--- title: "Grant cost-sharing flags: budget review questions" description: "Turn a Grants.gov matching flag into budget questions about percentage bases, contributions, timing, and records before your team pursues a notice." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/grant-cost-sharing-flag-budget-review-questions" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Services - Services - [AI systems](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-systems) - [Site build](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#site-build) - [Whole website fix](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#whole-website-fix) - [Content library with SEO](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#content-library) - [Working session](https://scalewithsearch.com/audit) - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Example scope](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#review-the-example-scope) - [Prices and terms](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prices-and-terms) - Industries - Real estate - [Real estate agents and teams](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - [Platforms, ownership, and IDX](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-platforms-ownership-idx) - [Search, content, and AI](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-search-content-ai) - [Inquiries, campaigns, and handoffs](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-inquiries-campaigns-handoffs) - [Buyer, seller, and local pages](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-buyer-seller-local-resources) - [Rules, privacy, and trust](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-rules-privacy-trust) - Browse by business - [Trades and home services](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-trades) - [Health, wellness, and animal care](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-practices) - [Law, finance, and IT](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-professional) - [Marketing and SEO agencies](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-agencies) - [Shops and manufacturers](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-manufacturing) - [Restaurants, shops, studios, and nonprofits](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-local-services) - Chiropractic practices - [Chiropractic and wellness practices](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-wellness-practices) - [Chiropractic and physical therapy clinics](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-physical-therapy-clinics) - [All industries](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/) - Resources - Free tools - [AI readiness check](https://scalewithsearch.com/check) - [Free tools](https://scalewithsearch.com/tools/) - [Free Starter Kit](https://scalewithsearch.com/kit/business-memory-starter-kit.zip) - Guides - [AI-native library](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-native) - [Industry intelligence](https://scalewithsearch.com/intelligence) - [Office job guides](https://scalewithsearch.com/guides/) - [Business memory](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) - [Agent governance](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-agent-governance-guide-small-business) - [Migration and ownership](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/leaving-vendor-ai-memory-guide) - Articles - [All articles](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/) - [What changed](https://scalewithsearch.com/changes/) - About - Evidence - [Proof](https://scalewithsearch.com/proof) - Scale With Search - [About](https://scalewithsearch.com/about) - [How it works](https://scalewithsearch.com/how-it-works) # Grant cost-sharing flags: prepare the budget questions before pursuing a notice A matching flag should open a budget review. It cannot supply the formula for that review. Before your nonprofit commits application effort, ask finance to identify the percentage basis, acceptable contributions, timing, and supporting records in the actual notice. Grants.gov defines cost sharing or matching as the project-cost portion outside federal funding, unless federal statute authorizes otherwise. Its synopsis form records the requirement as Yes or No. That field alone provides neither a percentage nor a calculation method. [Grants.gov terminology, Cost Sharing or Matching, checked 2026.10.28](https://www.grants.gov/learn-grants/grant-terminology); [Create Synopsis help, General Information, checked 2026.10.28](https://www.grants.gov/help/grantors/create-synopsis). Use this guide to prepare questions for the grants lead and finance reviewer. The proposed worksheets support a pursuit decision. They do not determine whether your organization qualifies, whether a contribution counts, or whether a budget complies. ## Keep the five funding fields separate Start by copying the labels and values from the official record. Grants.gov's synopsis guidance lists estimated total program funding, expected awards, award floor, award ceiling, and the matching requirement as separate fields. Preserve those distinctions in your reading notes. [Create Synopsis help, General Information, checked 2026.10.28](https://www.grants.gov/help/grantors/create-synopsis). Use the following reading prompts. They are questions for the full notice, not additional program rules inferred from the summary. | Field | Question to take into the full notice | Shortcut to avoid | | --- | --- | --- | | Estimated total program funding | What pool, period, and program components does this estimate cover? | Entering the whole program estimate as your request | | Award floor | What lower award boundary and exceptions does the notice describe? | Treating the displayed amount as an entitlement | | Award ceiling | What upper award boundary and period does the notice describe? | Assuming the maximum is an appropriate request | | Expected number of awards | What explanation accompanies the anticipated award count? | Dividing the program pool by that count to set your budget | | Matching requirement | Where are the contribution formula and conditions stated? | Treating Yes as a complete budget instruction | Keep the original fields visible