Advancement · Grants & Funding · Budgets

Every trip in
the grant, priced
the way funders check.

List the trips with travelers, nights and the per diem rates for each destination. The estimator applies the travel-day rule for meals, totals each category and writes the line you paste into the budget justification.

Price the tripsWhat you get
$12one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $12

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Grant writer’s desk, $49 for 55 items.

The grant travel budget estimator

The worked example is a made-up STEM teacher institute with three trips. Nothing you type leaves this browser.

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What you get

Advancement · Grants & Funding$12 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
Airfare, lodging, meals and incidentals and other costs for each trip and in total, traveler-days, and one justification line per trip that shows the arithmetic.
Who it is for
Grant writers, program directors, nonprofit finance staff and school and district business officers preparing or checking a travel budget.
Format
Browser calculator for a phone, tablet or computer, by touch or keyboard. Prints a summary; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); export and import a file.
Access
$12 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Grant writer’s desk ($49) and the Advancement Suite pass ($99), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Grants & Funding space in Caveat Advancement.
Support
Questions, a correction or a request: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Look up each destination’s rates on gsa.gov.
  2. Add a line per trip with travelers and nights.
  3. Type airfare or mileage and other costs per person.
  4. Check the travel-day share against your policy.
  5. Paste the justification lines into the narrative.

Price the trips

How the travel costs are worked out

Nights for lodging, days for meals, people for everything.

The worked example: three teachers at a national conference3 nights4 daysnights + 1Travel days2 × $55.5075% of $74Days between2 × $74the full rateM&IE a person$259.00× 3 = $777.00The worked example: three teachers at a national conference3 nights4 daysnights + 1Travel days2 × $55.5075% of $74Days between2 × $74the full rateM&IE a person$259.00× 3 = $777.00
The first and last day of a trip get 75 percent of the meals and incidentals rate; lodging is paid for nights, not days.

Per diem rates

The U.S. General Services Administration publishes a lodging rate and a meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) rate for each destination, updated each federal fiscal year. Federal awards usually follow the grantee’s own written travel policy, and many policies point to the GSA rates (2 CFR 200.475).

Travel days

Under the Federal Travel Regulation, the first and last day of travel get 75 percent of the M&IE rate and the days between get the full rate. Lodging is paid per night. A trip of three nights is four days: two at 75 percent and two at the full rate. Meals provided at a conference may need to be deducted.

Sources

  1. U.S. General Services Administration. Per diem rates lookup and first and last day of travel (gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates).
  2. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 41 CFR 301-11.101, Federal Travel Regulation: M&IE on travel days (ecfr.gov).
  3. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 2 CFR 200.475, Travel costs (ecfr.gov).
  4. Internal Revenue Service. Publication 463, Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses, for standard mileage rates (irs.gov).

The worked example is made up and its rates are illustrations. Use the current rates for each destination and your funder’s policy. Your entries stay in this browser. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.