Beware of “Big Sore Thumbs” in your Grant Budget
What, you might ask is a “big sore thumb” in a grant budget? If there is a line item in your budget that is substantially larger than all the other expense items, it probably will stick out like a sore thumb to someone reviewing your proposal. See the big number I outlined in red in this example.
Big numbers can provoke questions, and you want your budget to answer questions, not create them.
So what should you do?
(1) Add a footnote to the budget explaining what went into determining the number, or
(2) Break it down into smaller numbers, but in doing this you might create additional questions (why is there a line item for sheetrock in an art budget?), so you might instead
(3) Create a subschedule, that is, a separate mini-budget that breaks down and explains the big number.
In this example, the exhibition costs are by far the largest single expense. By breaking it down into several lines in a subschedule, you’ll show the reviewer how much you have allowed for shipping, building out the exhibition space, fees to lenders, and marketing specifically for the exhibition.
