Putting Everything into a Budget Document
Once you know what costs you can include and not include, you need to calculate these costs and put them into a budget template. Most states will include a budget template in the application process, so make sure to use the template that they give you.
If you’re not experienced with budgeting, take each cost one at a time and write it down in a list. Use Excel if you have it and are comfortable using it. It will make some of the calculations easier.
Here’s an example:
- Start with the staff costs. Let’s say your project will have one full-time counselor and half the time of a full-time volunteer coordinator. In addition, 10% of your office manager’s time will be spent directly managing crime survivor records and other reporting requirements.Your staff costs might look like this:
Counselor
(100% time)$_______ {fill in the full cost of that person’s salary for one year}
Vol coordinator
(50% time)$_______ {fill in half the cost of that person’s full-time salary for one year}
Office Manager
(10% time)$_______ {fill in 10% of that person’s salary for one year}
- Next, think about the specific services and their cost. Will there be meetings with crime survivors and where will they take place? Does that location have a cost? Write that down as a new line item in your list. Do you have chairs for the meeting space or will you need to buy new ones? The chairs are a cost.
- Walk through all the activities you will carry out and write down the costs of each for a full year. When you’re done, group them together under major headings provided by the VOCA budget form (such as travel, supplies, facilities, etc.) and then fill them in on the form.
A sample budget document is included in the Appendix.
Budget narratives:
VOCA grants will also ask for what’s called a budget justification or budget narrative. This may be separate from the actual budget. It is a written document that describes each of the budget lines and how you arrived at those costs. For example, for the travel line, you would explain which trips are included in the project. For the furniture and equipment line, you can explain what items you are buying and how much each of them will cost.