The Grant Budget
The proposal writer must consider
many elements when pitching a proposal in written form. One area
that enhances your proposal and gives the reader a clear idea
of what you are going to do is the budget. Budgets are scary
for novice grantseekers. Good sense seems to dictate that after
you develop your program and activities, you determine what it
will cost. In fact, in some funding situations, the total cost
versus the potential benefits will play a major part in a "go"
or "no go" by the reader. However, I don't work that
way. I often take the general idea of the proposal (even if it's
not written and only floating around inside my head) and generate
a list of costs. This tells me whether or not the project I would
like to do is even "doable" with the funds I am asking
for or the funds that are being offered. Grants that issue Requests
for Proposals (RFPs) will spell out exactly how much you can write
for or give you an idea of the range they are willing to fund.
My rule of thumb is that your budget reflects what it will take
to do your project, no more, no less. I cannot stress enough
the importance of funding your program implementation, evaluation,
and dissemination and not just "stuff."
As you create your proposal
you will need to consider:
• Salaries and/or other stipends
paid to project personnel
• Fringe benefits
• Materials required to implement
the program
• Preservice and inservice
activities
• Outside consultants
• Project evaluation
• Equipment
• Indirect costs as determined
by your local educational agency
Most proposals will give you
a budget form to fill out. Follow that form. If the grant is
from a state agency, this form will no doubt have an accounting
system that reflects your state's financial accounting numbering
system. Talk with someone in your accounting department and in
your payroll department. You will need to find out the percentages
that your district wants to put for benefits. For example, your
State's Teacher Retirement System might collect 8% of your earnings
each month. Your payroll department will be able to help you
with percentages used for Medicare, health plans, worker's compensation
and other benefits. Once you have these percentages, if you are
proficient with a spreadsheet, enter formulas into the benefit
cells that are tied to the salary cells.
For budget forms used in Federal
government proposals, all RFPs use the same form and format and
can be easily downloaded from government Web sites (like the United
States Department of Education). Foundation requests for proposals
(RFPs) will give you guidelines for developing your budget. If
no format is given, use the bullets that appear above.
Budget Considerations
As you prepare your proposal,
your budget must:
1. make sense
2. be realistic
3. give the grant reader a
better picture of what you are trying to do
4. be as specific as possible
Looking at Some Examples
Let's look at some examples.
We know that programs require people and that people make programs.
That is why your proposal will spell out in realistic terms the
personnel needed, benefits, materials, equipment, etc. Be as
specific as possible. I often complete a "budget narrative
for additional information."
In our grant, English Language
Learners work in groups to research, select, and organize data
with the aid of graphic organizers, then plan a HyperStudio multimedia
project. This proposal was written for a California State grant
program, Senate Bill 1510. Under the guidelines of the bill,
each eligible school could write for a dollar amount of $25 per
student plus a $2,000 base. In this particular case, the potential
available dollars were estimated at $83,100. Not bad! I do,
however, encourage first-time grant writers to either work in
pairs or look for grant offerings of smaller sums of money to
help you get your feet wet.
The program budget required
all grants to spend at least 30% of the funds on staff development.
The request for proposal suggested that you place a "Budget
Description" in your text before the budget forms appear.
Sometimes the "Budget Description" is called the "Budget
Narrative." In this case I said in words what I couldn't
say in numbers. I used this area as a way of telling the reader
what we already had, so that it would clear up any perceived gaps
in the reader's mind.
Sample Budget Narrative
I start with the following
kind of statement; otherwise the reader won't understand why I
am not purchasing these items on my budget.
"Our present multimedia
lab consists of nine multimedia stations, including an LC 520
computer with built-in CD-ROM drive, ClarisWorks and HyperStudio
software, 27" TV Monitor, VCR, and Laser Disc Player. Scanners,
laser printers, color LCD Projection Panel, TelevEyes/Pro, QuickTake
Camera and an assortment of laser discs and CD-ROM's are available
in the lab. Other equipment includes nine portable multimedia
stations teachers check out and use in their classrooms."
I go on to explain why some
of the software I talk about in the proposal is already in place
and describe how it was funded.
"We will incorporate
the hardware and software previously purchased with a variety
of funding sources including Chapter I, Chapter II, ESL/LEP, District
moneys, and AB 1470. This grant will provide work tables and
chairs for production activities and additional multimedia stations
to be used by classes using the lab to conduct research, create
vivid graphics, scan and edit photos, and take video footage to
be used to create QuickTime Movies. PowerBook computers will
be purchased to allow students, teachers, and parents to check
out computers to practice and work on projects at home."
