OSP – Sample Budget Justification
*Sample Budget Justification
This example uses the National Science Foundation’s cost categories. You should use the format that
your sponsor requests, and be sure to provide the detail requested in the RFP or proposal guidelines.
This is only a sample budget justification. Each sponsor is unique and will have different requirements
for their budget justification.
Salaries:
The PI, Dr. Do Good, will collect data and oversee the GRAs on the project and the Co-I Dr. Jane
Doe will conduct the fieldwork to perform the proposed research. Support is also budgeted for 2 graduate
research assistants (academic year and summer) to assist in compiling the data. Faculty salaries escalate
5.2% every year on December 1st. GRA salaries include an escalation of 3.0% each year on August 16th.
Benefits:
The PI and Co-PI’s fringe rate is 33.25% and the GRAs fringe rate is 9%. A copy of
VT’s federally negotiated fringe rate agreement is available at:
http://www.osp.vt.edu/rates.html#Fringes .
Travel: (Your sponsor may require additional travel details. Check the RFP or proposal guidelines.)
Domestic: 2 trips per year are requested for the PI and Co-I to Aspen, Colorado to conduct fieldwork. 1
trip is budgeted per year to San Francisco, CA for the PI to meet with collaborators.
Foreign: 1 trip in Year 2 is budgeted for the Co-I to travel to an international conference.
Equipment:
Funds are requested to purchase a scanning electron microscope to analyze the samples collected
during fieldwork.
Subawards:
A subaward will be made to the Harvard University for $125,000 over 3 years.
Materials & Supplies:
Funds are requested for field supplies such as data loggers and sample containers.
Other Direct Costs:
Per VT policy, in-state tuition costs are included for the graduate student. Funds are requested for
further sample analysis by SampleCorp., Inc. at $50/sample. Funds are also proposed for the VT Analysis
Lab to verify the integrity of the samples at $2/sample. $2000 is requested for airlifting supplies to the
field location per year. $500 per year is budgeted for toll/communication charges. $2500 is requested for
page charges/publication costs of the research findings. $500 is included for shipping the samples to and
from collaborators.
Indirect Costs:
VT’s federally negotiated indirect rate is 58.5%. A copy of the agreement is available at:
http://www.osp.vt.edu/
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Version: October 2005