Grant Budget Calculator

Most federally negotiated indirect cost rate agreements (NICRAs) are explicitly defined against Modified Total Direct Costs, not total direct costs, so applying the rate to raw direct costs would produce a number that doesn't match what your organization's agreement actually authorizes. The federal definition of MTDC — direct salaries and wages, fringe benefits, materials, supplies, services, and travel, plus up to the first $50,000 of each subaward — comes from 2 CFR § 200.1, part of OMB's Uniform Guidance. This calculator builds MTDC first (direct costs plus fringe) and then applies the indirect rate to that combined base, which is why the indirect amount is higher than a naive direct-costs-only calculation would suggest.

This calculator applies the match percentage to the total budget — direct costs plus fringe plus indirect — not to direct costs alone. That matters because funders typically require cost-share against the full requested amount, so calculating match against direct costs only would understate how much your organization or other funders actually need to contribute.

Some NICRAs use a different base, such as total direct costs including equipment purchases, rather than MTDC. This calculator always uses the MTDC method, so if your actual agreement uses a different base, the indirect amount here will be an approximation — confirm your specific rate agreement's base before submitting a real budget to a funder.

Fringe benefits are treated as part of the direct-cost base under the standard MTDC method, so the calculator adds the fringe amount to direct costs first to arrive at MTDC, then applies the indirect rate to that combined figure. Calculating indirect costs on direct costs alone and adding fringe afterward would produce a lower total budget than what most funders expect to see.