Grant Management Using SUNSystems Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Grant Accountants, Finance Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 7 Nov 2026 Course code SD-A-078

Before you join: Participants should understand double-entry bookkeeping, journal processing, budgets, account reconciliations and basic financial reporting.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Grant-funded programmes require finance teams to account for restricted income, eligible expenditure, budget amendments, commitments and donor reporting with precision. Weak coding structures, inconsistent analysis dimensions and late reconciliations can produce unsupported claims, overspends, delayed reports and difficult audits. SUNSystems can provide the ledger structure and reporting detail needed for grant control, provided teams configure and use its business units, account codes, analysis codes, journals and reports consistently.

This course teaches participants how to manage the financial lifecycle of grants using SUNSystems. Participants translate grant agreements into accounting requirements, design coding structures for donors and projects, load and phase budgets, post and review transactions, allocate shared costs, monitor commitments, reconcile balances and prepare donor-ready financial reports. The course also addresses allowability, allocability, audit evidence, closeout procedures, indirect cost treatment and corrective action for control exceptions.

Teaching combines instructor briefings, guided SUNSystems scenarios, donor-reporting cases, group analysis and structured discussions of common grant-finance issues. Participants work with realistic examples involving NGO programmes, public-sector funding, research awards and corporate social investment projects. They leave with a reusable grant management control pack containing a coding matrix, reporting calendar, reconciliation checklist, allocation model and personal implementation plan.

The course is suited to finance and grant personnel who already work with, or are preparing to work with, SUNSystems in an organisation receiving restricted funds. It is particularly useful where finance teams must reconcile internal ledger records with donor templates, programme data and supporting documentation.

What you will be able to do

  • Translate grant agreement conditions into SUNSystems coding, budget and reporting requirements
  • Configure grant tracking structures using business units, account codes and analysis codes
  • Build phased grant budgets and monitor actuals, commitments and available balances
  • Post grant transactions using controlled journals, source references and allocation methods
  • Reconcile grant balances to payroll, procurement, bank and supporting records
  • Produce donor-ready financial reports supported by ledger drill-back and variance analysis
  • Apply allowability, allocability and audit-trail controls to restricted expenditure
  • Prepare grant closeout actions covering commitments, accruals, refunds and final reports

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Greater confidence translating donor conditions into accounting controls
  • Faster identification of coding and budget-control errors
  • Practical methods for producing supported donor financial reports
  • Stronger audit preparation through traceable ledger evidence
  • Reusable tools for managing grant closeout and reporting deadlines

For your organisation

  • More consistent grant coding across projects, donors and finance teams
  • Earlier detection of overspends, ineligible costs and expired commitments
  • Reduced reconciliation delays before donor report submission
  • Clearer audit trails linking claims to approved source documentation
  • Improved control of restricted funds through structured closeout procedures

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can convert grant conditions into clear accounting, reporting and evidence requirements.

  • Grant agreement clauses translated into accounting, reporting and evidence requirements
  • Donor restrictions mapped to cost categories, periods and funding sources
  • Funding lifecycle from award setup through closeout and final reporting
  • Roles of programme, finance, procurement and grant management teams
  • Internal control objectives for restricted funds and donor accountability
  • Materiality, allowability and allocability assessed before posting expenditure

Participants can design SUNSystems coding structures that support grant control and reporting.

  • SunSystems business units, account codes and analysis dimensions explained
  • Chart of accounts structure aligned with grant reporting requirements
  • Analysis code hierarchy designed for donor, project and activity tracking
  • Data ownership rules established for master data and coding changes
  • Business rules used to validate grant-related journal and transaction entries
  • Posting periods, journal types and source references controlled consistently

Participants can establish phased grant budgets and monitor available funding accurately.

  • Grant budgets loaded by account, period, project and donor dimension
  • Approved budget versions distinguished from revisions, forecasts and actuals
  • Budget phasing matched to implementation schedules and reporting periods
  • Cost categories cross-walked between donor templates and SunSystems accounts
  • Budget holder tolerances defined for variance review and escalation
  • Funding ceilings monitored against eligible expenditure and commitment values

Participants can process grant transactions with complete coding, approvals and supporting evidence.

  • Transaction coding matrix built for payroll, procurement, travel and advances
  • Ledger Entry fields completed with grant, donor and activity analysis
  • Journal narratives written to support reviewer understanding and audit trails
  • Account Allocations distribute shared costs using documented allocation bases
  • Correcting journals preserve source references, approvals and period controls
  • Foreign currency transactions recorded using approved rates and donor rules

Participants can monitor committed and incurred grant costs before budget or eligibility issues arise.

  • Purchase requisitions linked to grant budgets before contractual commitment
  • Commitment Accounting compared with actual expenditure and available budget
  • Encumbrances reviewed for expired awards, cancelled orders and closeout
  • Supplier invoices coded to eligible costs, activities and funding lines
  • Advance payments tracked, cleared and reconciled against supporting evidence
  • Payroll allocations reconciled to timesheets, contracts and approved distributions

Participants can produce reconciled financial reports and explain material grant variances.

