Grants Management Training Course

COURSE DURATION 5 Days (8 MODULES)

Dates: 10^th – 14^th August 2026

Introduction

Grants’ management is the comprehensive process of overseeing grants throughout their entire lifecycle, from the initial application and award to post-award aspects like reporting and financial tracking. It involves managing the financial, administrative, and programmatic aspects of a grant to ensure that funding is used effectively to achieve public or organizational goals, often involving detailed budgeting, milestone tracking, and compliance with funding agency requirements

This course will address the recurring theme in recent discussions and strategic meetings of local, national, and international aid agencies with respect to aid coordination and/or partnerships. Donor coordination has gained prominence to make aid more effective in developing organisations.

Course Objectives

By the end of this training, the participants should be able to:

• Handle pre-award activities that will set your program on the right track
• Oversee post-award start-up, operation, and closeout duties
• Ensure compliance with funder requirements
• Address the critical aspects of managing grant finances
• Effectively report grants management progress to stakeholders
• Manage Grants Lifecycle

Who Should Attend:

• Grants Management & Fundraising Staff: Officers, Managers, and Specialists focused on securing and managing funds.
• Finance & Accounting Professionals: Finance Directors, Managers, Accountants, Budget Officers, and Auditors tracking donor funds.
• Project & Program Managers: Overseeing implementation, budgets, and deliverables of grant-funded initiatives.
• Non-Profit & NGO Leaders: CEOs, Directors, and Development Officers managing donor relationships and strategies.
• Public Sector Employees: Working on externally funded government projects (e.g., CDF, LATF).
• Grant Writers: Looking to improve proposal quality and understand compliance.
• Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Staff: Tracking performance and reporting on grant objectives.
• Administrative Staff: Involved in supporting grant-funded projects.

Training Methodology

The training methods vary and are customisable depending on the professional experience of the audience and their roles in their respective organisations.

Experienced trainers deliver the course using adult participation methods that include group discussions, contests, presentations, role-plays, and relevant case studies.

Personal Impact

• Effectively and efficiently report grants management progress to stakeholders
• Ensure adherence and compliance with donor terms and conditions, including providing supporting documents; correct procurement of goods and services; and meeting financial reporting requirements
• Explore the emerging issues and trends in the Grants management process

Organizational Impact

• Understand the Grant Lifecycle: From planning and proposal to reporting and close-out.
• Improve Compliance & Reduce Risk: Learn donor requirements, financial stewardship, and audit preparedness.
• Strengthen Fundraising: Develop effective strategies and write stronger proposals.
• Enhance Collaboration: Improve coordination between program, finance, and admin teams.
• Boost Project Success: Ensure responsible fund management and maximize project impact.

Course Outline

Module 1 – Basic Concepts of Grant Management:

• Why is Grant Management important?
• Different Types of Grants
• Different Roles and Responsibilities in Grant Management

Module 2 – Grants Lifecycle

• Pre-Award activities
• Planning
• Proposal Submission
• Award of Grant
• Post-Award activities
• Implementation
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Amendments
• Reporting
• Closeout

Module 3 – Importance of deploying technology in Grant Management:

• Project Planning and task assignment
• Financial Planning and management
• Enhance team collaboration
• Improved tracking and ease of reporting

Module 4 – Principles of Effective Aid Coordination

• Alignment with national strategies and planning
• Flexibility to establish donor coordination groups
• Compliance with international standards and guidelines
• Association and involvement of national leadership and display of ownership
• Improved harmonisation and coordination to ensure synergy among different aid programs and maximize development results

Module 5 – Factors for Aid Classification

• Intended purpose
• Terms or conditions of receipt
• Sources
• Urgency

Module 6 – Different Types of Foreign Aid

• Bilateral aid
• Military aid
• Multilateral aid
• Humanitarian assistance

Module 7 – Advantages and Disadvantages of Foreign Aid

• Leveraging advantages
• Minimizing disadvantages and Risks mitigation

Module 8 – Obstacles to Donor/Aid Coordination and means to overcome/ minimize them

• Division of labour issues
• Political concerns about direct budget support
• Lack of inter-agency coordination
• Personal disincentives

Certificate

• On successful completion of this training course, the ALARDI Africa Certificate will be issued to the participants.

Venue:

Malawi-Lilongwe           Cost USD 2100

Zambia-Lusaka               Cost USD 2100

Ghana-Accra                   Cost USD 2100

UAE-Dubai                      Cost USD 2200

Dates: 10^th – 14^th August 2026