{
  "slug": "nonprofit-cash-runway",
  "title": "Nonprofit Cash Runway Calculator",
  "heading": "Nonprofit Cash Runway Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/nonprofit-cash-runway",
  "summary": "How many weeks until you hit zero cash at current burn rate.",
  "description": "Reserve months tell you a static health snapshot, but cash runway tells you something more urgent: given your actual current cash balance, incoming receivables you're confident will land, and your current burn rate, how many weeks do you actually have before the account hits zero. This is the number a finance committee needs before deciding whether to draw a line of credit, delay a hire, or make an emergency ask, and it's especially critical for organizations waiting on reimbursement-based government contracts, where revenue is earned but cash doesn't arrive for 30-90 days after expenses are incurred, creating a cash crunch even when the P&L looks healthy.",
  "formula": "Runway weeks = (current cash + confident receivables) ÷ weekly burn rate.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=nonprofit-cash-runway",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "currentCash",
      "label": "Current cash on hand",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 85000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "receivables",
      "label": "Confident receivables (next 60 days)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 40000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "monthlyBurn",
      "label": "Monthly cash burn (expenses)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 60000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "monthlyInflow",
      "label": "Reliable monthly cash inflow (excl. above)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 25000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "runwayWeeks",
      "label": "Cash runway",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "runwayMonths",
      "label": "Runway in months",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "cashAvailable",
      "label": "Total cash + confident receivables",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "netMonthlyBurn",
      "label": "Net monthly burn",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Current cash on hand: 85000 $",
      "Confident receivables (next 60 days): 40000 $",
      "Monthly cash burn (expenses): 60000 $",
      "Reliable monthly cash inflow (excl. above): 25000 $"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Cash runway: 16",
      "Runway in months: 3.6",
      "Total cash + confident receivables: $125,000",
      "Net monthly burn: $35,000"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter current cash on hand ($).",
      "Enter confident receivables (next 60 days) ($).",
      "Enter monthly cash burn (expenses) ($).",
      "Enter reliable monthly cash inflow (excl. above) ($).",
      "Read your cash runway on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "currentCash": 51000,
        "receivables": 24000,
        "monthlyBurn": 36000,
        "monthlyInflow": 15000
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "currentCash": 85000,
        "receivables": 40000,
        "monthlyBurn": 60000,
        "monthlyInflow": 25000
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "currentCash": 136000,
        "receivables": 64000,
        "monthlyBurn": 96000,
        "monthlyInflow": 40000
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "What counts as a 'confident' receivable?",
      "a": "A signed contract or grant agreement with an invoice already submitted and a predictable payment history from that funder. Don't include a verbal commitment, a pending proposal, or a funder known for erratic payment timing, those belong in a separate, more conservative scenario."
    },
    {
      "q": "How is this different from months of operating reserve?",
      "a": "Reserve months is a static balance-sheet health metric checked periodically. Cash runway is a live, tactical number recalculated whenever cash is tight, incorporating near-term receivables and actual burn trends rather than an annual average, and it's what you bring to an emergency finance committee meeting."
    },
    {
      "q": "What should we do if runway drops under 8 weeks?",
      "a": "Most finance committees treat under 8 weeks as a red-alert threshold: freeze discretionary spending, accelerate any invoicing or reimbursement requests sitting in a queue, call your line of credit if you have one, and brief the board immediately rather than waiting for the next scheduled meeting."
    },
    {
      "q": "Why do reimbursement-based government grants cause cash crunches?",
      "a": "You spend the money first, submit a reimbursement request, then wait 30-90 days (sometimes longer) for the check, meaning your P&L shows earned revenue while your bank account shows a growing gap. A working capital line of credit or bridge reserve is the standard fix for organizations heavily reliant on this funding type."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/operating-reserve-months",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/budget-variance-nonprofit"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Nonprofit Cash Runway Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/nonprofit-cash-runway)"
}