Proposal Resources

Just as a technical proposal paints a clear picture of what will be accomplished during the project's life, a clear and concise budget allows reviewers to fully understand how funds will be spent.  

It is crucial for investigators to closely follow the sponsor's instructions when preparing a budget. As stated above a competitive budget is one that will provide the sponsor with a complete financial picture of the proposed project.

A budget is reviewed by the sponsor to verify if the costs are reasonable and necessary to carry out the proposed project, and if it conforms to the sponsor's instructions. During award negotiations a budget is sometimes subjected to further analysis by the sponsor's audit staff. OIDRS staff are available to assist T&L faculty understand, interpret, and conform to budgeting guidelines and procedures.

Faculty are encouraged to contact OIDRS as soon as they know they will be developing a proposal and budget.  OIDRS staff are more than happy to assist faculty with these endeavors.

To get you started, we have placed several budget templates off to the right of this page.  While every donor/RFP will provide specific information on what needs to be included in a budget we believe the budget templates provided on this page are an excellent starting point for faculty and staff.

Budget Templates

Below you will find a couple of  budget templates that should help you get started developing your financial (cost) proposal.  Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

1-Year Budget Model

1-Year Budget Model (with cost share)

3-Year Budget Model

3-Year Budget Model (with cost share)

5-Year Budget Model

US Department of Education, Budget Forms

The US Department of Education requires two forms to accompany your budget.  (Both are PDF files.)  

Application for Federal Assistance Cover Page (ED 424) -- serves as the official cover sheet on the proposal being submitted

US Department of Education Budget Summary Form (ED 524) -- serves as the summary budget for the proposal (i.e. combines all years of the project budget)

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For questions about the website contact:  dechow.1@osu.edu