planning, and funding.
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Introduction
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Most funding applications involve pulling general documents, adapting common case materials, and creating specific content for the opportunity. Being able to focus your time on the last item—information specific to a funding opportunity—gives you more time and focus for developing competitive proposals and helps reduce the stress and rush of meeting grant deadlines.

This is where a “Funding File” comes into play – this is a collection of documents and information that prepare you to easily gather standard attachments and commonly requested information. This should be in electronic/digital format (a hardcopy backup is fine), maintained over time, and well organized. The following worksheets will help you create a solid Funding File. The first tab is for use by schools that have not yet opened and the second is for schools that have opened. The third tab is specific to use of a fiscal sponsor or a school foundation/charity as part of grant seeking.
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Getting Started
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Download or create a copy of this worksheet to use for your school. Once you have your own version of this tracker, select the tab(s) that matches your situation:
● Planning Stage School: Your charter school has not yet opened.
● Operating School: Your school has opened already.
● Fiscal Agent: You are or may use a third party 501(c)(3) organization or an affiliated school foundation for grant seeking
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Completing the Worksheet
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To get the most out of the checklist, answer the status question for each item, repeat it at least annually, and schedule internal tasks, deadlines, and responsible parties for items needing follow-up. The priority column shows the relative importance/likelihood of needing an item and can serve as a guide for developing the Funding File over time. The Status options are explained below:
● On Hand: You have it yourself. Action: Check if current annually.
● Available: Your school has it, but you do not. Action: These should be collected in your own files assuming they do not have privileged information.
● No-GET: Your school doesn’t have this, and it is something to add in the next 12 months. Action: These should be collected/developed, schedule tasks and timelines.
● No-Skip: Your school doesn’t have this, and the item is not a priority to get during the next 12 months. Action: None, revisit categorization annually.
● N/A: Not an applicable or relevant item for your school. Action: None.
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Organizing your Funding File
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Being able to find information when you need it is another aspect of having a strong Funding File. While you are checking and collecting grant file items, it is a good opportunity to organize and standardize electronic (and possibly print) files. An example file structure is below.
📁 Financial
📁 Operations
📁 Organization Establishment
📁 Policies
📁 Personnel
📁 Programs
📁 Academic Data
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