You must upload a four-year budget narrative in Grants.gov that includes proposed federal costs for years 1-4. Your budget narrative should align with other application components, including your Project Work Plan, Summary of Contracts and Agreements, Staffing Plan, and Project Narrative. Include a table of staff you will pay with federal funds. See the Budget and Budget Narrative section of the NTAP NOFO for instructions. The sample below is incomplete and for reference only.
On this page:
Sample budget narrative
Personnel
Include budget details for each position in the staff justification table. Combined time and effort percentages for staff across all federal awards may not exceed 1.0 FTE.
| Budget Line Item |
Year 1 Federal Request |
Year 2 Federal Request |
Year 3 Federal Request |
Year 4 Federal Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief executive officer | ||||
| Project director | ||||
| Project manager | ||||
| Evaluation director | ||||
| Partnerships director | ||||
| Cohort director | ||||
| National audience activities director | ||||
| Communities of practice director | ||||
| Learning series lead | ||||
| Coaching lead | ||||
| Peer learning lead | ||||
| 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 Federal Request |
Year 2 Federal Request |
Year 3 Federal Request |
Year 4 Federal Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FICA (X%) | ||||
| Medical (X%) | ||||
| Retirement (X%) | ||||
|
Unemployment/ Worker's Compensation (X%) |
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| Disability (X%) | ||||
| Dental (X%) | ||||
| TOTAL FRINGE (X%) |
Travel
| Budget Line Item |
Year 1 Federal Request |
Year 2 Federal Request |
Year 3 Federal Request |
Year 4 Federal Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
In-person attendance for one cohort meeting in year 1 and again in year 3 · 40 health center staff per cohort x 6 cohorts = 240 people Total cost of $X,XXX per person, which includes the following costs per person:
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HRSA NTAP Forum
Total cost includes the following costs per person:
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Annual Technical Assistance Programs Conference
Total cost includes the following costs per person:
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| TOTAL TRAVEL |
Equipment
Include items of movable equipment that cost $10,000 or more per unit and with a useful life of one year or more.
| Budget Line Item |
Year 1 Federal Request |
Year 2 Federal Request |
Year 3 Federal Request |
Year 4 Federal Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secure data server to store project data and support analysis needs | ||||
| TOTAL EQUIPMENT |
Supplies
Include equipment 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 Federal Request |
Year 2 Federal Request |
Year 3 Federal Request |
Year 4 Federal Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office supplies | ||||
| Computing equipment | ||||
| Software licenses (e.g., monthly webinar host subscriptions, online participation platform subscriptions, and document-sharing platform subscription) | ||||
| TOTAL SUPPLIES |
Contractual services
See additional details in Attachment 7: 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, 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 >Federal Request |
Year 2 Federal Request |
Year 3 Federal Request |
Year 4 Federal Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
ABC Consultants to assist with readiness assessments, coaching, peer learning, and TA material development
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XYZ Contractor to provide data and evaluation support for learning series, coaching, and peer learning
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Objective X subject matter expert
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| TOTAL CONTRACTUAL |
Other
| Budget Line Item |
Year 1 Federal Request |
Year 2 Federal Request |
Year 3 Federal Request |
Year 4< Federal Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Conference facility rental for an in-person cohort meeting for each cohort in year 1 and year 3 $XXX for X conference rooms for each cohort x 6 cohorts |
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| TOTAL OTHER |
Total costs
| Budget Line Item |
Year 1 Federal Request |
Year 2 Federal Request |
Year 3 Federal Request |
Year 4 Federal Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Direct charges Sum of total expenses in the tables above (e.g., personnel, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contractual) |
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Indirect charges Approved indirect cost rate must be included under Attachment 8: Other Relevant Documents or no more than 15% of modified total direct costs, if using the de minimis rate, which must be distinctly declared in this section. |
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| TOTAL COSTS |
Sample Staff Justification Table
List the personnel costs for all direct hire staff and contractors you will support with NTAP 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 (PDF - 3 KB) scale, which may change annually ($228,000 as of January 2026).
You must provide staff justification for all four years of your NTAP project or note that there are no changes from year 1. The sample below is incomplete and for reference only.
Staff Justification Table (No changes in salaries expected from year 1)
| Staff Name | Position Title | FTE |
Full-Time Base Salary |
Adjusted Annual Salary* |
Federal Amount Requested |
| J. Minjarez | Chief executive officer | 0.25 | $215,000 | No adjustment needed | $53,750 |
| P. Singh | Project director | 1.0 | $150,000 | No adjustment needed | $150,000 |
| J. Jones | Project manager | 1.0 | $110,000 | No adjustment needed | $110,000 |
| R. Brown | Evaluation director | 1.0 | $130,000 | No adjustment needed | $130,000 |
| S. Lee | Partnerships director | 1.0 | $120,000 | No adjustment needed | $120,000 |
| D. Williams | Cohort director | 1.0 | $120,000 | No adjustment needed | $120,000 |
| C. Cantrell | National audience activities director | 1.0 | $120,000 | No adjustment needed | $120,000 |
| B. Watkins | Communities of practice director | 1.0 | $120,000 | No adjustment needed | $120,000 |
| Dr. K. Brown | Learning series lead | 0.75 | $300,000 | $228,000 | $171,000 |
| A. Smith | Coaching lead | 1.0 | $100,000 | No adjustment needed | $100,000 |
| T. Davis | Peer learning lead | 1.0 | $100,000 | No adjustment needed | $100,000 |
*Use this column only when the salary is over the salary rate limitation.