Grant Budget Template Calculator
Build a compliant grant budget with personnel, fringe, travel, equipment, supplies, contractual, other direct costs, and indirect (F&A) costs per federal Uniform Guidance.
About this calculator
This calculator assembles a federal- or foundation-style grant budget the way a Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200) compliant proposal narrative expects it: personnel and fringe first, then the standard direct-cost categories, then indirect costs layered on top of a Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) base. Fringe is computed as a percentage of personnel cost and added to it to get total personnel; that total is then summed with travel, equipment, supplies, contractual/subawards, and other direct costs to get total direct costs. The MTDC base is deliberately narrower than total direct costs — it subtracts out everything entered as equipment, mirroring 2 CFR 200.1's own definition of Modified Total Direct Cost, which excludes equipment and other capital expenditures (along with items like patient care charges, rental costs, and the portion of any subaward beyond a set dollar threshold) from the base indirect costs get charged against.
Indirect (F&A) costs are then your negotiated rate applied only to that MTDC base, not to the full direct-cost total, which is the detail people most often get wrong when hand-building a budget in a spreadsheet. Total project cost is direct plus indirect; if you're contributing matching funds, a cost-share percentage is carved out of that total to show the funder's share versus your organization's contribution. A useful sanity check the tool surfaces automatically is personnel as a percentage of direct costs — reviewers tend to expect this to land somewhere in the 40-70% range, and a figure well outside that band is worth a second look before submission.
Inputs
Results
Total Project Cost
$202,400.00
≈ 5 Teslas
Figures current as of 2026. Source: 2 CFR 200.1 (Uniform Guidance), definition of "Modified Total Direct Cost (MTDC)"
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter total Personnel / Salaries costs and the Fringe Benefits Rate to calculate combined personnel and fringe costs.
- Enter non-personnel direct costs: Travel, Equipment, Supplies, Contractual / Subawards, and Other Direct Costs.
- Enter your organization's negotiated Indirect / F&A Rate; it is applied automatically to the Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) base, which excludes equipment costs.
- Enter a Cost Share percentage if your organization is contributing matching funds toward the project.
- Review the Total Direct Costs, Indirect (F&A) Costs, Total Project Cost, and Federal / Funder Share, along with the Personnel % of Direct Costs benchmark (typical range 40-70%).
How the result changes with Personnel / Salaries ($)
| Personnel / Salaries ($) | Total Project Cost |
|---|---|
| 60,000 | $112,700.00 |
| 90,000 | $157,550.00 |
| 180,000 | $292,100.00 |
| 300,000 | $471,500.00 |
What each input means
- Personnel / Salaries ($)
- Total salaries and wages for all key personnel and staff.
- Fringe Benefits Rate (%)
- Fringe rate covering FICA, health insurance, retirement, etc.
- Travel ($)
- Domestic and international travel for project activities.
- Equipment ($)
- Capital equipment (items >= $5,000). Excluded from MTDC base.
- Supplies ($)
- Consumable materials, software licenses under $5,000, etc.
- Contractual / Subawards ($)
- Subcontracts, consultants, and subaward costs.
- Other Direct Costs ($)
- Participant support, publication costs, communication, etc.
- Indirect / F&A Rate (%)
- Your organization's negotiated indirect cost rate (NICRA).
- Cost Share (%)
- Percentage of total costs your organization will contribute.
What each result means
- Total Project Cost
- Total direct costs plus indirect costs.
- Total Direct Costs
- Sum of all direct cost categories.
- Personnel + Fringe
- Combined salary and fringe benefit costs.
- Fringe Benefits
- Calculated fringe costs based on personnel and fringe rate.
- MTDC Base
- Modified Total Direct Costs base (excludes equipment).
- Indirect (F&A) Costs
- Indirect costs applied to the MTDC base.
- Federal / Funder Share
- Amount requested from the funder after cost share.
- Cost Share Amount
- Your organization's contribution.
- Personnel % of Direct
- Personnel as a percentage of total direct costs. Typical range: 40-70%.
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersPersonnel / Salaries ($) = 120000, Fringe Benefits Rate (%) = 30, Travel ($) = 5000, Equipment ($) = 0 = 9 input(s) provided
- Calculate Total Project CostTotal Project Cost = totalDirectCosts + indirectCosts202400 = $202,400
- Calculate Total Direct CostsTotal Direct Costs = totalPersonnel + travelCosts + equipmentCosts + suppliesCosts + contractualCo...176000 = $176,000
- Calculate Personnel + FringePersonnel + Fringe = personnelCosts + fringeCosts156000 = $156,000
Figures and sources
- Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) — equipment and capital expenditures excluded from the indirect-cost base (2026) — 2 CFR 200.1 (Uniform Guidance), definition of "Modified Total Direct Cost (MTDC)"
Engine last updated . Checked against 3 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is equipment excluded from the MTDC base but still counted in total direct costs?
Total direct costs is the sum of every category you enter, including equipment. The MTDC (Modified Total Direct Costs) base is a separate, narrower figure used only for computing indirect costs — it's total direct costs with the full equipment amount subtracted back out. This mirrors 2 CFR 200.1's definition of Modified Total Direct Cost under federal Uniform Guidance, which excludes capital equipment from the base that indirect/F&A rates get applied to, since funders don't want to pay overhead on top of a large one-time equipment purchase.
Does the indirect cost rate apply to my total direct costs or something smaller?
It applies only to the MTDC base, not total direct costs. So indirect costs equal your indirect rate percentage times (total direct costs minus equipment costs). This is the step people most often get wrong when building a budget by hand in a spreadsheet, since it's easy to accidentally apply the rate to everything.
How is the cost share amount calculated, and does it come out of my budget or the funder's?
Cost share is your entered percentage applied to total project cost (direct plus indirect costs combined), and that amount is subtracted from the total to produce the federal/funder share. In other words, cost share represents your organization's own contribution toward the project, and the funder is only asked to cover what's left after that contribution is carved out.
What should I do if my personnel percentage of direct costs falls outside 40-70%?
That range is a common reviewer expectation, not a hard rule — the calculator flags it as a sanity check, computed as total personnel and fringe divided by total direct costs. A very low percentage might mean your budget is unusually equipment- or subcontract-heavy, while a very high one might mean you haven't budgeted enough for supplies, travel, or other direct costs; either way it's worth revisiting your budget narrative to make sure the number reflects your actual program design before submission.
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