13 Free Nonprofit Budget Templates You Should Try

Sep 12, 2026

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Budgets help nonprofit organizations keep financials on track and support planning across fundraising, software purchases, charity and learning programs, and grant proposals. The article compiles thirteen free nonprofit budget templates from multiple sources, including program-based and line-item budgets, multiple-program frameworks, cash-flow projection tools, and startup, development, fundraising, grant, project, and business-plan budgets. It also highlights supporting resources like instructional videos and download formats in PDF and Excel.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryForms

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time1 min

AccessFree to download

Free Nonprofit Budget Templates

Program and Cash-Flow Templates

Line-Item, Startup, and Annual Budgets

Fundraising, Grants, and Project Budgets

Business-Plan Budget Template

13 Free Nonprofit Budget Templates You Should Try Published May 30th, 2017 by Nick Morpus in Nonprofit Technology Share This Article There are lots of things I despise but understand the need for, like rain, politicians, and worst of all…spreadsheets. There are few things that come to mind that bore me as much as the thought of sitting in front of a computer screen, staring at a spreadsheet. While I view spreadsheets as evil (some will disagree with me), they are a necessary evil for banks, many businesses, and, in this case, nonprofits. Spreadsheets are important for your nonprofit, especially when compiling budgets for fundraising, nonprofit software purchases, charity/learning programs, and grant proposals. Free budget templates Budgets help keep your nonprofit organization’s financials on track, and to help you create those budgets, I have compiled a list of templates from five different sources. Here are thirteen free nonprofit budget templates your organization should try. 1. The Wallace Foundation 􀁸 Program-Based Budget Builder This Excel template will help you build your nonprofit’s program budget, including revenue sources, personnel expenses (whether direct or indirect), and non-personnel expenses. The Wallace Foundation also includes a thirty-minute step-by-step instructional video to teach you how to use the tool: 􀁸 Cash Flow Projections Template The Wallace Foundation built this budgeting template for nonprofits looking to monitor their cash-flow. This budget template will help you project your cash-flows and plan out expenses for the future. Similar to the program budget template, The Wallace Foundation offers a twenty-minute instructional video so users can learn the ins-and-outs ofthis tool: 1 2. Nonprofit Works 􀁸 Line-Item Budget This budget is used for grant proposals and other project funding causes rather than general budgets, making it perfect for laying out the expenses ofa single project or program. 􀁸 Multiple-Program Budget If you need a more general budgeting tool, this multiple-program budget template will help you build a framework for your overall program spending for the year. This template can be great for assessing your overall general budget. [3. SampleTemplates.com](3. SampleTemplates.com) Sample Templates offers multiple templates and guides on nonprofit budgeting. All download links are available at the source in PDF and Excel format: Nonprofit Budget Templates 􀁸 Annual Nonprofit Budget: This template will help you schedule out your annual expenses and income for your nonprofit. 􀁸 Basic Nonprofit Budget: This simplified budget template is perfect for building an overall budget, especially when compiling the expenses and incomes of individual programs. 􀁸 Nonprofit Startup Budget: Finally, this budget template is just what your nonprofit needs when starting out. If you’re proposing your initial budget when applying to your first grants or for early startup funding, this is a great option. 4. GlobalGiving Foundation 􀁸 Do-It-Yourself: Nonprofit Budget Template This colorful nonprofit budget template from the GlobalGiving Foundation covers all aspects of your potential general budgeting needs. The template includes fields for projected income (gifts, grants, membership fees, and income from fundraising events and investments) as well as planned expenses (overhead, program expenses, fundraising expenses, and supplies) . In order to access this template, you will have to provide GlobalGiving with your email address. A small price to pay for a useful tool. [5. Template.net](5. Template.net) Lastly, Template.net offers a lengthy list of useful nonprofit budgeting templates, some are similar to previously listed resources, while others are new to this list. Just like Sample Templates, all links are provided at the source in PDF format: 2 Nonprofit Budget Templates 􀁸 Nonprofit Development Budget: This template is useful for fundrais

FAQs

What is the purpose of using nonprofit budget templates?

They help nonprofit organizations keep financials on track and plan revenue and expenses for fundraising, programs, software purchases, and grant proposals.

Which templates are included for different budgeting needs?

The list covers program-based budgets, line-item and multiple-program budgets, cash-flow projections, and specialized budgets for annual planning, startup, development, fundraising, grants, projects, and business plans.

What formats and learning resources are referenced for these templates?

The article notes that download links are provided at the source in PDF and Excel formats, and some templates include instructional step-by-step videos.

Sep 12, 2026

Upload by Dipper