How to Prepare a Grant Proposal Budget
A grant proposal is a detailed outline of your project used to request funds. It gives grant makers an understanding of your project and how grant funds will benefit your project. A key element to a grant proposal is the budget. The budget shows a grant maker whether or not you carefully planned the program and shows how the program will use grant funds if awarded. The grant proposal budget provides a detail listing of your project's expenses and revenues. Grant makers take the budget into careful consideration when deciding whether or not to grant you funds. The total amount of your expenses should exceed the total amount of revenues in your budget.
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Instructions
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List the job titles and salaries relevant to the project. You need to divide the salary listings by personnel and non-personnel employees. Personnel employees might include administrative staff and project managers. Non-personnel employees can include temporary workers relevant to the project but who are not employees of your organization.
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List the separate and total amounts for fringe benefits for each employee working on the related project. List each fringe benefit on a separate line. Fringe benefits listed in your budget might include employee health insurance and unemployment benefit plans.
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Calculate and list the travel expenses. You will need to list travel expenses for each employee, and include the destination and the number of employees traveling. Common travel expenses include airfare, lodging and per diem.
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List the cost of equipment and any rental fees relevant to the project. Equipment costs include computers, copying machines, fax machines and any other equipment needed to complete the project. If you need to rent a facility, include the rental costs for the length of the lease in your budget.
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List other costs. This is the place that you will list costs for something needed for the project but not included in one of the major categories. Typically, you want the other cost category to have an insignificant dollar amount next to it.
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Calculate the total of all expenses and include it in your budget. This will show the grant maker exactly how much is necessary to complete your project. Your remaining balance needs to exceed the grant amount you're seeking.
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List all sources of revenue. Include in your budget any government grants, private donations, in-kind gifts, foundation funding and any non-monetary donations you receive. Calculate and list the total amount of your revenue in your budget. Subtract the revenue total from your total expenses, which will give you the balance needing funding.
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Include any additional information in your budget requested by the grant maker. Additional information may include previous financial statements, tax filings and federal tax-exemption documentation. Place this information directly behind your budget.
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Tips & Warnings
Include as many monetary details about the project as possible. You do not want to present a budget that is vague or too general.
Do not have a significant dollar amount next to other cost line item. If it is significant, you will want to explain it in more detail in your budget.
References
Resources
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