Instructions for Project Budget,
Expense Tracking, and Progress
Report Financials
This workbook contains tools to help Golden LEAF grantees more effectively monitor and manage funds
awarded by Golden LEAF through the approved project budget, by recording and comparing projectrelated expenditures against the project budget. Properly and consistently maintained, these tools are
designed to help you accurately comply with recordkeeping and reporting obligations of the Foundation,
and otherwise adhere to requirements and special conditions contained in the Grantee
Acknowledgment and Agreement (“Grantee Agreement”).
REMEMBER: Any changes to the Golden LEAF budget for the grant awarded MUST be approved by
Golden LEAF prior to spending funds based on the desired or anticipated changes.
The four tabs in this workbook are:
Instructions: Guidance on how to use the tools.
Approved Golden LEAF budget: A worksheet that should reflect:
 The most current, Golden LEAF-approved budget for the grant award
 Funding sources other than Golden LEAF and the dollar amounts committed in support of the
project, and
 The allocation of all dollars for the project, recorded by funding source and across expense
categories.
Golden LEAF Expense Tracking: A worksheet that is to be used to record expense details for all
expenditures made consistent with the approved budget for the Golden LEAF grant award. When
populated, the worksheet includes relevant information such as invoice date and number, total
amount of purchase, sales tax invoiced, vendor name and grantee payment details including check
number, date and amount of payment, etc.
Progress Report Financials: A worksheet that contains the overall project budget (by funding
source) and expenditure totals (by funding source). This form must accompany the narrative
portion of the Progress Report as required in section 12 of the Grantee Agreement.
APPROVED GOLDEN LEAF BUDGET
Included in the original application to Golden LEAF, your organization submitted a project budget and
budget narrative explaining how the funds would be used. The award by Golden LEAF was either for the
full amount requested, a lesser amount than requested in the application or an award to support
specific project or expenditure items identified in the special conditions section of the Grantee
Agreement. Populate the worksheet based on one of the following scenarios that applies to your
Golden LEAF grant award and its special terms and conditions.
1. The full amount of the request was awarded and with special terms/conditions in the Grantee
Agreement that require no budgetary change or adjustment.
 Populate the worksheet consistent with budget expense categories and dollar amounts
(by funding source) used in completing the Golden LEAF project budget form submitted
with the full application.
2. An amount less than the original request was awarded with no special terms/conditions
stated in the Grantee Agreement that require changes in the budget expense categories.


Populate the worksheet consistent with budget expense categories used in the Golden
LEAF project budget form submitted with the full application.
In the “Golden LEAF” column, adjust dollar amounts originally allocated to the Golden
LEAF requested amount down to total the actual amount awarded.
Budget submitted with the full
application form.
Golden LEAF awarded $125,000.
Sample budget reduces Golden
LEAF allocations from original
$200,000 request to the
$125,000 awarded.
OR
(In this example, XYZ Bank had
approved a loan up to
$500,000.00.)
3. An amount less than the original request was awarded and special terms/conditions appear in
the Grantee Agreement that require changes in the budget expense categories.
 Populate the worksheet consistent with the budget expense categories used in the
Golden LEAF project budget form submitted with the full application.
 In the “Golden LEAF” column, adjust dollar amounts originally requested in the Golden
LEAF application down to total the actual amount awarded and into (or out of) the
expense categories specified (prohibited).
Golden LEAF awarded
$125,000 for equipment only.
 After entering data into the Project File
Number, Name of Grantee, budget
categories, Total project budget, funders
and related budgets fields of the Approved
Project Budget Form, the worksheet should
automatically populate appropriate fields in
the Golden LEAF Expense Tracking and
Progress Report Financials worksheets.
CHECK to make sure you are accurately
entering information in the correct fields.
 REMEMBER: If you request a budget modification that is approved by Golden LEAF, you must
UPDATE THIS WORKSHEET to reflect the new budget and ENTER THE DATE Golden LEAF approved
the modification request. You must also update this worksheet to reflect any changes made in the
budget for other funding sources supporting the project.
GOLDEN LEAF EXPENSE TRACKING
This worksheet is to be used to track eligible expenditures for which Golden LEAF has approved the use
of its funds. SUBMIT an updated version of this form with each request for disbursement. Eligible
expenses:
 Fall within approved budget expense categories in the approved Golden LEAF budget
 Were incurred during the term of the grant—after the grant start date (or grant award date if no
start date is provided) recorded in the Grantee Agreement and before the end date of the grant.
 Are supported by documentation that shows the expense was incurred and paid.
EXAMPLE
VENDOR1
VENDOR2 SYSTEMS, INC.
