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
Required monthly spend
$20,000
Current vs required (per month)
-$5,000
Projected balance at period end
$45,000
Current pacing (% of required rate)
75%
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How to use this
- 1Enter remaining restricted balance ($).
- 2Enter months remaining in grant/fund period.
- 3Enter current average monthly spend ($).
- 4Read your required monthly spend on the right — it updates as you type.
- 5Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Time-restricted and purpose-restricted funds, like a multi-year foundation grant or a designated program fund, need a spend-down plan so you draw the money down evenly against approved activities rather than either underspending and risking a no-cost extension request or clawback, or overspending early and running out before the grant period ends. This calculator takes the remaining restricted balance, the number of months left in the grant or fund period, and your current monthly spend rate, then tells you the required monthly spend to fully and appropriately use the funds on schedule, plus flags whether you're currently pacing ahead of or behind that target.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Remaining restricted balance: 180000 $
- Months remaining in grant/fund period: 9
- Current average monthly spend: 15000 $
Results
- Required monthly spend: $20,000
- Current vs required (per month): -$5,000
- Projected balance at period end: $45,000
- Current pacing (% of required rate): 75%
What each field means
Inputs
- Remaining restricted balance ($)
- The remaining restricted balance used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 180000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Months remaining in grant/fund period
- The months remaining in grant/fund period used in the calculation. Starts at 9 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–60.
- Current average monthly spend ($)
- The current average monthly spend used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 15000 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Required monthly spend
- 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.
- Current vs required (per month)
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Projected balance at period end
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Current pacing (% of required rate)
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
What happens if we're underspending a restricted grant?
Most funders require either accelerating spend to use the full award on approved activities, or formally requesting a no-cost extension before the period ends. Silently carrying an unspent restricted balance past the grant end date without funder approval is a compliance problem in an audit.
What if we're pacing to overspend before the period ends?
You'll run out of restricted funding early and either need unrestricted funds to cover the gap for remaining approved activities, or need to scale back program delivery to match the actual remaining balance, neither of which you want to discover with two months left in the grant.
Can restricted fund purposes be changed if priorities shift?
Only with the donor or grantor's written consent for donor-restricted funds, or under narrow legal doctrines like cy pres for very old or impossible-to-fulfill restrictions. Don't unilaterally redirect restricted spending just because pacing looks off; that's a legal and trust problem, not just an accounting one.
How often should we run this pacing check?
Monthly for grants under 12 months, quarterly for multi-year grants, and always immediately after any major unplanned expense or revenue change that could throw off the planned spend-down curve.
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). Restricted Fund Drawdown Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/restricted-fund-drawdown
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/restricted-fund-drawdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Restricted Fund Drawdown Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Restricted Fund Drawdown Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/restricted-fund-drawdown) (2026).