Research Awards: Budget Preparation

Allowable Budget Items

Proposal budgets should be consistent with the Foundation’s objective of supporting the direct costs of carrying out the proposed research project only. Requested funds should be used for research expenses above and beyond the operating costs of colleges, universities, and research institutes.

The Foundation considers allowable research expenses to include:

• The cost of purchasing equipment and supplies required to do the proposed research
• The cost of time on shared instruments such as MR spectrometers
• Reimbursement for human subjects
• Travel funds when travel is required to carry out the proposed research.
• Stipends or salaries for graduate student research assistants, postdoctoral fellows, and technical support staff.
• Research animal purchasing, housing, and food per diem costs.

Requests for the following items must be strongly justified:

• Salary for non-tenured faculty
• Salary for faculty whose primary appointments are school of medicine departments
• Salary for research staff/faculty with soft money positions
• Requests for TBA technical and support staff

The following expenses should not be requested:

• Salary for tenured faculty (see exceptions above)
• Summer salary for faculty
• Tuition or 'continuing student' fees for graduate students
• Indirect costs listed as direct costs (telephone, photocopying, etc.)
• Travel costs for attendance at professional meetings and associated costs or annual membership fees for scientific associations or publication subscriptions
• Miscellaneous costs, 'padding' the budget
• Salary for TBA postdoctoral fellows (if you are requesting funding for postdoctoral fellows, the individuals filling such positions must be identified at the time the proposal is submitted -- no money will be approved for open postdoctoral spots to be filled by as-yet-unnamed individuals.)