How to Write A Budget For A Grant Proposal
Budgets are one of the most important things written in a grant proposal that can get a other wise great grant proposal denied. If a budget is not concrete then it will probably sink the project. A budget must give a accurate estimate of a projects cost for equipment, research and anything else that is to be paid for by the grant money being asked for.
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Instructions
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Read through the grant guidelines to determine what type of budget the funders are seeking. The most common are the line item budget and a category budget. A line item budget must show a estimate of each individual expense. For instance a regular budge may show a estimated amount for salary for administration, a line item budget will show how much goes to what position. Even in a category budget you will want to be as specific as the space you were given allows you to be.
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Write you budget for your grant proposals first even though it is usually in the back of the proposal itself. The budget is done first because it will be referenced throughout your proposal. If you want you can leave it a rough draft till the proposal is more complete then rewrite the order and reword were needed.
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Start with a list of items you need to ask for funding, beside them write a researched estimate of what it will cost.
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You will also need to describe the reason why these items are necessary in your project. The cost-benefit ratio of each item should be given. In hard economic times funding sources only have x amount of dollars to give and want to know each dollar will be stretched to the max. Show how you are saving money, do not make them guess.
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The project description, budget narration, and budget line items of the grant proposal should be crossed checked to make sure all items discussed do not conflict each other.
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Make sure you need every item you are asking for in your grant proposal. The budget will be looked over with a magnify glass by pros. Grant reviewers know when non profit organizations are putting in extras. Also said make sure every item you request is backed up or the grant reviewers may think the proposal is being padded.
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Show in-kind contributions to your organization. This not only shows that you have community support and a frugal mentality but it show the organization that you are not just looking for a handout. You are also helping yourself. Grant funders typically do not like to be the only one supporting a grant project, even the show of in-kind support will help this cause. Also show where other funds are coming from when possible.
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When giving dollar amounts only use whole numbers, exclude the cents.
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Never add a "miscellaneous" budget category to a budget proposal.
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Tips & Warnings
Mention all expenses for your project in your budget, make sure to include necessary training costs when applicable.
Name any co-funding that you are using from other sources.
Include a brief description of expenses along with a table of individual cost.
Read through your grant proposal to make sure all information is reported accutatly. The budget should be reflected through out the application so making s
Never pad a grant proposal (asking for more money then is needed).
Resources
- How to Write A Grant Proposal: Evaluation Plan
- How to Fill Out a Government Grant Application
- How to Support A Need Statement In A Grant Proposal
- How to Conduct A Focus Group For Grant Research
- How to Write A Mini Grant Proposal
- How to Conduct a Survey To Support A Grant Proposal
- How to Get Effective Support Letters For Grant Funding
- How to Determine If You Should Hire A Grant Writer
- More Grant Writing information
