Use Your Words.
We learned it in Kindergarten! It’s important to explain what you need and why you need it. Remember to put those skills to use in your CREATE Grant applications – especially when explaining your budget. The budget narrative is essential in justifying project costs to the grant reviewers. An effective budget narrative explains how the funds would be spent, why the course is important, and why it is cost effective. The narrative must tell the reader more then why the costs are needed but give a tangible view of the impact that can be made with the grant funds being requested. Addressing unorthodox purchases or large expenditures will help the reviewers understand the budgeting practices of the entity and help justify the need. Write each justification with “cost effectiveness” in mind. Show evidence to convince the reviewer that the course would make an impact worth the price and is a necessity. Identify the specific goals and objectives of the proposal that correspond with each budget category, equally, state why the course is important to the mission of the organization. Identifying prices of expected costs when writing your budget narrative are always important as well, do not require the reader to look back at the budget and “assume” what things will cost. If costs are based on projections only, give details on how the costs were estimated, and attach copies of estimates to the proposal.
Thank you for all you do for all our Colorado communities! We are here to support you, so please do not hesitate to contact us with questions or concerns.
If you have any questions about the CREATE Grant process, please contact Megan Lyda at ml@coruralhealth.org.
