Fund accounting that actually works.
Most accounting software treats fund accounting as a workaround. Ciste was built fund-first — every transaction, every report, every statement is fund-aware from the ground up.
Restricted fund tracking
Permanently and temporarily restricted funds tracked automatically. The system enforces restrictions — you can't accidentally spend restricted funds in the wrong program.
Restriction release workflows
When grant conditions are met, release restrictions with a guided workflow. The journal entry is created automatically, with a full audit trail.
Cross-fund allocations
Allocate shared expenses across multiple funds by percentage or fixed amount. Ciste posts the entries — no manual journal entry required.
Cash & accrual basis
Cash-basis on Starter and Growth. Add accrual-basis on Audit-Ready — including a dual-basis ledger that produces both simultaneously.
Never miss a grant deadline again.
Grant tracking built into the ledger — not bolted on as a separate module.
Grant award recording
Record grant awards with funder, amount, restrictions, and reporting periods. The award creates the restricted fund balance automatically.
Drawdown tracking
Record grant drawdowns against the award. Remaining balance always visible. Overspend protection alerts you before you exceed the award.
Expiration alerts
Automated alerts when a grant period is approaching with unspent balances — giving you time to spend, return, or request a no-cost extension.
Grant reports
Generate funder-ready grant reports showing expenditures by budget line, with supporting transaction detail.
All four statements. Board-ready.
Every financial statement required by FASB ASC 958, generated directly from your ledger — no spreadsheet assembly.
Statement of Financial Position
Balance sheet organized by net asset class: without donor restrictions, with donor restrictions. Always current.
Statement of Activities
Revenue and expense statement with net asset columns. Shows restriction releases as a separate line item as required.
Statement of Functional Expenses
Required for organizations over $250K. Program services vs management & general vs fundraising, with natural expense categories across columns.
Statement of Cash Flows
Direct or indirect method. Produced automatically from your transaction data.
Tax prep without the scramble.
Form 990 data populated directly from your ledger. No re-entering numbers that already exist.
Form 990-EZ
Available on all plans. Revenue, expenses, and balance sheet pulled from your ledger automatically.
Full Form 990
Available on Audit-Ready. Includes Schedule A (public support test), Schedule B (contributors), and Schedule O (supplemental information).
Functional expense allocation
Program, management, and fundraising allocations pre-calculated from your chart of accounts structure. Audit-defensible.
CPA export
Export a complete 990 data package for your accountant — no duplication of work, no transcription errors.
See it all in action.
Free for 30 days.
No credit card required. Full access to all features on your plan.