What records should you keep for a music grant final report?
Published · Updated · Clef
Keep the award terms, approved budget, supplier invoices and proof of payment together as the project progresses. Give every reported cost a reference that links it to the underlying documents. If a supplier is paid in instalments or the budget changes, preserve the record of each payment and any written approval.
Which requirements should you check before spending?
Open the award agreement and the reporting instructions for your specific program. Identify the approved project period, the budget categories and any template or evidence the funder asks you to use. Save the version you worked from. If the award gives you a list of forms or deadlines in a portal, keep a note of where to find it and who is responsible for submitting each item.
Requirements differ across Canadian programs. The Canada Council for the Arts directs project and composite grant recipients to the relevant award in its portal for their final report. Manitoba Film & Music’s Produce Program describes a cost report on its own template and asks recipients to keep project invoices or receipts and corresponding payment evidence. Use these as examples of why the actual award instructions matter.
How do you link a cost to its proof of payment?
Use one reference for the supplier bill in your working list. Beside it, record the supplier, what the project bought, the relevant budget line, the amount billed and the dates and amounts paid. An invoice explains the charge. A cleared transaction or other payment evidence accepted by your funder helps show how it was settled.
If you pay a deposit and a balance, link both records to the same bill. If one bank transfer covers two bills, retain the supplier’s allocation or other explanation. Before reporting, compare your list with the evidence so the same payment does not appear on two cost lines. Flag credits and refunds with their own dates instead of silently changing the original bill.
What does a split payment look like in the records?
Constructed example in CAD. A producer’s mixing bill is $900. They pay a $300 deposit and a $600 balance. The earlier approved budget listed $800 for mixing. In this example the funder later approved moving $100 into that line. Keep the original budget, the written approval and the revised version alongside the invoice. The figures illustrate the record trail and do not establish which amounts a program will accept.
In the cost list, show the $900 bill once and attach both payment references. In the budget comparison, show the revised $900 mixing line and the approval reference. If the approval were still outstanding, label the difference for review instead of treating the revised amount as approved.
| Record | What it explains |
|---|---|
| Original budget and written revision | Why the mixing line moved from $800 to $900 |
| Mixing invoice | One $900 charge and the work it covers |
| Deposit and balance proof | Two payments of $300 and $600 against that charge |
How can you prepare a clean handoff?
Give the person preparing the report the working cost list, the source documents and a short list of open questions. Mark what has been paid, what is still outstanding and what the funder must confirm. Match the final cost list to the required template, then keep the submitted report and its supporting package together.
For costs already recorded in Clef, the expense editor’s optional Receipt / Reference # and Internal Notes fields can point to the bill and working cost list. Both fields are included in the expense submission. Keep the funder’s form and supporting package with the project records. If your accountant also needs the file, flag any question about how the award or costs should be treated for tax purposes separately.
What else should I know?
What if I have an invoice but payment is still outstanding?
Mark the bill as unpaid in the working list. Check the award’s rules before putting it in a submitted cost report, and add payment evidence once it exists.
What if the supplier issued a credit after I paid?
Keep the invoice, the credit and any refund record. Explain the difference in the cost list so the reviewer can see both the original charge and the adjustment.
Can one project cost appear under two sources of funding?
Document the funding split and check the applicable terms before reporting the cost. Make it clear which amount is allocated to each source.
Should I keep the project records after sending the report?
Save the submitted version and its supporting package. Check the retention requirements in your agreement and ask your accountant about any separate recordkeeping obligations.