BudgetingDownload this page in PDF [~114k] Budgeting is a natural and critical extension of your research design. A realistic and detailed budget is also often a prerequisite for convincing potential funders that you know what you need to accomplish your research and how you are going to conduct it. Not all funders require a budget, and those that do often require specific formats or include particular conditions. These need to be considered seriously or your proposal may be prematurely dismissed. Even so, some general considerations may prove useful. Demonstrate that your budget is realistic by specifying costs for each line entry. Doing this well may include extensive and difficult research into the real costs in your country of study. Consulates or tourism offices may help, but you will probably be better off speaking to recently returned researchers who are more likely to have dealt with the problems you are going to address. Be wary of budgeting from guidebooks or past experience as prices may have skyrocketed due to inflation or monetary devaluation. Prepare for continued devaluation or possible price rises. It will also help your readers if you include subtotals of various budget categories (e.g., transportation, living expenses, supplies, and research assistants). See samples below. Consider every possible expense. You are not just funding your research, but your life for the time you are in the field. Any expenses you incur in the field will have to be paid by someone and f you don't ask for adequate support, your research will be compromised and you may come home even poorer than when you left. When sitting down to write a budget, think about all of your daily expenses at home, from the big-ticket items like tuition and books to the more trivial expenses like taking the bus to class. Something costing as little as three dollars a day will add up to over a thousand dollars in a year. Also consider those things that you may get for free at home but will have to pay for overseas. These costs may range from things as major as health care to expenses as seemingly minor as charges for photocopies, computer use, or printing documents. When asking for money, however, be careful. Make sure that the funds you are requesting are only for expenses that will be incurred during the research period and that the items you intend to buy are allowed (e.g., many grantors will not fund computer or automobile purchases).
Compare your budget to available funds. If your actual budget is likely to be higher than that which a particular funder is likely to support, indicate how you will make up the difference. To do this, you may want to mention other fellowships for which you are applying, university support to which you are entitled, available private funds, or payments you expect to receive for consulting. If you already have other funding secured, be upfront about it and detail which funder will cover what costs. It is far better to show that you have other funding that to submit a budget request that is far below what will be realistically needed to complete your research. Similarly, you may raise suspicions if your total expenses are perfectly matched to the maximum grant on offer. Sample Budgets
Source: Rubin (1983)
Source: The preceding budget was written for an application to the Institute for the Study of World politics. |
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Background & History |
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