Project Budget for Community Education Initiative

HLTH 6770 Writing Assignment 5:

Part A: Budget

Your budget will be among the top three sections a funder will look at. It is a persuasive document that uses numbers in a spreadsheet or table format to prove that you have realistically estimated what your program will cost. It is also your chance to show that your organization has a lot to contribute to this effort. Be sure to include “in-kind donations” in every place possible, or an estimate of the monetized value of volunteer’s time, donated items and spaces, and other contributions your organization makes to support the proposed program.

Complete your program budget (either as an Excel spreadsheet or choose a template you like from BlackBoard or that you find on the internet). Requested grant monies should clearly meet the costs outlined in the budget. The budget should also align with funding guidelines provided by the funder. Make sure you consider and represent revenue and costs that cover all four major sections of the budget. Be sure to include a subtotal for each of the four sections:

1. Personnel services (PS)

2. Fringe benefits for full time employees

3. Other than Personnel Services (OTPS)

4. Indirect Costs (% of overhead)

*Note: Remember that budgets both show revenue (money coming in) and costs (money going out). Be sure to represent donations, volunteer time, the use of donated facilities or spaces, etc. as incoming revenue to demonstrate what your organization brings to the table.

Hint: see the example on page 207 in Karsh & Fox for an example.

Part B: Budget Narrative

Resist the urge to restate the same information from your budget spreadsheet in the budget narrative. The budget narrative is the space where you explain, contextualize, and justify the information you provided in the budget. This is the place to tell the story that justifies why you made the decisions which formed your budget. Explain where the numbers came from and what formulas you used to calculate your estimates.

Write a 1-2 page budget narrative that explains anything that is not obvious on your budget spreadsheet. For instance, explain why you need each item listed in the budget. Justify any numbers that look low or high. Provide local context for the cost of salaries, rent, availability of volunteers, etc. Use your narrative to craft an argument that will convince a funder that you are being realistic but efficient about costs).

Part C: Timetable

Timetables are visual representations of a to-do list that covers every action that will be done to run your program. They can be checklists, flow charts, or a table. Choose a format that matches the information you want it to convey. After you’ve thought through the activities, their order, and their timing, complete the following:

Create a timetable for your project plan that successfully answers the following questions:

• What are the key tasks or activities that will be carried out to implement the program successfully?

• Did the grant applicant include all tasks, from the day funding is announced or awarded to the last day of the project’s funding time frame?

• Can each task realistically begin and end in the proposed time frame?

• Quarterly/monthly?

• Are evaluation activities included in the timeline chart?

• Who is responsible for seeing that each activity is implemented and completed?

Part D: Evaluation Plan

How will you know your program is making a difference? Plan evaluation benchmarks into your program to monitor and adjust your efforts while you are in process and also to summarize your effects at the end. Getting consistent feedback is vital to the success of your program and your ability to remain accountable in your report to your funders.

Write a 1-2 page description of how your program will be evaluated that answers the following questions.

• How will your program be evaluated to determine effectiveness?

• What methods will you use?

• What kind of information will you be looking for?

• Give three examples of how you will gather and analyze feedback.

• Who will complete the evaluation?

• Explain how your evaluation reflect directly on each goals and objectives. What will be measured and how will that measurement let you know you are achieving your goals?

• How will you share your results with the community stakeholders and the funder?

*Note: Review Lesson 11 in Karsh & Fox for help

Assignment 5 Checklist

 Budget with four sections, subtotals, costs and revenues in table or spreadsheet form.

 1-2 page budget narrative that contextualizes and justifies budget decisions.

 Timetable in a visual format that represents key tasks and who will complete them.

 1-2 page evaluation plan that describes both formative and summative benchmarks and how information will be gathered and analyzed.

 Create one double-spaced word document titled Writing Assignment #5. Label each part of your assignment A, B, C, or D. Upload your assignment by Sunday at midnight (ET) using the assignment link on Blackboard. Double check the rubric for WA_5 to make sure your content is complete and your style is appropriate.