BUDGET GUIDELINES 

Funding call for Phase I Seed Grants for Grand Challenges Africa  

The budget cost categories have been categorized as explained below: 

Personnel Costs 

This budget line will cover the necessary staff required for award implementation. Staff costs should be supported by institutional policies and contracts. Positions required should be clearly specified, including the duration of service expected and the rate charged. 

Travel Costs 

The grant shall only cover travel costs related to the scope of the project. There is flexibility for applicants to focus resources to critical research areas that are not ring fenced. 

Materials and Consumables 

These are costs for consumable items such as animals, lab supplies, clinical supplies, glassware, chemicals, reagents, etc. used directly while conducting the scope of work for the award. 

Equipment 

Equipment refers to items that have a life longer than one year. This line includes the cost of purchasing equipment including laptops and or software and related costs such as installation that is needed to implement the project. These items shall be charged at cost. Depreciation costs are not allowable. 

Subcontracts 

No awardee is permitted to make sub-grants, but all awardees will be permitted to contract for services, up to a maximum of $20,000 USD.  Please be aware that this limit applies to funds paid by an awardee to any other organization (or an individual employed at another organization) as a subcontractor, including payments to co-PIs working at another organization.

Other Research Costs 

These are direct research costs that are specific to the program but are not part of the other budget categories. These costs should be very specific and direct to the award. 

Institutional administrative costs 

These costs cover all direct and indirect administrative costs for managing the grants within the host institutions. This should be limited to 15% of the direct award costs. 

Direct office support costs include but are not limited to; monitoring and evaluation costs, office supplies, stationeries, direct utility bills, direct rental spaces, grant required audits etc 

Indirect office support costs (overheads) consist of costs incurred centrally for the benefit of common or joint objectives for the Institution that ultimately benefit all programmes. They are not directly related to any single project or activity but are a necessary part of the costs of undertaking the project or activity. Below is a guideline of what should include indirect office support costs: 

• Central Support Functions (CSF) costs – these are costs of functions or departments that provide services across the Institution they include, finance, legal, human resources, IT and software, office administration, communications etc. 
• Estate and Premises – these are costs of buildings and utilities for operating the institutions physical locations. They include rent, on, repairs, insurance, security etc. 
• Governance – these are costs of providing oversight.  They include Board costs, institutional audit etc 

Please note that the calculation for indirect costs should be supported by the Institutional policies. 

Other Notes 

Budget justification is a categorical description of the proposed costs. Generally, it explains why items are essential in relation to the aims and methodology of the project as well as meeting the goals of the project. Explain the line items. Do not merely restate the proposed expenditure. Provide detail sufficient to justify the rationale for acquiring the item under the proposed project.