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Build a budget with match and in-kind

List what the project costs and who pays for each part: this funder, your organization's cash match or donated in-kind support. GrantFlex adds up the totals, and AI can draft the budget explanation from your lines.

  • 15 min
  • Every plan
  • Uses 1 AI action

Screens from October 2026

Before you start

You need a proposal for the request. Its budget is on the proposal's Materials tab, under Budget. What goes in a budget? at the top of the tab explains each category and who pays.

Build the budget

  1. Add what you'll ask the funder for

    Enter a cost under Description, choose its Category, and choose Request under Who pays. Enter the Qty and the Unit cost, and GrantFlex works out the Line total.

    Select Add justification under a line to say how you worked out the cost.

    Budget lines grouped by category, each with Category, Who pays (Request, Our match or In-kind), Qty, Unit cost and Line total, and a justification under the first line.
    Example workspace · fictional data

  2. Add your match and in-kind support

    Select Add line for each cost your organization or another funder pays in cash, and choose Our match. For donated goods, space or volunteer time, choose In-kind and enter what it's worth. See match and in-kind support.

    Lines save when you finish typing, once they have a description.

    The end of the budget: match and in-kind lines under Other, an empty new line waiting for a description, the direct-cost totals, and Add line.
    Example workspace · fictional data

  3. Check the totals

    The totals show your request to this funder, Our match, In-kind and Total project cost, with each one's share. If the funder allows indirect costs, enter its rate under Indirect cost rate. For a request over several years, choose them under Budget period.

    The budget totals: the request (direct and indirect), Our match, In-kind, Total project cost and who pays what share, beside Budget period and Indirect cost rate.
    Example workspace · fictional data

  4. Draft the budget explanation

    Select Draft budget explanation. AI writes a paragraph for each category from your budget lines only, saying who pays for what. It uses one AI action.

    Check each figure against your lines. If you change the lines later, select Rewrite budget explanation for a new one.

    The Budget explanation card: an AI-written narrative of the costs by category and who pays them, with the Rewrite budget explanation button.
    Example workspace · fictional data

For every category and multi-year budgets, see Build the budget.

What you get

A budget that shows the funder its share of the whole project, with your match and in-kind support beside it. The budget explanation is ready to copy from the Package tab. Select Download (Excel) or CSV for a copy of the budget.

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