What's the difference between soft-money and hard-money match for splash pad grants?

Grant matches come in two flavors: hard match (cash from the applicant's own budget — municipal general fund, capital reserve, prior bond proceeds, or direct fundraising dollars) and soft match (in-kind contributions valued at fair-market rates: volunteer labor at federal volunteer rate of $31.80/hour for 2024, donated materials at retail value, donated professional services like architecture or engineering at the firm's standard billing rate, donated land at appraised value). Most federal programs accept a combination — LWCF allows up to 50% soft match, USDA RD permits in-kind on a project-specific basis, CDBG accepts in-kind for some activities. A few require hard cash only (sometimes 10-25% of the total). Documentation rules are strict: you need signed timesheets for volunteer hours, invoices showing donated material's fair value with receipt of donation, and engagement letters for donated professional services. Federal auditors disallow undocumented soft match years after the project, clawing back federal dollars. Build documentation systems before construction starts.