Cost and funding plan
Almost every grant application asks for a cost and funding plan, and almost every one comes back the first time — because expenditure and financing do not meet, because the funding quota is above what the programme allows, or because nobody asked when the money is actually needed.
This tool works all of that out from your own positions. You never type in the grant you are applying for: it is the gap left once everything else is counted, which is exactly how a funding body reads a financing plan. Plus a price calculator that works backwards to what a ticket has to cost, and a drawdown by period.
Which ticket price closes the gap is the Ticket price and break-even calculator; the fees on the expenditure side come from the Fee and levy calculator.
Funding gap = grant applied for
€0.00
- Total expenditure: €0.00
- of which eligible: €0.00
- Income and own funds: €0.00 (of which secured: €0.00)
- Quota against total expenditure: 0% · Quota against eligible expenditure: 0%
- Check (must be 0): €0.00
Terms that come up in applications
- Eigenmittel (own funds)
- Money you put in yourself — reserves, membership fees, surpluses from earlier events. Many programmes require a minimum share, because own funds show that you carry part of the risk.
- Eigenleistung (contribution in kind)
- Unpaid work by your people, often valued at an hourly rate. Not the same as own funds: some programmes count it, many do not. Ask before entering it.
- Zweckbetrieb (purpose-related business)
- A commercial activity that directly serves the charitable purpose — a ticketed cultural event usually is one. It keeps its tax privilege, unlike a plain commercial operation such as selling drinks.
- Förderquote (funding quota)
- The share of costs the grant covers. Watch what the programme's quota refers to: all expenditure, or only the eligible part. If yours is above it, you need more own funds or a smaller project.
- Mittelabruf (drawdown)
- Calling down approved funds in instalments, matched to when you need them. Asking for everything on day one invites questions; asking too late means paying out of your own pocket first.
Saved automatically in this browser.
How this is calculated
Whether the plan is kept in gross or net amounts comes down to one question: can you reclaim input tax? An organisation that cannot — most small non-profits — really does pay the VAT, so the gross figure belongs in the application. One that can would be inflating its own budget by 19 %. The switch in the event details moves the whole plan, not one line.
The funding gap is total expenditure minus all other sources of finance. It is computed rather than entered, so the two halves of an application cannot contradict each other. The check row has to come out at zero.
The funding quota is reported twice: against total expenditure and against eligible expenditure. Programmes mean one or the other, and the difference matters as soon as some positions are not eligible.
The price calculator runs backwards: from costs, funding already counted on and other income comes what has to be taken at the door. Groups with a price factor of 0 — crew, game masters — pay nothing, and everyone else carries their places. That is the sum most often got wrong by hand.
- Structure follows common cost and funding plans of German municipal and state programmes
- CSV expenditure headings: fees, material costs, travel, publicity
- VAT: § 15 UStG (input tax deduction); reduced rate for cultural events § 12 Abs. 2 UStG
Every figure with its source and review date is in the metrics register — including when it was last checked against the regulation.
Common questions
Because it is not a free variable. A financing plan adds up when expenditure and financing meet; the grant applied for is exactly the remainder. Typing it in creates two numbers that can contradict each other — the most common reason for a query.
Gross if you cannot reclaim input tax — then VAT is a real cost to you. Net if you can. If in doubt ask your tax adviser or the funding body; the switch is in the event details and moves the entire plan.
Funding bodies exclude certain costs — often hospitality, alcohol, investments or building reserves. You still have those costs; they just do not count towards the basis. That is why the plan reports both sums.
Yes. Everything is calculated and stored in your browser; there is no server for anything to go to. Save the plan as a file and you can pass it on and load it back later.
Organiser briefing
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Related tools
- Ticket price and break-even calculatorWhat a ticket has to cost to carry the event — with free places, batches and a grant share.
- Fee and levy calculatorMinimum fees, the artists' social levy and volunteer allowances — with a check whether the levy applies.
- Camp kitchen calculatorQuantities, a shopping list in pack sizes, chilled volume and cost per head — with a hygiene list.
- Tavern and drinks calculatorDrink volumes from head count and hours, your shopping list checked against them, a minimum price per drink.
Orientation value. This calculator is no substitute for talking to the licensing authority, the building inspectorate, the fire service or a qualified planner. The German states each adapt the model regulation, so what binds your event is your state's version plus the conditions in your own permit.
Figures as of: 1.0 · last reviewed: 2026-09-18