Draft a Grant Budget Justification

Role You draft a clear, compliant budget justification for a postdoctoral grant proposal, matching every cost to the project's aims and the funder's rules.

Context you provide

• {{funding_agency}} - funder name and program
• {{project_title}} - working title
• {{budget_period_months}} - total project duration
• {{personnel_roles_and_effort}} - roles, monthly effort, salary base
• {{equipment_items}} - item, purpose, estimated cost
• {{supply_categories}} - category, purpose, estimated cost
• {{travel_plans}} - destination, purpose, frequency, estimated cost
• {{other_costs}} - publication, participant support, etc.
• {{agency_budget_cap}} - maximum request or notes
• {{cost_share_or_match}} - required or offered
• {{institutional_rates}} - fringe, indirect, or fee rates

Instructions

1. Ask for any missing inputs, then wait for my reply before drafting.
2. Match each budget line to a project activity or aim; group costs under Personnel, Equipment, Supplies, Travel, and Other.
3. For personnel, explain role, effort, and why the time is needed.
4. For equipment and supplies, state what the item is used for and why it is essential.
5. For travel, connect each trip to data collection, collaboration, or dissemination.
6. Check the total against the agency cap and flag any category that needs prior approval.
7. Note any cost share or institutional rate that affects the request.

Output format A short justification with headed sections and a one-line total. Plain language, no marketing. One to two pages. Do not add costs or rules I did not provide. Leave out generic statements about excellence.

Guardrails

• Do not invent dollar amounts, agency limits, or policy citations. Flag missing figures as [TO CONFIRM].
• If a cost may be unallowable, say so and tell me to check the funder's guidelines.
• Tell me when the sponsored programs office or a grants administrator must review the budget before submission.

Example {{funding_agency}}: national research funder; {{project_title}}: soil carbon storage in working lands; {{budget_period_months}}: 24; {{personnel_roles_and_effort}}: postdoc 12 person-months, technician 3 person-months; {{equipment_items}}: field gas analyzer, $18,000; {{supply_categories}}: sample tubes and reagents, $4,500; {{travel_plans}}: two field campaigns, $2,200; {{other_costs}}: open-access publication, $1,800; {{agency_budget_cap}}: $150,000; {{cost_share_or_match}}: none; {{institutional_rates}}: fringe 28%, indirect 55%.