Overview:
A peer-run mental health and crisis-response nonprofit engaged Grassi to address long-standing grant compliance and claim billing challenges that were limiting financial visibility and delaying reimbursement. Over the first four months of the engagement, Grassi helped the client centralize grant tracking and strengthen internal processes, ultimately recovering $5 million in outstanding funding and stabilizing cash flow to support ongoing services.
The Challenge/Situation:
Like many growing nonprofits, the organization faced challenges tracking grant-related accounts receivable and managing compliance requirements. Without a centralized system or established best practices, critical funds went uncollected, straining cash flow and jeopardizing the organization’s ability to deliver essential services. The client sought a centralized, end-to-end view of the grant lifecycle, along with clearer workflows to ensure requirements were met and funds were collected consistently.
Our Approach/Solutions:
Grassi began with a detailed assessment of the organization’s active grants, contract amounts, and timelines to identify areas where spending had occurred without reimbursement. The team also supported outreach to grantors to clarify requirements and collect the information needed to advance the billing process.
With a comprehensive understanding of needs and timelines, Grassi designed and implemented a live, organization-wide grant compliance tracking tool. The system provided real-time visibility into billing frequency, contract terms, and receivables, allowing team members to update information and maintain transparency across departments. This centralized view enabled employees to think more proactively about grant compliance, supporting ongoing communication and consistent follow-up.
Grassi’s work extended beyond the system itself, focusing on how it would be used in day-to-day operations. This included clarifying responsibilities, improving coordination around grant tracking, and ensuring the tool was integrated into regular workflows. By addressing broader change management and organizational elements, the team was better equipped to manage grant compliance and maintain accurate financial visibility.
The Results:
Grassi helped the organization recover approximately $5 million in outstanding grant receivables and transform how grant compliance and receivables are managed across the organization. With more transparent processes and improved financial visibility in place, the organization can reinvest cash flow into its operations and continue delivering life-changing services. The implementation of sustainable processes will ensure consistent cash flow in the future.
Client Feedback:
“By bringing structure, consistency and process improvement to our end-to-end grant management process, Grassi has helped our organization recover significant outstanding funding, gain clearer visibility into our financial position, and build a more disciplined approach to grant tracking and compliance across the organization.
Our Grassi advisors came in with deep knowledge of the nonprofit sector and took the time to understand our organization’s unique needs. Today, we are in a stronger position financially and operationally, and better equipped to manage the full grant lifecycle going forward.”
