A tight, defensible budget is often the difference between a shortlist and a decline. Here's the structure that works.

Writing a grant budget that actually gets funded

Reviewers spend more time on your budget than on your narrative. Make it easy to say yes.

The four line-item categories

Personnel — role, % FTE, loaded rate. Show the math.
Direct program costs — materials, travel, participant stipends.
Contracted services — evaluation, specialized expertise.
Indirect — use your negotiated rate if you have one, otherwise the funder's cap.

Match line items to outcomes

Every dollar should trace to something in your narrative. If the narrative promises 200 workshop participants, the budget should show materials for 200 and staff time to run them.

Common red flags

Round numbers everywhere ($50,000, $10,000) — looks estimated, not planned.
Indirect over the cap — instant decline at some funders.
No matching or in-kind — signals no skin in the game for programs where match is expected.

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