beside your proposed request. A director should be able to see where source data ends and internal planning begins. If an amount is absent, label it missing instead of substituting a number from a similar opportunity. For this synthetic example, express all amounts in abstract budget units. Imagine a summary showing a 2,000-unit program estimate and eight expected awards. Its award floor is 75 units, and its ceiling is 300 units. It also shows matching required. These invented fields leave the matching percentage unresolved. They provide no basis for choosing a 250-unit request merely because division produces that number. ## Find the percentage basis before calculating Ask the grants lead to locate the complete matching language and any linked instructions. Record the section, page, document date, and version. Ask finance to restate the rule with a numerator and denominator before using a spreadsheet. The synopsis help directs applicants to the full instructions and other documents. Use that reading sequence rather than treating the summary as a complete budget manual. [Grants.gov Synopsis Tab help, checked 2026.10.28](https://www.grants.gov/help/search-grants/synopsis-tab). The following arithmetic is entirely invented and also uses abstract budget units. Neither example describes a federal program or establishes an acceptable contribution. The examples isolate one source of confusion: the number underneath the percentage. In Example A, suppose fictional instructions require a contribution equal to 20 percent of the federal request. With a 100-unit request, the contribution is 20 units. The combined hypothetical budget is 120 units. That contribution is one-sixth of the combined amount, rather than 20 percent of it. In Example B, suppose fictional instructions require a contribution equal to 20 percent of total project costs. With the same 100-unit federal request, federal funding represents the remaining 80 percent. Divide 100 by 0.80 to obtain 125 units total. The contribution is 25 units. | Synthetic assumption | Federal request (units) | Contribution (units) | Combined budget (units) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Contribution is 20% of the federal request | 100 | 20 | 120 | | Contribution is 20% of the total budget | 100 | 25 | 125 | The five-unit difference comes from the assumed basis. It does not come from a different request. Ask the reviewer to write the actual notice's basis above the calculation so another person can reproduce it. If the instructions instead describe a ratio, graduated contribution, category-specific rule, or exception, use those actual terms. Do not force them into either example. Keep the arithmetic provisional until the responsible reviewer confirms the governing language. ## Separate a proposed contribution from an accepted contribution After the formula, ask which contributions the notice permits. Prepare candidate resources without declaring any acceptable. Possible questions concern organizational cash, partner support, donated items, staff effort, or other proposed resources. Their appearance on your list establishes no eligibility. Use one row per candidate contribution. Record who controls it, what evidence exists, and which notice term the reviewer must check. Keep an informal possibility separate from a documented commitment your organization has authority to make. For example, a fictional partner offers meeting space. Your worksheet should ask whether that resource can count, how valuation would work, and what documentation would be required. Do not enter an estimated rental value as approved match before the review. Likewise, an internal budget line may describe an available resource without resolving its use for this project. Ask finance to check existing commitments and restrictions. The director should see which resources remain conditional before authorizing proposal work around them. Avoid collecting personal donor information for this first review. A resource category, responsible staff role, approximate planning amount, and evidence location can frame the question. Keep private supporting records within your organization's approved access process. ## Ask when the contribution must exist A budget that adds up still leaves timing questions. Ask the grants lead to identify when the notice requires evidence, commitments, expenditure, or reporting. Write each timing condition beside the resource it affects. Then ask finance to compare those conditions with the proposed project calendar. Does the organization control the contribution when needed? Which approval must occur first? What happens to the proposed project if the resource arrives later than planned? These are review prompts, not assertions that all notices use the same sequence. Your worksheet should quote a short controlling passage or provide an exact section reference. If timing remains unclear, mark the decision “research” and identify who will resolve it. Add a separate internal cash question: what funding would operations need while carrying out the proposed work? Keep that question distinct from the formal matching calculation. Ask the finance reviewer to assess the actual payment terms before making any commitment. ## Prepare the documentation questions before promising resources For each candidate contribution, ask what record would demonstrate its amount, source, availability, and use. Ask who would maintain that record and who would review it. Reference the notice and applicable instructions rather than inventing a universal evidence checklist. A useful proposed review table has these columns: - Candidate contribution and the staff role responsible for it. - Planned amount, clearly labeled as an assumption until checked. - Notice section governing whether the resource can count. - Valuation or calculation question requiring a finance response. - Timing condition and evidence needed before commitment. - Record location, unresolved issue, and reviewer decision date. Test the table with an awkward case. Suppose a fictional contribution appears available, but nobody can identify who can authorize it. Keep the row unresolved. Arithmetic cannot supply that authority. Try another case with a well-documented resource but an unread