• Budget writing is a creative process of project design. A clear budget goes a long way toward achieving your funding aspirations. #FunWithNumbers #BudgetsRevealIntent

Writing a budget is a creative process of going from a big idea to a concrete vision.  There’s nothing like writing a budget to clarify your program or research plan.  To generate realistic budget projections you need to imagine who is going to do what to accomplish your objectives, when, and for how long.  And in order to do that work, what resources or travel will they need?  A clear budget (and work plan) is also critical in persuading a funder to trust you with their money; it’s central to your proposal.  You don’t get funded just based on a compelling budget, but you can lose a grant because of a poorly written budget.  Work up a preliminary budget as soon as you have a clear concept of your aims and your pathway to getting there.  That will help you be more specific as you write your proposal narrative that describes what you’re going to do.

 

  • Keep your own detailed background budget with notes as you prepare the funder’s forms. It will help you write the budget narrative. #FunWithNumbers #NumbersTellAStory

Proposal writing can be more vexing and take longer if you record budget numbers without remembering how you generated those numbers.  Writing an Excel formula for each budget item is a good start but remind yourself as you generate them what the formulas mean.  20 people x $10/meal x 3 meals?  Or 10 people x $20/meal x 3 meals?  Whichever it is, it will be helpful to spell it out in your budget narrative.  Picking numbers out of a hat to put into a funder’s worksheet won’t serve you, and it won’t help you convince a funder that you have a solid basis for your budget request (a component of their assessment whether you’ll be a reliable user of their funds).  Formulas will ensure your budget is adequate but not excessive.  Bear in mind that the numbers you transfer to a funder’s worksheet will be whole numbers rather than the fractions that might result from formulas, so finish their worksheet before you complete your budget narrative to ensure the worksheet and narrative are consistent.