The following sentence describes
why I have personnel written into this project:
"Ongoing student, teacher,
and parent training will be conducted in the multimedia center,
the Chapter I Lab, and the Macintosh Lab. The Project Manager
will provide training, and manage and schedule lab usage."
This grant required that:
(a) 30% of the funds would be used for staff development; and
(b) 20% of the funds would support non-English proficient (NEP)
and limited English proficient (LEP) students, so my budget narrative
addresses how the project would benefit these populations.
"The budget for this
project reflects development of lesson plans specific to NEP/LEP
student needs, staff development, parent education, equipment,
software, and evaluation costs related to project activities.
The state will contribute $83,100.00: 30% ($24,930) for staff
development, 20% ($16,620) for parent education, and 50% ($41,550),
specific to NEP/LEP student needs. Continuation of this project
is considerably less expensive with a trained staff and equipment
in place."
On the budget forms usually
provided in the RFP I enhance my proposal by portraying what we
will do in terms of dollars. Note how each line item is described
in as much detail as possible, given the line length limitation,
and whole numbers are used, rounded off as necessary.
Certificated Staff
1 period per day, technical
teacher/facilitator @ $12,000
Summer training, 30 teachers,
40 hours each @ $11,520
Summer trainers, 40 hours,
plus 10 hours prep time/for 3 teachers @ $3,226
Ten sub days for parent education
@ $1,000
Pay for teacher for student/parent
aides @ $4,500
Sub days, one per teacher
for follow-up training @ $3,000
Subtotal for 1000 Series @
$35,246
Classified Staff
None
Benefits
Benefits (all but Medical)
@ $1,440
Benefits (Medical, one period
per day) @$1,100
Subtotal for 3000 Series @
$2,540
Instructional Supplies
HyperStudio, 50 user license
@ $1,806
SAM, 10 pack, plus 2 singles
@ $396
Adobe Premiere @ $680
ClarisWorks, 2/10 packs @
$1,652
Farallon Phone Net, 10 pack
@ $189
Supplies (disks, paper, etc.)
@ $677
Laserdiscs selected by teachers
@ $3,000
CD-ROMs selected by teachers
@ $3,000
Subtotal for 4000 Series @
$11,400
Contracted Services
Evaluator, 4 half days at
$250.00 per day @ $1,000
Telephone line for one year
@ $700
Install phone connection to
existing line @ $250
Subtotal for 5000 Series @
$1,950
Indirect Costs @
$3,068
Indirect Costs is an amount
of money that your fiscal agent may withhold from your project
to cover business service expenses such as accounting, purchasing,
payroll, etc. In most cases you take a percentage of all funds
in your grant program EXCEPT for equipment. In this grant, the
school district had a negotiated rate with the State at 6% and
the $3,068 dollars reflects 6% of the total expenditures listed
above (not including equipment which is listed last).
Equipment
(Please note that this equipment
reflects what was available at the time this proposal was put
together.)
5 Mac LC 575, plus one Mac
LC Accessory Kit @ $9,243
1 Power Macintosh 6100/60AV,
Apple AudioVision 14 Display w/AV Adapter Kit @ $2,802
4 PowerBook 145B Hard Disk
80 w/4 PowerBook Carrying Cases @ $5,614
2 PowerBook 165 Hard Disk
80 w/2 PowerBook Carrying Cases @ $3,433
1 LaserWriter Select 360 w/Toner
Cartridge @ $1,455
1 Apple QuickTake Camera w/Travel
Case @ $787
Lockdowns for 5 LC 575, 1
LaserWriter Select 360, and 1 PowerMac @ $856
6 Carts for Explorer Stations,
Bretford EC7 @ $1,257
6 Round Tables for Group Work
@ $652
36 Virco Chairs with rollers
@ $1,508
Camcorder, Panasonic AG-186-U
@ $949
2 Global Village Modems, 14.4
bps @ $340
Sub Total for the Equipment
Accounts @ $28,896
GRAND TOTAL @ $83,100
Summing Up the Budget
Your homework is to take your
grant activities and "interpret" your program into a
simplified budget. To review, take another look at the following
budget bullets, write what it is you want to do and how much it
is going to cost.
• Salaries and/or other stipends
paid to project personnel
• Fringe Benefits
• Materials required to implement
the program
• Preservice and inservice
activities
• Outside consultants
• Project evaluation
• Equipment
• Indirect costs as determined
by your local educational agency