  • Financial Inquiry filters configured for grant, donor, period and account
  • Standard reports structured around budget, actual, commitment and variance
  • Donor reporting formats reconciled to ledger balances and supporting schedules
  • Variance analysis separates timing differences, errors and operational issues
  • Drill-back procedures trace reported figures to journals and source documents
  • Reporting calendar assigns cut-off, review and submission responsibilities

Participants can perform grant reconciliations and test evidence supporting reported expenditure.

  • Reconciliations compare SunSystems balances with bank, payroll and subledger records
  • Exception reports identify missing analysis codes, duplicates and unusual postings
  • Segregation of duties tested across entry, approval and reporting activities
  • Approval evidence retained according to donor conditions and retention schedules
  • Audit trail reviews connect adjustments to authorisation and supporting documentation
  • Control deficiencies logged, assigned and followed through to resolution

Participants can allocate shared costs fairly and exclude costs that cannot be claimed.

  • Indirect cost pools defined using approved bases and donor restrictions
  • Account Allocations calculate shared-cost distributions using documented drivers
  • Allocation percentages reviewed against payroll, usage data or floor space
  • Unallowable costs identified, segregated and excluded from donor claims
  • VAT and tax treatment assessed against grant agreements and local rules
  • Cost transfers justified, approved and recorded within donor deadlines

Participants can complete grant closeout with resolved balances, evidence and final reporting.

  • Award end dates monitored through grant status and reporting calendars
  • Final expenditure reviews test eligibility, completeness and budget availability
  • Open commitments, advances and accruals resolved before financial closeout
  • Final donor reports reconciled to SunSystems ledgers and approved adjustments
  • Document retention files indexed for audit, verification and future reference
  • Closeout journals distinguish refund liabilities, deferred income and residual balances

Participants can establish a practical operating plan for recurring grant finance controls and reporting.

  • Grant management operating calendar links coding, review, reporting and closeout
  • Month-end checklist assigns evidence, reconciliations, approvals and exception follow-up
  • Recurring report pack specifies owners, deadlines, sources and review points
  • Control action plan prioritises coding, budget and reporting improvements
  • Personal application plan sets first-cycle changes and stakeholder conversations
  • Performance indicators track reporting timeliness, coding accuracy and budget variance

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Grant agreement accounting requirements checklist
  2. SUNSystems grant coding matrix
  3. Phased grant budget monitoring model
  4. Donor financial report reconciliation checklist
  5. Shared-cost allocation worksheet
  6. Grant closeout and reporting calendar

Who should attend

  • Grant Accountants — need reliable coding, reconciliation and donor-reporting procedures
  • Finance Managers — oversee restricted funds, controls and reporting quality
  • Grants Managers — translate award conditions into finance requirements
  • Project Finance Officers — monitor budgets, commitments and expenditure eligibility
  • Donor Reporting Officers — reconcile financial submissions to ledger evidence
  • Internal Auditors — assess grant controls, audit trails and closeout records

Skills and tools covered

Grant coding designSUNSystems reportingBudget monitoringCost allocationDonor reconciliationGrant closeout

Tools and standards

Infor SunSystems, Account Allocations, Commitment Accounting, Financial Inquiry

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings followed by guided analysis of grant agreements, coding decisions, budget data and ledger transactions. Participants examine realistic SUNSystems scenarios, including restricted-fund journals, shared-cost allocations, commitment reviews and donor-reporting reconciliations. Group work compares control choices and resolves reporting exceptions. Simulations follow the path from award setup through month-end reporting and closeout. Each participant develops an application plan for improving a current grant-finance process, report or control.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should understand double-entry bookkeeping, journal processing, budgets, account reconciliations and basic financial reporting. Experience working with grants, donor funds, projects or restricted income is helpful, but not essential. Participants should have basic familiarity with their organisation's SUNSystems environment, such as viewing ledger transactions or reports. No programming, database administration, system implementation experience or advanced SUNSystems configuration knowledge is required. The course explains relevant grant-accounting concepts before applying them to SUNSystems structures and processes.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should be comfortable with basic accounting concepts and have some familiarity with viewing transactions or reports in SUNSystems. You do not need system-administration, programming or advanced configuration experience.

Bring a sanitised grant agreement, donor reporting template or chart-of-accounts extract if your employer permits it. These documents help you relate the methods to your own work, but they are not required.

It is designed for grant accountants, finance managers, grants managers, project finance officers and donor reporting staff. It also suits internal auditors who review restricted-fund controls and evidence.

General SUNSystems courses focus on ledger processing, reporting and system functions across ordinary finance operations. This course applies those functions specifically to restricted funding, donor conditions, eligible costs, grant reporting and closeout.

You will be able to review whether grant coding, budgets, reports and reconciliations provide the evidence donors and auditors require. The templates can be adapted to a live award, reporting cycle or control improvement action.

The course contains ten modules delivered over five instructor-led days, running from 08:30 to 16:30. Time is divided between instruction, SUNSystems scenarios, case analysis, group work and application planning, with about 6.5 contact hours each day.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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