Vendor1 address
08/03/2013
Livestock scale
(35053)
14:06:20
$5,300.00
Industry handbook set $2,500.00
(23023)
========
SUBTOTAL
$7,800.00
Tax 1
6.750%
$526.50
Tax 2
2.000%
$256.00
========
$8,482.50
Paid by:
CREDIT TEND
CHANGE DUE
$8,482.50
0.00
Transaction #: 0738885431
Ship to:
ABC Org.
ABC Agricultural Dr.
City, NC 00000
Acct No. 1234-56
QUANTITY
1
ITEM NO.
DDW-12345
INVOICE NO
567321
INVOICE DATE
08/04/2013
TERMS: Net due upon receipt
DESCRIPTION
Hydraulic Cattle Chute
AMOUNT
$9,829.00
SUBTOTAL
TAXES
FREIGHT
TOTAL DUE
BILL TO:
ABC Org.
ABC Agricultural Dr.
City, NC 00000
$9,829.00
0.00
$1,250.00
$11,079.00
REMIT TO:
VENDOR2 SYSTEMS, INC.
P.O. BOX 111
Other City, NC 11111-1111
NOTE: In
the screen
shot,
columns
between H
and Z, and Z
and AD are
hidden.
In this example, “Industry handbook set” is not included in the expense tracking worksheet because
“Educational Materials” is not an approved Golden LEAF expense category.
NOTE: Freight for the hydraulic cattle chute is added to the actual chute cost and that total recorded in the
“Equipment” column.
For each expense record—invoice, receipt, bill, etc.—for approved Golden LEAF expense categories
expenditures, enter the following information, if available:










Invoice date: The invoice or receipt date as shown on the document issued by the vendor
Invoice No.: The invoice number as shown on the document issued by the vendor
Invoice amount: The total dollar amount of the invoice
Refundable Sales tax§ not refundable: Sales tax for which grantee is not eligible for refund from
the North Carolina Department of Revenue.
Vendor name: The vendor name as shown on the document issued by the vendor
Golden LEAF Budget allocation: The allocation of the appropriate dollar portion of each invoice,
receipt, bill, etc. into each approved Golden LEAF budget expense category. If one expense is to
be split between Golden LEAF and another funder, record—in this column—only the dollar
portion to be paid by Golden LEAF.
Description of Expense/Other comments: Summarize items purchased. If a travel expense has
been recorded, note the travel destination and reason for travel. Record any comment that
would clarify a recorded expenditure.
Check # / Payment method: If applicable, enter the check number of the check that paid the
expense or type of credit card or other payment method used for the expense recorded.
Date: The check date or date the bill for the credit card transaction was paid.
Payment amount: The dollar amount of the check or payment on the credit card for the
expense listed. (This amount may be greater than the line expense If the payment covered
more than one invoice/receipt, etc.)
§
Sales tax: If your organization:
 Is not required to pay sales tax to the North Carolina Department of Revenue for items
purchased; and/or
 Is eligible to receive a refund from the North Carolina Department of Revenue for sales tax paid,
then, enter the dollar amount of the sales tax eligible for refund.
 Total Expenditures by budget expense category should automatically populate the appropriate fields
in the Progress Report Financials worksheet.
 If you see Balance Remaining for an approved Golden LEAF budget expense category nearing zero
($0.00) and you anticipate additional expenditures in that category while expecting a lower expense
amount in other approved Golden LEAF budget expense categories, you will need to submit a
budget revision request and get approval BEFORE making expenditures based on the anticipated
modification. Contact a Golden LEAF Programs staff member about requesting a budget
modification.
PROGRESS REPORT FINANCIALS
Submit the completed Progress Report financials worksheet with the Progress Report narrative every six
(6) months from the Golden LEAF grant award date as required, while the project is still active. A project
is active until it is officially closed by Golden LEAF. If reports are not received on time for each reporting
period, the grant may be classified as non-compliant.
 If the Project File Number, Name of Grantee, funding sources, budget information (expense
categories and dollars allocated for each expense category by funding source) and Golden LEAF
expenditures are not already populated, please make sure that data has been entered into the
appropriate cells in the Approve Golden LEAF Budget and Golden LEAF Expense Tracking worksheets.
 Manually populate expenditures from other funding sources by line item.
 In the space designated for “For reporting period ending:”, enter the date of the last expense
recorded in the Golden LEAF Expense Tracking worksheet.
These cells must be manually
populated. In this example,
we happen to know the $2,500
is for the “Industry Handbook
set“. [See VENDOR1 receipt.]
Autopopulated from
Golden LEAF Expense
Tracking
 Print the workbook and obtain the
required signatures, titles and
certifications as appropriate, then
scan and e-mail with the narrative
section of the Progress Report.