What is a non profit balance sheet?

A non profit balance sheet is a financial report that displays the non profit’s assets and liabilities as of a specific date.  You can also download our for profit balance sheet template to see the differences.

How is a balance sheet for a non profit different from a for profit business? 

‍A non profit balance sheet will not include retained earnings.  Retained earnings is the cumulative profit of a business, but a non profit does not display retained earnings on the balance sheet.  Instead, a non profit will have “Net Assets” which is the difference between the organization’s Assets and Liabilities. 

Additionally, a non profit balance sheet may include non profit specific categories like Grants Receivable or Pledge Receivable for grants, donations and pledges that have been awarded or pledged, but not yet received. 

What is a statement of financial position? 

‍A statement of financial position is a synonym for balance sheet for a nonprofit organization.  A statement of financial position is a report that displays the assets and liabilities of a nonprofit organization at a specific point in time. 

Is a non profit balance sheet the same as a statement of financial position? 

‍Yes.  A non profit balance sheet is the same report as a statement of financial position. 

How to create a non profit balance sheet forecast? 

‍In order to create a non profit balance sheet forecast you will need to create a full set of financial projections for your non profit because the balance sheet forecast relies on information from your projected income statement and cash flow forecast.  Our non profit financial projection template provides up to 5 years of balance sheet, income statement and cash flow projections.  

Non profit balance sheet example 

Below you can see an example non profit balance sheet which you can download here for free. This is also known as a statement of financial position.

What should be included on a non profit balance sheet? 

‍A balance sheet for a non profit should include Assets, Liabilities and Net Assets.  More specifically, our template includes the following categories:

Current Assets

• Cash and cash equivalents
• Accounts receivable
• Inventory
• Grants Receivable
• Contributions Receivable

‍Long Term Assets

• Machinery & equipment
• Furniture & fixtures
• Leasehold improvements
• Land & buildings
• Investments
• (LESS accumulated depreciation on all fixed assets)

Other Assets

• Intangibles
• Deposits
• Other

Current Liabilities

• Accounts payable
• Grants Payable
• Notes, short-term (due within 12 months)
• Current part, long-term debt
• Other current liabilities

Long-term Debt

• Bank loans payable
• LESS: Short-term portion
• Other long term debt

Net Assets

• Net Assets with Donor Restrictions
• Net Assets without Donor Restrictions