You must upload a two-year budget narrative and staff justification table in Grants.gov when you apply for the fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Quality Improvement Fund – Improving Access to Dental Services for Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (QIF-DNDD) funding.
Be sure to:
- Show how you will use QIF-DNDD funds in year 1 and year 2. Do not include other federal awards.
- Show how much you will pay staff and contractors from the federal funds in the staff justification table(s).
- Include minor alteration/renovation (A/R) costs on the construction line if you plan to use funding for minor A/R at one directly-operated in-scope service site and submit a separate Minor A/R Budget Justification.
- Align the budget narrative with other components of your application, including your Project Work Plan, Project Narrative, SF-424 Budget Information Form, and Summary of Contracts and Agreements (if applicable).
The sample below is non-exhaustive and is provided for reference only.
The Budget and Budget Narrative section of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will tell you what to include. Find the NOFO on the QIF-DNDD Technical Assistance webpage.
On this page:
Sample Budget Narrative
Revenue
|
Revenue (Totals should be consistent with the information presented in the SF-424A) |
Year 1: Federal Request | Year 1: Non-Federal Resources | Year 1 Total | Year 2 Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QIF-DNDD Funding Request | ||||
| Applicant Organization | ||||
| State Funds | ||||
| Local Funds | ||||
| Other Support | ||||
| Program Income (fees, third party reimbursements, and payments generated from the projected delivery of services) | ||||
| TOTAL REVENUE |
Expenses
Personnel
Include budget details for each position in the Staff Justification Table(s). Combined time and effort percentages for staff may not exceed 1.0 FTE across your federal awards.
| Budget Line Item | Year 1: Non-Federal | Year 1: Federal | Year 2: Non- Federal | Year 2: Federal | Category Total: Non-Federal | Category Total: Federal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Administration staff | ||||||
| Medical staff | ||||||
| Dental staff | ||||||
| Enabling staff | ||||||
| IT staff | ||||||
| Other staff | ||||||
| TOTAL PERSONNEL |
Fringe benefits
Fringe benefits should be reasonable and directly proportional to the percentage of personnel costs that are allocated for the project.
| Budget Line Item | Year 1: Non-Federal | Year 1: Federal | Year 2: Non-Federal | Year 2: Federal | Category Total: Non-Federal | Category Total: Federal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FICA (X.XX%) | ||||||
| Medical (X%) | ||||||
| Dental (X%) | ||||||
| Unemployment and Workers Compensation Insurance (X%) | ||||||
| Retirement (X%) | ||||||
| Disability (X%) | ||||||
| Tuition Reimbursement (X%) | ||||||
| TOTAL FRINGE (X%) |
Travel
Include details for both local and long-distance travel.
| Budget Line Item | Year 1: Non-Federal | Year 1: Federal | Year 2: Non-Federal | Year 2: Federal | Category Total: Non-Federal | Category Total: Federal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local travel to transport patients to and from service site (XXX miles @ $0.XX per mile) | ||||||
|
Conference in XYZ city for 2 staff
|
||||||
| Local travel for community outreach (X,XXX miles @ $0.XX per mile) | ||||||
| Local travel for # in-person workshops for # dental staff at YZ University School of Dentistry | ||||||
| TOTAL TRAVEL |
Equipment
Include items of movable equipment that cost $10,000 or more per unit and will last for one year or more. Your funding request cannot exceed $250,000 in federal costs for minor A/R and equipment combined. Equipment must only be purchased for use at a directly operated, in-scope health center service site.
| Budget Line Item | Year 1: Non- Federal | Year1: Federal | Year 2: Non-Federal | Year 2: Federal | Category Total: Non-Federal | Category Total: Federal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # Portable Dental X-Ray @ $XX,XXX each | ||||||
| Versatilt System @ $XX,XXX | ||||||
| TOTAL EQUIPMENT (See Equipment List for details) |
Supplies
Include items that cost less than $10,000 each per unit and other supplies. Include unit costs and quantities to be purchased.
| Budget Line Item | Year 1: Non-Federal | Year 1: Federal | Year 2: Non-Federal | Year 2: Federal | Category Total: Non-Federal | Category Total: Federal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dental supplies ($X.XX per visit x X,XXX visits) | ||||||
| Office supplies ($X,XXX per month x 12 months) | ||||||
| Printing costs ($X.XX per brochure x 4 brochures x X,000 copies) | ||||||
| # Dry Shields @ $X, XXX each | ||||||
| # DentiMax Dream Sensors @ $X, XXX each | ||||||
| # Dental Diode Laser @ $X,XXX each | ||||||
| TOTAL SUPPLIES |
Contractual
Clearly explain the purpose of each contract/agreement, if applicable, how you estimated the costs, and the specific contract/agreement deliverables.
