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Budget

• Length: 600 to 750 words
• Format: Put your name and today’s date in the upper left-hand corner of the 1st page.
  • For the budget table, you may use the “Insert > Table” function in Microsoft Word or embed an Excel Spreadsheet. For assistance, consult http://support.office.com, or visit USC Upstate ITS, or come by during my office hours.
  • For the budget narrative, use block paragraphs: no indent, single-spaced, 1” margins, 12-pt type, Times New Roman. To cite sources, follow MLA Style or APA Style for parenthetical citations and for a works cited page.
• Relevant assigned readings:
  • Lesson 12 "The Budget: How Much Will It Cost . . . and Is the Cost Reasonable?" (OGWB)
  • Step 8 "Developing the Program Budget" (WGSBS).

Budget Details

Your budget is a plan – your best guess at how much your project is going to cost – and it can change somewhat once your project is underway. However, a successful budget component of a grant proposal package will account for all expenses associated with the proposed project. Include both personnel and non-personnel expenses.

• What staff or consultants are needed and how much will they be paid?
• What contractual services will you use? How about supplies and materials, equipment and maintenance?
• Have you though about whether expenses like rent, utilities, and insurance will need to be covered by the grant?

There are usually 2 parts to the budget section, the budget form and the budget narrative:

• The budget form is typically data presented in a table or spreadsheet. Often the template for this form is downloaded from the grant program’s web site. There are examples available for download from the WGSBS website at http://bit.ly/wgsbs under the heading “Budget Templates”

• The budget narrative will “describe the budget in words and justify the expenditures, item by item. In a narrative, you will relate each budget item to the activity it supports. One sentence usually is enough for each item” (OGWB).

Research

As needed, find relevant supporting information from credible sources and be sure to cite them according to MLA Style or APA Style in both parenthetical citations and a Works Cited page.

Samples of Budgets

Pay attention to the ways that these budgets account for the activities in the corresponding sample Project Descriptions on the Project Description assignment page.

• Sample Budget: "STEM Education" (MS Word)
• Sample Budget: "Litter Surveillance & Enforcement" (MS Word)
• Sample Budget: "Spartanburg Art Museum COLORS" (MS Word)

Grading criteria for the Budget

Adapted from OGWB and WGSBS

• Budget is consistent with the proposal’s methods. In other words, there is nothing in the budget not contained in the methods section. And there is nothing in the methods section not accounted for in the budget.
• Budget is realistic: when considering your capacity statement, it’s obvious that your organization can accomplish these objectives with the proposed budget.
• Budget format is organized, consistent, and easy to understand.
• Budget narrative explains items that may not already be clear.
• Document is clearly written, easily digestible, avoids using jargon, and does not make the reader have to work to understand the point.
• Writing is mechanically and grammatically correct, free from significant errors that detract from meaning.
• Research is cited correctly according to MLA Style or APA Style, both in the text of the statement and on the works cited page.