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Build audit-ready grant budgets and cost justifications.

SF-424A categories, MTDC math and line-item justifications that match the narrative, under 2 CFR 200 Subpart E.

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$ edit line items and watch mtdc and indirect costs recalculate

categoryline itemamount
Personnel2.0 FTE instructors x $58,200
Personnel0.5 FTE retention coach x $52,400
Fringe28.4% of personnel
TravelLocal mileage, 9,800 mi x $0.70
SuppliesPPE and hand tools, 90 participants
EquipmentTraining trailer (unit cost over $10,000)excluded from MTDC
Participant supportStipends, 90 x $1,200excluded from MTDC
ContractualSubaward to partner collegeexcluded from MTDC over $50k
OtherClassroom rent, 12 monthsexcluded from MTDC

Indirect cost rate

Total direct costs
$456,008
MTDC base
$253,908
Indirect at 15%
$38,086
Total request
$494,094

justification > Indirect costs are requested at 15% of modified total direct costs ($253,908), the de minimis rate permitted under 2 CFR 200.414(f). MTDC excludes equipment, participant support costs, rent and subaward amounts above the first $50,000.

What Budget Narrative does

Rules
2 CFR 200 Subpart E, as revised effective Oct 1, 2024
De minimis
15% of MTDC, no documentation required
Equipment
$10,000 per-unit threshold
Subawards
First $50,000 of each counts toward MTDC
Outputs
SF-424A values, budget table, justification
  • Cost principles. Built on 2 CFR 200 Subpart E: allowable, allocable and reasonable tests, with common unallowable costs (entertainment, alcohol, lobbying, fundraising) flagged.
  • Federal categories. Personnel, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contractual, construction, other direct costs and indirect costs, matching the SF-424A object classes.
  • Indirect costs. Use your negotiated NICRA or the 15% de minimis rate on modified total direct costs. MTDC automatically excludes equipment, participant support costs, rent and the portion of each subaward over $50,000.
  • Justification drafting. Formula-grounded justifications for every line item, tied to the work plan activity that needs it: '0.5 FTE Retention Coach x $52,400 x 2 years.'
  • Cross-checks. Totals reconcile between the budget table, the SF-424A and the narrative. Rounding drift and mismatched years are caught before export.
  • Match tracking. Cost share and in-kind match tracked by source, with the required percentage computed from the NOFO.

How teams roll it out

  1. step 1/4

    Import staffing and rates

    Pull salaries and fringe from QuickBooks Online or Sage Intacct, or enter them directly.

  2. step 2/4

    Build by activity

    Attach each cost to a work plan activity so the justification writes itself.

  3. step 3/4

    Choose the indirect base

    NICRA from your rate agreement in the vault, or 15% de minimis on MTDC.

  4. step 4/4

    Export the package

    SF-424A values, a formatted budget table and the full budget justification narrative.

“It aligned our budget justification to our federal NICRA perfectly, and the narrative finally matches the spreadsheet to the dollar.”
Harjit Malhotra-ReyesChief Financial Officer, Mesa Verde Family Health

What Budget Narrative does not do

  • It does not negotiate your indirect cost rate or replace your auditor.
  • It does not approve costs; final allowability decisions rest with your finance team and the awarding agency.

ELIXIR CONSUMERS is authoring and administrative management software for grant seekers. ELIXIR CONSUMERS does not guarantee grant awards or funding approvals. Final submission review, financial disclosures and institutional certifications are the sole responsibility of the applicant organization.

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Questions, answered

Can we use the 15% de minimis rate?

Under the 2024 revision of 2 CFR 200.414(f), recipients without a current negotiated rate may use up to 15% of modified total direct costs without documentation. Some programs cap indirect costs lower; ELIXIR CONSUMERS reads the cap from the NOFO.

What does MTDC exclude?

Equipment, capital expenditures, patient care charges, rental costs, tuition remission, scholarships and fellowships, participant support costs and the portion of each subaward above $50,000.

Does it handle multi-year budgets?

Yes. Each budget period has its own table, with escalation rates and year-over-year justifications.

$ elixir trial --days 14

Stop letting high-value grant deadlines pass you by.

Upload a past 990 and a target NOFO. Watch ELIXIR CONSUMERS draft a cited Section 1 narrative in 90 seconds.

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