notice section. Keep acceptability unresolved until the grants lead completes the reading. Presence of evidence and permission to count that evidence are separate checks. ## Write a pursue, research, or defer worksheet Give the executive director a decision sheet short enough to read alongside the source documents. Use the following proposed structure. The labels describe your organization's internal choices, not official Grants.gov statuses. | Decision field | Entry to prepare | | --- | --- | | Source | Opportunity number, official link, stage, and access date | | Controlling documents | Notice title, version or date, and relevant budget sections | | Matching flag | Exact displayed value, including missing or unclear | | Formula | Percentage or ratio, basis, and reviewer-checked calculation | | Candidate resources | Proposed contributions and their approval state | | Missing terms | Specific unresolved conditions, each with an owner | | Timing | Relevant notice conditions and internal approval dates | | Recommendation | Pursue, research, or defer, with the reason | | Review | Grants lead, finance reviewer, director, and next review event | Recommend “pursue” only within the scope your director authorizes. A decision to prepare an application is not permission to promise a partner resource or submit it. Keep those later approvals explicit. Use “research” when a missing term could change feasibility. For example, the percentage is known, but its basis remains unclear. Assign the grants lead to locate the term and finance to check the resulting calculation. Use “defer” when the organization chooses not to proceed with the current proposal. Record a concrete reason, such as an unresolved resource commitment within the available preparation window. Avoid turning that internal decision into a claim that the organization is ineligible. ## Connect budget readiness to publication stage Before using the worksheet, check whether you are reading a forecast or a posted notice. The companion guide to [Grants.gov forecasts and posted notices](/articles/grants-gov-forecast-posted-application-preparation) explains preparation across those stages. During early research, authorize collection of existing finance records and a list of questions. When complete instructions become available, ask the reviewers to revisit the assumptions against those documents. Preserve the earlier calculation as history rather than letting it govern by default. If a requirement changes, identify which contribution rows and decisions need review. Do not ask staff to rebuild every background record. Focus the next meeting on the changed term, the affected resources, and the decision it requires. ## Preserve the reasoning behind the budget decision Keep the reviewed calculation, source sections, missing terms, and director's decision together. The [business memory guide](/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) describes how approved organizational context can survive staff and software changes. For grant preparation, the useful record explains why the team pursued, researched, or deferred one proposal. It should identify what would reopen that decision. It should never turn a matching flag into a permanent conclusion about the organization. The [churches and nonprofits page](/for/churches-and-nonprofits) covers the broader office setting. The [nonprofit intelligence overview](/intelligence/churches-and-nonprofits) describes source review across opportunities. Neither replaces notice-specific review by responsible staff. If your team needs help organizing the document history and review handoff, bring Scale With Search an approved sample worksheet. Keep grant interpretation, finance judgments, and resource commitments with your authorized reviewers. Describe the proposed organizational work through the scope form. [Discuss the scope](/work) Continue the website review: [AI-native churches and nonprofits: first functions to build](/articles/ai-native-church-nonprofit-first-functions); [Church and nonprofit AI rules: data, approvals, and spend](/articles/church-nonprofit-ai-data-approval-spend-rules); [Add readable sermon transcripts to your church website](/articles/church-sermon-transcripts-website); [Church website new visitor page checklist](/articles/church-website-new-visitor-page-checklist); [Grants.gov forecasts and posted notices: decide when to prepare an application](/articles/grants-gov-forecast-posted-application-preparation); [Check a nonprofit donation form for accessibility](/articles/nonprofit-donation-form-accessibility-check); [Build a donation receipt help page for your nonprofit](/articles/nonprofit-donation-receipt-help-page); [Build nonprofit event pages Google can evaluate](/articles/nonprofit-event-page-google-structured-data); [Food pantry website pages: hours, access, and next steps](/articles/nonprofit-food-pantry-website-page); [Check donor privacy before adding a public donor wall](/articles/nonprofit-public-donor-wall-privacy); [Help donors change or cancel recurring gifts](/articles/nonprofit-recurring-donation-cancellation-page); [Volunteer role pages and Google JobPosting markup](/articles/nonprofit-volunteer-role-jobposting-markup); [Build a volunteer signup page with a clear next step](/articles/nonprofit-volunteer-signup-page); [Help donors verify your nonprofit's tax status](/articles/nonprofit-website-tax-status-verification-page). [churches and nonprofits](/for/churches-and-nonprofits): website and search resources. ## Related: churches and nonprofits - [Grants.gov forecasts and posted notices: decide when to prepare an application](/articles/grants-gov-forecast-posted-application-preparation) - [Check a nonprofit donation form for accessibility](/articles/nonprofit-donation-form-accessibility-check) - [Build a donation receipt help page for your nonprofit](/articles/nonprofit-donation-receipt-help-page) ---- ```text .|########||. .|########||. .|########||. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. .#| .#. .#| .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. |#. .#. |#. .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| .||########||. .||########||. .||########||. 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