Budget

At this point in your preparation for writing a grant proposal, you are probably not ready to create a detailed budget. But there are some decisions that you do need to make right now.

Few funders wish to be the sole source of income for a project. The best scenario would be to apply to multiple funders for small percentages of your budget. The best plan would be to apply to enough funders so that the total of all awards equal 200% of your budget. If you don’t receive all of the awards you applied for or some funders only send a partial award, the project is still covered.

Also, before deciding on which grants to apply for, check the budget rules provided by the funders very carefully. Some funders are very specific about what they will and will not fund. For example, items that funders have been unwilling to pay for include: food, salaries of personnel, conference appearances and general operating costs.

If you were to contact a funder and mention funding for a budget item that is against their rules, it could mean the end of your funding request before the proposal is even written.

Let’s make some initial budget decisions in order to help find a funding fit.

EXERCISE: The Funding Shopping List

Try to list the major needs of your project. If possible, estimate the total costs. List items as self-contained projects or something easily understood and communicated to someone else.

Use the following table, provided in your Study Guide, as your format. We have included a table with some examples below.

Programs Needs	Estimated Costs
Web Design	$5000
Equipment Purchase	$10,000
Print Materials	$3000
Work Study Wages	$10,000
Print Advertising Space	$2000
One-day training session	$2000
TOTAL	$32,000

Once completed, use this table to find funders for 200% of the estimated budget. Funders can either award the amount for the whole project, or maybe just one of the sub-projects in your list.

(This exercise was developed using the book, "Demystifying Grant Seeking" by Larissa Golden Brown and Martin John Brown.)