10 Steps to 
Getting That Grant

Step 8: Check, check and recheck the budget detail.

After you write the narrative section of the grant application, print it out. Sit down and put dollar signs next to every sentence/paragraph in the program design, evaluation plan and management plan that generates an expense for your organization. Using these dollar-sign guides, you can start to create your line-item detail for personnel, fringe benefits, travel, contracts, construction, equipment and more. Never try to prepare the budget section before you write the complete grant-application narrative!