Grant guide
Grant budget template with eligible-cost checks
A useful grant budget is more than a list of costs. It shows what the project needs, how figures were calculated, which costs are eligible and where evidence sits.
Teams deciding where to spend application time
Charities, CICs, community groups, SMEs and consultants preparing practical grant budgets before application deadlines.
Make the first review more concrete
Find a grant budget template approach that supports funder review and internal sign-off.
Review workflow
What FundingLens helps you do
Keep source facts, caveats and next actions together so your team can decide what deserves attention before application work starts.
Separate direct delivery costs, staffing, overheads, equipment, travel, evaluation, VAT, contingency and in-kind or match contributions.
Add a calculation basis for each line so reviewers can see whether the number comes from a quote, salary calculation, day rate, allocation method or supplier estimate.
Check each major budget line against the funder source before treating the project as application-ready.
Readiness checks
- Cost category and calculation basis recorded.
- Quote, salary, allocation or estimate evidence attached.
- Overheads and full cost recovery considered.
- VAT, match funding and double-funding risks checked.
- Funder-specific exclusions reviewed before submission.
Eligibility caveats
- No single grant budget template works for every funder.
- Opportunity-specific eligible-cost rules override generic budgeting guidance.
- FundingLens can structure checks, but finance owners should review final figures.
Source references
Use the official budget template guidance as a practical example of structured grant budget categories, evidence and calculation detail.
Official sourceNCVO preparing your budgetUse NCVO guidance to check project budget structure, cost evidence, assumptions and funder-facing budget clarity.
Official sourceNCVO full cost recoveryUse NCVO guidance to explain why project budgets should consider a fair share of overheads and organisational support costs.
Official sourceNational Lottery full cost recovery guidanceUse this major UK funder guidance to check how overheads and shared costs can be considered in project budgets.
Related FundingLens pages
Use this grant readiness checklist to decide whether a funding opportunity deserves application time, evidence gathering and internal approval.
Application prepApplication-readiness checklists for each funding opportunityTurn saved funding opportunities into readiness checklists covering eligibility, documents, governance, budget and deadline risk.
Match fundingMatch funding explained for grant applicantsMatch funding explained for grant applicants, including cash, in-kind support, evidence needs and deadline risk.
Grant eligibility checklistGrant eligibility checklist with source evidenceA practical grant eligibility checklist covering applicant type, location, purpose, eligible costs, governance evidence, deadlines and caveats.
Draft notes guideSource-cited draft notes for grant applicationsUse AI draft notes for grant preparation while keeping official source citations, caveats and human review clearly visible.