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Budget Justification


  • Provide justification for ALL personnel, including to-be-named positions.
  • Include their name, position within the University, and role on the project.
  • State annual level of effort for each in number of academic and summer months.
  • Describe each individual’s specific functions and activities on the project.
  • Specify the amount of salary for each individual requested in year 1 and the % by which salaries are expected to increase in subsequent years.
  • NSF limits salary compensation for senior personnel to no more than 2 months per year. The 2 month limit includes salary from all NSF-funded grants.
  • Salaries for administrators and clerical staff are included in the F&A (facilities and administrative or indirect) money recovered on the grant. If salaries for these personnel are proposed as direct costs on a federally-funded grant, a Direct Charge Justification Form must be completed and included with the proposal.

  • For regular UT employees, indicate the percentage used to calculate fringe benefits for each individual.
    • If the average fringe rate of 33% is used, one statement to this effect is all that is necessary.
    • If actual rates are calculated for one or more personnel, specify the actual rate(s) for each in the budget justification.
  • For GRA’s, provide the amount for the student health fee in Year 1 and the percentage by which it will increase each year.

  • Travel costs must be related to the project and must be itemized for each trip and for each person. Funds may be requested for field or site work and attendance at meetings and conferences.
  • Specify who on the project is traveling, destination, purpose of trip, and the dates of travel.
  • Itemize costs by airfare, per diem, lodging, car rental, and parking. Include conference fees when appropriate.
  • If the dates of travel are not known, estimate the number of days per trip.
  • If traveling to conferences, specify which conferences or the nature of intended conferences.
  • Foreign travel costs must be specified and itemized separately. Include countries to be visited, dates of visit, and justification.

  • Provide justification for the cost of documenting, preparing, publishing or otherwise making available to others the findings and products of the work conducted under the award.
  • Document costs for printing and duplicating materials for distribution at conferences or workshops.

Provide justification for maintenance and repair costs of equipment being purchased on this grant, or for equipment already in place and being used in support of this project.

Provide tuition rates per semester, number of semesters budgeted, and expected rate of increase. The anticipated rate of increase should be between 5% and 10%.

  • Materials and supplies are expendable, tangible property costing $4,999 or less per item.
  • Itemize supplies in separate categories, such as glassware, chemicals, radioisotopes, etc.
  • If animals are to be purchased, state the species, the number to be used, and how they are priced.

  • Equipment is an item of property costing $5,000 or more with an expected service life of one year or more. Allowable items are research equipment and apparatus.
    • Include the type(s) of equipment and the price for each.
    • Include any shipping and maintenance costs.

  • Each participating subcontract organization must submit a separate detailed budget, budget justification, statement of work, and Subrecipient Commitment Form UTK’s budget justification to the agency should at the least include the name of the subawardee, their role on the project, and justification for their inclusion in the project.

  • Identify each consultant by name, their organizational affiliation if any, the services they will provide, their hourly or daily rate, and the number of hours or days they expect to devote to the project. Each consultant must complete the Consultant Commitment Form

  • Identify each contractor by name, their organizational affiliation, the services they will provide, their or daily rate, and the number of hours or days they expect to devote to the project.

  • Itemize participant support costs for transportation, per diem, stipends, and other related costs.

  • Provide expected tuition rates for the first year of the project and give the amount of % of expected increase in subsequent years.

  • Subtotal of all direct costs.

  • State how indirect costs are derived, either using UT’s F&A rate agreement or a rate set by the sponsor.

  • State total project costs.