The grant budget is your best estimate of what it will take to carry out your project.
Ranging from hundreds to millions of dollars, a well-prepared budget is a clear and detailed presentation of your project and connects requested items back to your goals and objectives. As such, the budget can lend just as much credibility to your proposal as the narrative.
Common line items include faculty academic year and summer time, student wages, fringe benefits, travel, supplies, vendor agreements, equipment, and indirect costs.
After you've identified a proposal opportunity and its budget limitations, you're ready to begin working on your budget.
For detailed information about how to create your budget, contact your Proposal Manager.
Travel
For general information about travel, please reference the BSU travel policy
If you are traveling internationally for your project, note that your proposal will need additional review and requires SPA notice at least 4 weeks prior to the deadline.
Check on the travel status of the country you intend on visiting via the Department of State website
Indirect costs, commonly known as facilities and administrative costs (F&A), are general support expenses that cannot be specifically assigned to a single project.
Ball State University negotiates this rate every few years through detailed space and facility analyses with a representative from the Department of Health and Human Services.
Indirect cost recovery provides reimbursement to the University for, among other things, utilities, equipment use, and administrative services.
Any recovered indirect costs on a funded project are returned to the PI, the PI’s department, and Ball State’s general fund.
Ball State University collects indirect costs as allowable by the federal government under the OMB’s Uniform Guidance 2 CFR Part 200.
Per the most recently negotiated rate, Ball State is entitled to receive 49.0% of Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) for on-campus programs, or 27.0% MTDC for off-campus programs.
MTDC is calculated as the Total Direct Costs minus equipment, tuition, and sub-award amounts over $25K. All proposals will include the full allowable rate of indirect costs, regardless of sponsor type (Federal, Non-Federal, Industry, Foundation, etc.). That is, proposal budgets will include sponsor's published indirect cost rate.
Adjusted IDC recovery will be distributed as outlined below. Projects involving multiple PIs, Departments and Colleges will be divided equally among the units represented in Cayuse SP:
- Principal Investigator: 5%
- Department/Unit: 10%
- College/VP Unit: 85%
If PI(s) are unable to adhere to the Proposal Submission Policy
by providing final proposal application materials to Sponsored Projects Administration
at least three business days in advance of the sponsor deadline, the PI(s) and PI’(s) department will forfeit indirect cost recovery distributions during the first two years of the project.
The standard distribution policy will resume if the project continues beyond this time period.
View our rate agreement (PDF).
More Information
If you have questions about indirect costs or can’t find what you’re looking for, see our Indirect Cost Distribution Policy, or contact Jackie Davis or Maria Bumbalough.