Learn: Proposal Budgeting

The following materials have been developed to assist with proposal budgeting. You can find other proposal and award learning resources here.

Written materials:

• • OR Budget Templates – Webpage of helpful OR budget templates with FAQs, a how-to video, an effort calculator and template descriptions
  • Preparing a Proposal Budget Handbook – Comprehensive 27-page document on preparing a proposal budget
  • Proposal Budget Formulas – 8-page summary of formulas with explanations
  • Budget Justification Checklist – 1-page budget justification checklist
  • Calculating Facilities & Administrative (F&A) Costs – 1-page summary of eligible direct costs and formulas to calculate F&A costs
  • Guidance for submitting proposals/IPFs that involve cost-sharing – 6-page guidance

Helpful link:

• • F&A and Fringe Benefit Rates  – Current Facilities & Administration (indirect cost) rates and employee benefit rates

“How To…” videos:

     Note: if a video doesn’t start on the first try, refresh the video and it should then work. 

• • How to Use the OR Budget Templates (length: 30:17)
  • Annualizing Salary (length: 1:37)
  • Calculating Salary to Charge (length: 1:12)
  • Calculating Annualized Effort and Person-Months (length: 4:04)

Trainings:

• • Preparing a Proposal Budget: Basics (eCourse) – This UC Learning Center course covers budgeting components and principles and how these lead to the development of a final proposal budget. Topics covered include universal cost principles applicable to preparing project budgets, calculating F&A costs, budgeting techniques and practices, and preparing a budget justification. The course takes approximately 1 hour and is a required prerequisite for the Instructor-Led Training, ‘Preparing a Proposal Budget: Lab’.
    • “Unlocked” Preparing a Proposal Budget: Basics eCourse – this version will not earn you course credit but allows you to navigate to any section (using the menu on left) to find information you seek.
  • Preparing a Proposal Budget: Lab (Instructor-Led Training) – UC Learning Center class: Participants will put into practice the topics covered in the ‘Preparing a Proposal Budget: Basics’ eCourse. Using case studies, sample forms and group discussion, participants will practice completing a proposal budget. Applied activities include determining budget categories, applying and calculating the correct F&A rate, and creating a budget justification.
    • Lab Workbook
  • Cost-Sharing and Effort in Proposals – 54-page slide presentation from January 25, 2024 Research Administration Workshop
    • Workshop video recording (Zoom) (length: 2 hours) – if video doesn’t start on first try, refresh video and it should then work 
  • Proposal Budget Development-OR Budget Templates – 52-page slide presentation from October 27, 2022 Research Administration Workshop
    • Workshop video recording (Zoom) (length: 1:42 mins) – if video doesn’t start on first try, refresh video and it should then work
  • Proposal Budgeting Formulas – UC Learning Center e-course: Brief tutorial on performing common proposal budget calculations, including annualizing salary and calculating annual effort commitment (length: ~12 mins)
  • Preparing a Cost Proposal Budget – 41-page slide presentation from July 23, 2023 Research Administration Workshop
  • Proposal Budgeting Basics – 58-page slide presentation from March 11, 2019 Research Administration Workshop
    • Proposal Budgeting Basics Workbook – Accompanying 14-page workbook

 Budget FAQs

1. 1. Is an internal budget required?
      • A detailed internal budget is strongly encouraged even when not required by the sponsor. This aids the Sponsored Programs Office (SPO) in conducting a detailed and accurate review. This should be uploaded in the Proposal Attachments section. Select the document type of “Budget”. SPO encourages use of the OR Budget Templates.
   2. How does SP calculate salary? 
      • Salary is calculated automatically through HR Connect. Salary information will updated to the latest information available in PPS twice per month. If you make changes to this in your Cayuse 424 professional profile, those changes will be overwrote to match the PPS system during the next update.
   3. What document type should I select when uploading the budget spreadsheet or internal budget as a Proposal Attachment?
      • For all submissions for SPO review, select the document type of “Budget”. Note that “Budget (UCD Health) should only be selected when submitting an industry-sponsored clinical trial protocol for review by the UC Davis Health Contracts Clinical Trials Contracts Office.
   4. Can budget and submission notes be marked as private?
      • A note’s access can be limited to unit approvers and administrators. The budget comment box is visible to anyone who has access to the proposal.
   5. How do I enter/indicate cost sharing on the Cayuse SP Budget form? Is anything else required? 
      • Instructions for entering cost sharing is available in the Cayuse SP Handbook for PIs, Department C&G Staff and Approvers. All cost sharing commitments must be indicated in a signed letter or email from the committing unit (if internal) or organization (if external) and uploaded in Proposal Attachments.
   6. Why is my modular budget from Cayuse 424 not showing?
      • DO NOT use the pair with 424 functionality in SP. 
   7. Will Cayuse SP accept 0% for the F&A Rate? 
      • Yes. Cayuse SP does accept 0% for the F&A Rate. Enter 0% in the F&A Rate text field the bottom of the F&A Rate pop-up screen and select Change Rate. Do not enter an amount in the relevant Base for F&A field(s). Instead, include that amount in the Sponsor Direct Costs field.