Budget Advice:
1. There must be a clear link between what you ask for in your budget and the tasks you
have identified in the proposal – the two must be complementary.
2. Your budget must demonstrate that you have worked through the costs of your
research program. If the committee feels that the budget is unwarranted or unjustified,
that then may lead them to think that the research program itself has not been
adequately thought through. Make certain that whatever you request is not only
carefully explained in the budget justification but is also accounted for in the detailed
proposal.
3. It is very important to justify every item in your budget.
4. The amounts in the budget justification must be the same as the amounts in the budget.
This seems logical but we often see differing amounts in the two sections.
5. Some budget requests are out-of-line with others submitted to the program. The range
of average budgets can vary widely and therefore it is useful to do some research and
find out what the typical budget is for the agency (and committee) to which you will be
applying. This is not to say that the reviewers will not fund any more than the median,
but it at least gives you some sense of their comfort zone, and when more
explanation/justification is called for.
6. The budget request should be realistic for the project and reflect the goals of the
project. It must also be consistent with the requirements of the particular program. It
should request sufficient resources needed to carry out the project, but it should not be
excessively high. Avoid padding at all costs – reviewers are willing to recommend an
appropriate amount but can easily become annoyed if they suspect the budget is
inflated.
7. The budget should be sufficient to perform the tasks described in the proposal. Don’t
economize too much – not asking for adequate funding is also grounds to reject an
application.
8. Avoid global estimates whenever possible as these can imply that you are pulling figures
from the air.
9. Make sure that requests for hardware (computer, printers, cameras, etc.) are justified
by the tasks that they need to perform. The reviewers will entertain requests for
