A Free Webinar on Readying Budgets and Financial Documents for Grant Proposals
Strong financial documents do more than satisfy a grant requirement — they help tell the story of an organization’s capacity, stability, and readiness.
This webinar will help nonprofit leaders, staff, and board members understand the core financial documents commonly requested in grant applications and pre-award review, including income and expense statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements, budgets, audits, Form 990s, and related financial reports.
Designed especially for small and emerging nonprofits, the session will demystify what funders look for when assessing financial health and grant readiness. Participants will also be introduced to a practical grant-readiness toolkit they can use to review their own financial systems, identify gaps, and prepare more confidently for grant season.
Takeaways
- Participants will leave this workshop with:
- A foundational understanding of nonprofit accounting, tailored to small and emerging organizations.
- Greater confidence reading and explaining budgets and financial statements, even if they have felt intimidating or unfamiliar in the past.
- Insight into what funders look for in financial documents and how financials influence grant decisions.
- Practical strategies for using numbers as part of their organization’s story, not just as compliance documents.
- Clearer communication with boards, funders, and regulators, grounded in transparent and well-presented financial information.
Presenter
Tonia Papke has spent four decades helping nonprofits — including many small and emerging organizations — understand and master their finances. As a consultant and outsourced CFO, she has worked with more than four dozen nonprofits, guiding their leaders and boards through the creation of strong financial systems, report formats, and internal controls that funders and regulators expect.
Tonia knows that for many small nonprofits, financial statements and budgets can seem overwhelming and even seem like a foreign language. Her workshops are designed to address that — guiding nonprofits in including numbers as an integral part of their story telling. She has led workshops on budgeting, financial statements, audit preparation, and funder communications for nonprofit leaders at all levels of financial experience.
She has taught nonprofit financial management at Support Center for Nonprofit Management, Columbia University, Adelphi University, the New School for Social Research, and Westchester Community College. She holds an MBA from Columbia University Business School, an MS in Urban Planning from Columbia’s Graduate School of Architecture, Urban Planning, and Historic Preservation, and a BA in Urban Studies, Magna Cum Laude, from Macalester College.
About the Series
The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley offers THRIVE, a capacity-building training series designed to strengthen local nonprofits through practical skill development, peer learning, and access to expert resources. The series helps organizations build the knowledge, tools, and connections they need to become more resilient, sustainable, and effective in serving their communities.
