Create a Disbursement

You can create disbursements in the Chariot dashboard by uploading a CSV file. You can also create them programmatically through the Chariot API.

At minimum, Chariot needs three values for each disbursement:

• The recipient nonprofit's EIN

• The disbursement amount

• Your unique grant ID

All other fields are optional, but providing complete recipient contact and grant information can improve the delivery experience and reduce follow-up.

The dashboard and API support the same disbursement workflows. Use the dashboard for manual or file-based operations, or the API to create disbursements directly from your grant-management system. See https://docs.givechariot.com/guides/disbursements

disbursement_template.csv

364B

Open

Donation Fields

Required

Field	Description	Example	Required
grant_id	The unique identifier for the grant in your system	737233242
amount	The amount to disburse	500.00
ein	The nine-digit EIN of the nonprofit receiving the funds	12-3456789
fund_name	Donor fund name	Doe Giving Fund
first_name	Donor first name	Jane
last_name	Donor last name	Doe
email	Donor email	[e-mail]
phone	Donor phone	555-555-5555
line1	Donor address line 1	123 Sesame Street
line2	Donor address line 2	Apt 2B
city	Donor address city	New York
state	Donor address state	NY
postal_code	Donor address postal code	10018
purpose	--	Where needed most
note	--	Great work!
recipient_name	Alternative nonprofit name (i.e., dba, chapter)	Red Cross - Ohio
metadata:	For internal use only	y78d93e3242

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Upload a CSV in the dashboard

1. Select Create a disbursement.

2. Download the current sample CSV if this is your first upload

3. Add one row for each donation and save the file as a CSV.

4. Drag the file into the upload area or choose it from your computer.

5. Review the parsed rows and any validation messages.

6. Submit the validated disbursements.

After upload, Chariot donations by nonprofit EIN into disbursements. Multiple donations to the same EIN are combined into one disbursement while remaining available as separate donation records and remittance details.

Troubleshooting an upload

If a row cannot be submitted, review the message shown next to it. Common causes include:

• A missing required field

• An incorrectly formatted EIN or amount

• A duplicate or invalid grant ID

• An ineligible recipient

• An EIN that is not yet listed in Chariot's database

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Create disbursements through the API

Use the API when you want your grant-management or payment system to create disbursements without a manual CSV upload.

Your integration should:

1. Send the EIN, amount, grant ID, and any optional data.

2. Store Chariot's returned disbursement identifier.

3. Handle validation and eligibility errors.

4. If approvals are enabled, submit or approve the disbursement through the appropriate endpoint.

5. Listen for status changes or retrieve updated disbursement status.

6. Reconcile the final delivery outcome to your grant ID.

See https://docs.givechariot.com/v2026-04-01/api/disbursements/create

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What happens after submission

• If approvals are enabled, the disbursement enters Needs approval.

• If the nonprofit has a claimed Chariot account, approved funds are delivered electronically.

• If the nonprofit does not have a claimed account, Chariot validates recipient information and begins account-claim outreach.

  • If the account is not claimed within the claim window, Chariot sends a check with your grant letter.