Budgeting for Research Grad Grants Center November 7, 2018

Outline Thinking about a grant budget Know funder restrictions Common expenses to include Formatting/Sample Budget Budget Narratives Where to find information

Make your budget part of your grant process Know what you need to accomplish the research (materials, space, staff, travel, etc.) Opportunity to walk through your plan step-by-step noting potential expenses Look at examples of past budgets

Your budget is part of the agency’s evaluation Budget appears thoughtful and appropriate to scope of project Ensure reviewers take the grant seriously Varies whether reviewers see budgets (or just administrators) Funding agency may adjust your budget (e.g., Fulbright Hays) Make it realistic, and well justified

Getting Started Determine the budget requirements Does the program: Require matching funds? Allow indirect costs (F&A)? Exclude or limit certain costs? Common exclusions: staff support, consultant fees, computers and hardware, food and alcohol, travel Require certain costs? What are the maximum and minimum awards? What is the anticipated budget period?

Restrictions What are valid expenses according to the funder? Funder’s online FAQs almost always list these Are you limited on how you spend the money? Funder’s sometimes limit the amount to be spent on things like travel May require you to spend a portion on attendance at their own conference Do you need to report additional funding you receive? Most funders ask for info about additional funding May adjust amount of your award based on additional funding Can you hold multiple fellowships simultaneously? Large fellowships (e.g., dissertation research/writing) often disallow acceptance of other awards

Common grant expenses Institution fees Home Institution Tuition Student Fees Foreign or other domestic institution fees Domestic or International travel expenses flights, train rides, bus passes, taxis, Uber, etc. Insurance travel, health

Common expenses continued… Research Expenses Research Assistant Payments Travel assistance for research assistant Tech supplies (cameras, audio recording equipment, flash drives) Room and board (housing and meals) Per Diem (food, travel, living) U.S. Dept. of State per diem webpage Textbook/Educational Expenses Course textbooks Learning supplies

Other common expenses… Other Expenses Communication/mailing (internet, phone, postage, etc.) Printing and Duplicating Reproduction/duplicating (printing, CD-ROM, etc.) Supplies and Equipment Limited No computers, but storage media is generally okay Usually no items that outlast the funding period (e.g., cars, cameras, etc.) Miscellaneous Gifts to study participants

Other Sources of Funding If total research costs require multiple awards, specify all potential funding sources Applying to other grants/fellowships shows determination It won’t count against you!

Sample Funder Guidelines GPSG Travel Grant Budget Instructions Budget [5 Points] Provide and justify your budget. High scores given to applicants who provide a reasonable and complete budget (travel, lodging, associated expenses)… So, budgets are part of some scoring rubrics! And instructions are often quite limited.

Sample Budget

Budget Narrative Other names What it is: Budget detail, budget description, budget justification What it is: Explains what the budget numbers represent Shows how you arrived at the numbers Forces you to get into the nitty-gritty details Who will accomplish what/when? How did you arrive at the costs? Tells the funder how you will spend its investment Item by Item detail

Narrative continued… Ask yourself (because reviewers will): Did you make sure your numbers are reasonable and well thought out? Solicit info from previous researchers Cite amounts from preliminary research Do diligent web research Is your grand total within the funder’s giving range? If not, what additional funds are you planning to seek? When to write it: After you have thoroughly thought out your research plan Write the narrative simultaneously with the budget START WRITING EARLY!

Sample Budget Narrative Components Travel – Explain reason for travel expenses for personnel e.g., staff to training, field interviews, advisory group meeting, etc. show the number of personnel and unit costs involved. Identify the location of travel. EXAMPLE: Regional/Statewide Meeting: Three people to funder-required three-day training in Chicago, IL. 3 people x $500 airfare = $1,500 3 people x 3 days x $40 per diem = $360 3 people x 2 nights x $100 hotel = $600

Sample Budget Narrative Components Supplies - List expendable items by type and show the basis for computation. EXAMPLE: Meeting Supplies: For administrative meetings, workshops, etc. $75 x 12 months = $900 Office Supplies: binders, file folders, printer paper, toner, staples, etc. $100 per month x 12 months = $1,200 Phone/Internet Service: Will be used to stay connected to collaborators/staff. $125 per month x 12 months = $1,500

Line item budget narrative

Paragraph budget narrative

Award Management Not all awards are managed in the same way! Some will require full records of expenses (receipts) Others are much more flexible (e.g., Fulbright) Work with your department’s fiscal officer to manage your award!

Additional Notes Some awards require students to work with the Office of Research Administration (ORA) e.g., NSF, NIH, other gov. awards Indiana University 509 E. 3rd Street Bloomington, IN 47401-3654 resdev@indiana.edu

How the GradGrants Center Can Help In-person and Skype consultations Email gradgrnt@indiana.edu Provide GGC with draft materials 48 business hours in advance of consultation Brainstorming, drafting, editing grant proposals Searches for external (non-IU) funding opportunities

Weekly Walk-In Hours 12:00pm to 2:00pm, Tuesdays & Fridays Wells Library, Room 544 (5th floor, East Tower) Internal and external grants, funding searches, and general questions

Contact the GGC GradGrants Center an office of the University Graduate School Herman B. Wells Library East Tower, Office 544E gradgrnt@indiana.edu http://www.indiana.edu/~gradgrnt/ @iugradgrants On Facebook: IU GradGrants Center