Include a summary in Attachment 4: Summary of Contracts and Agreements. Individual contractors cannot be paid at an hourly rate in excess of the Federal Executive Level II of the Federal Executive Pay scale (PDF - 3 KB), which may change annually ($109.62 per hour as of January 2026). Clearly identify consultants in this section since they are not bound by this limit.
| Budget Line Item | Year 1: Non-Federal | Year 1: Federal | Year 2: Non-Federal | Year 2: Federal | Category Total: Non-Federal | Category Total: Federal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dental Provider (DDS/DMD) ($X per contract) | ||||||
| XYZ Consulting (XX hours @ $XX per hour) | ||||||
| YZ School of Dentistry (XX hours @ $XX per hour) | ||||||
| The NDD Network (XX hours @ $XX per hour) | ||||||
| TOTAL CONTRACTUAL |
Construction
Include:
- Total cost for your minor A/R project from the minor A/R Project Budget Justification
Your funding request cannot exceed $250,000 in federal funds for minor A/R and equipment combined.
| Budget Line Item | Year 1: Non-Federal | Year 1: Federal | Year 2: Non-Federal | Year 2: Federal | Category Total: Non-Federal | Category Total: Federal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minor A/R costs for Health Center Site- renovation of dental operatories and reception area to increase access to dental services for children with NDDs | ||||||
|
TOTAL CONSTRUCTION (See Minor A/R Budget Justification) |
Other
Include justification of costs that do not fit into any other category. In some cases, rent, utilities, and insurance may fall under this category if they are not included in an approved indirect cost rate.
| Budget Line Item | Year 1: Non-Federal | Year 1: Federal | Year 2: Non-Federal | Year 2: Federal | Category Total: Non-Federal | Category Total: Federal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Patient recruitment (online and local ads) X ads @ $X.XX per ad |
||||||
|
Staff recruitment – newspaper and internet posting X ads @ $X.XX per ad |
||||||
| TOTAL OTHER |
Total Costs
| Budget Line Item | Year 1: Non-Federal | Year 1: Federal | Year 2: Non-Federal | Year 2: Federal | Category Total: Non-Federal | Category Total: Federal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
TOTAL DIRECT CHARGES Sum of TOTAL Expenses tables above (for example, Personnel, Fringe Benefits, Travel, Equipment, Supplies, Contractual, Construction and Other) |
||||||
|
TOTAL INDIRECT CHARGES (X.XX% Indirect Rate) Include only if your organization has a negotiated indirect cost rate or has previously claimed a de minimis rate of 15% of modified total direct costs. Include approved indirect cost agreement in Attachment 8: Other Relevant Documents. |
||||||
| TOTAL COSTS (Total of Total Direct Charges and Indirect Charges) |
Sample Staff Justification Tables
List the personnel costs for all direct hire staff and contractors you will support with QIF-DNDD funding.
You may not use funds to pay an individual at a rate in excess of the Federal Executive Level II of the Federal Executive Pay scale (PDF - 3 KB), which may change annually ($228,000, as of January 2026).
You must provide staff justification for all two years of your QIF-DNDD project or note that there are no changes from year 1.
The samples below are incomplete and for reference only. Refer to the NOFO for further guidance.
Table 1: Year 1 Staff Justification Table
| Staff Name | Position Title | FTE to support QIF-DNDD Project | Base Salary | Adjusted Annual Salary* | Federal Amount Requested |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Smith | CEO | 0.30 | $275,000 | $228,000 | $68,400 |
| L. Taylor | Physician | 0.20 | $251,000 | $228,000 | $45,600 |
| A. Hurrey | Dental Office Manager | 0.30 | $95,000 | No adjustment needed | $28,500 |
| B. Happy | Assistant Dental Office Manager | 0.30 | $80,000 | No adjustment needed | $24,000 |
| R. Doe | Dentist | 0.50 | $160,000 | No adjustment needed | $80,000 |
| M. Miller | Dentist (Contractor) | 0.75 | $165,000 | No Adjustment needed | $123,750 |
| TBD | Dental Assistant | 1.00 | $56,000 | No adjustment needed | $56,000 |
| E. Chambers | Treatment Coordinator | 0.50 | $70,000 | No adjustment needed | $35,000 |
| TBD | Dental Hygienist | 1.00 | $94,000 | No adjustment needed | $94,000 |
| D. Berry | Community Dental Health Coordinator | 0.50 | $45,000 | No adjustment needed | $22,500 |
| F. Martinez | Director of Quality | 0.30 | $110,000 | No adjustment needed | $33,000 |
| N. Grey | Data Specialist | 0.25 | $80,000 | No adjustment needed | $20,000 |
Total: $630,750
*Only use this column when the salary is over the salary rate limit.
Table 2: Year 2 Staff Justification Table
| Staff Name | Position Title | FTE to support QIF-DNDD Project | Base Salary | Adjusted Annual Salary* | Federal Amount Requested |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Smith | CEO | 0.30 | $286,000 | $228,000 | $68,400 |
| L. Taylor | Physician | 0.20 | $261,040 | $228,000 | $45,600 |
| A. Hurrey | Dental Office Manager | 0.30 | $98,800 | No adjustment needed | $29,640 |
| B. Happy | Assistant Dental Office Manager | 0.30 | $83,200 | No adjustment needed | $24,960 |
| R. Doe | Dentist | 0.50 | $166,400 | No adjustment needed | $83,200 |
| M. Miller | Dentist (Contractor) | 0.75 | $171,600 | No adjustment needed | $128,700 |
| TBD | Dental Assistant | 1.00 | $58,240 | No adjustment needed | $58,240 |
| E. Chambers | Treatment Coordinator | 0.50 | $72,800 | No adjustment needed | $36,400 |
| TBD | Dental Hygienist | 1.00 | $97,760 | No adjustment needed | $97,760 |
| D. Berry | Community Dental Health Coordinator | 0.50 | $46,800 | No adjustment needed | $23,400 |
| F. Martinez | Director of Quality | 0.30 | $114,400 | No adjustment needed | $34,320 |
| N. Grey | Data Specialist | 0.25 | $83,200 | No adjustment needed | $20,800 |
Total: $651,420
*Only use this column when the salary is over the salary rate limit.