Measure the success rate of grant acquisition efforts and assess the total administrative cost required to secure and manage awarded funding.
1. Grant Success Rate (GSR):
(Total Grants Awarded / Total Applications Submitted) × 100
2. Cost of Application per Grant Submitted (CApGS):
Total Internal Cost of Acquisition / Total Applications Submitted
3. Cost to Administer Awarded Grants Ratio (CAGA):
((Acquisition Cost + Management Cost) / Total Grant Funding Received) × 100
Securing funding is the lifeblood of many non-profits, research institutions, and educational bodies, but the cost of acquiring that money is often overlooked. The Grant Management Calculator is a specialized financial tool designed to bring transparency to your fundraising operations. It moves beyond simple "total raised" metrics to evaluate the efficiency of your team's effort. By analyzing both the probability of winning (Success Rate) and the financial burden of administration (Cost Ratios), this tool helps Directors of Development and Executive Directors make data-driven decisions about where to allocate their limited time and resources.
Understanding the "True Cost" of a grant is essential for sustainability. If a grant brings in $50,000 but costs $25,000 in staff time to write the proposal and manage the complex reporting, the net benefit is significantly reduced. The Grant Management Calculator calculates the CAGA Ratio (Cost to Administer Awarded Grants), a critical metric that reveals exactly what percentage of funding is consumed by internal execution. A high CAGA suggests that your organization is spending too much effort on compliance or acquisition relative to the funds generated, potentially indicating a need for better software, training, or a shift in strategy toward larger, less restrictive grants.
Furthermore, the Grant Management Calculator helps benchmark your team's output through the Grant Success Rate (GSR) and Cost per Application (CApGS). While industry averages vary (often cited between 10-30% by sources like Wikipedia on grant writing), knowing your specific baseline allows you to set realistic goals. Whether you are a small non-profit or a large university research department, using this calculator ensures that your pursuit of funding supports your mission rather than draining your capacity.
For broader financial planning beyond grants, consider exploring our ROI Calculator to measure other investment returns, or the Employee Productivity Calculator to assess the general efficiency of your fundraising staff.
Explore all remaining calculators in this Non-Profit & NGO category.
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GSR varies wildly by sector. For federal grants, success rates can be under 20%, while foundation grants where you have an existing relationship might be over 50%. The key is to track your trend over time. A GSR below 10% usually indicates you are applying for opportunities that are not a good fit.
This is a "sunk cost." It should include the hourly wages of grant writers, researchers, and subject matter experts involved in creating the proposal. It also includes consultant fees and any overhead allocated to the development department during the writing phase.
The CAGA ratio tells you how efficient you are at handling money. If your CAGA is 25%, it means 25 cents of every dollar granted is spent just getting and keeping that dollar. Lower is generally better, implying that more money goes directly to program services.
If you don't track specific hours, you can estimate. Take the annual salary of your grant staff and divide it by the percentage of time they spend on writing (Acquisition) vs. reporting (Management). Divide that by the number of grants to get an average.