Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Total grant request
$370,540
Total direct costs
$341,400
Modified total direct cost base
$291,400
Indirect recovered from funder
$29,140
Indirect at your negotiated rate
$99,076
Unrecovered indirect (you subsidize)
$69,936
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One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter personnel (salaries) ($).
- 2Enter fringe benefit rate (%).
- 3Enter travel ($).
- 4Enter supplies & other direct ($).
- 5Enter subawards (first $25k counts in mtdc) ($).
- 6Enter equipment (excluded from mtdc) ($).
- 7Enter funder's allowed indirect rate (%).
- 8Enter your negotiated indirect rate (%).
- 9Read your total grant request on the right — it updates as you type.
- 10Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Funders that cap indirect at 10% force the rest of the organization to subsidize the grant. Build the budget, apply the funder's indirect policy, and see exactly how many dollars of unrecovered cost the award creates.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Personnel (salaries): 180000 $
- Fringe benefit rate: 28 %
- Travel: 12000 $
- Supplies & other direct: 24000 $
- Subawards (first $25k counts in MTDC): 60000 $
- Equipment (excluded from MTDC): 15000 $
- Funder's allowed indirect rate: 10 %
- Your negotiated indirect rate: 34 %
Results
- Total grant request: $370,540
- Total direct costs: $341,400
- Modified total direct cost base: $291,400
- Indirect recovered from funder: $29,140
- Indirect at your negotiated rate: $99,076
- Unrecovered indirect (you subsidize): $69,936
What each field means
Inputs
- Personnel (salaries) ($)
- The personnel (salaries) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 180000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Fringe benefit rate (%)
- The fringe benefit rate used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 28 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–70 %.
- Travel ($)
- The travel used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 12000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Supplies & other direct ($)
- The supplies & other direct used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 24000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Subawards (first $25k counts in MTDC) ($)
- The subawards (first $25k counts in mtdc) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 60000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Equipment (excluded from MTDC) ($)
- The equipment (excluded from mtdc) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 15000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Funder's allowed indirect rate (%)
- The funder's allowed indirect rate used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 10 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–100 %.
- Your negotiated indirect rate (%)
- The your negotiated indirect rate used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 34 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–100 %.
Results
- Total grant request
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total direct costs
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Modified total direct cost base
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Indirect recovered from funder
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Indirect at your negotiated rate
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Unrecovered indirect (you subsidize)
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
What is MTDC?
Modified Total Direct Cost — total direct costs minus equipment, capital expenditures, rent, participant support, tuition, and the portion of each subaward above $25,000. It is the base most federal indirect rates apply to.
Can we refuse a 10% cap?
Under federal Uniform Guidance, pass-through entities must accept your negotiated federal rate or offer the 10% de minimis. Private foundations set their own policy — but you can and should show them this gap in the proposal narrative.
Accuracy and 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.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Grant Budget Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/grant-budget
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/grant-budget" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grant Budget Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Grant Budget Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/grant-budget) (2026).