Budget Advice

All proposals will require a detailed budget with the following sections:dollarsign

Download a Sample ITIF Budget

  1. A spreadsheet of expected expenses and funding sources (don’t forget to list matching sources in full).
  2. A budget justification for each item in the spreadsheet (100 words).
  3. A description of existing university resources leveraged in support of the project (50 words).

In the past, some applicants have asked for guidance in putting together a detailed budget that includes sample pricing information. We hope you find the information provided to be a helpful start when investigating and estimating costs for you grant proposal.

General Guidelines: 

a) A maximum of $250.00 of ITIF funds may be budgeted for poster layout and printing costs for presentation at Educational Achievement Event. This number is based on an estimated 7$/square feet of poster in addition to the rate $25.00/hour you can expect a designer to charge.

b) A maximum of $500.00 of ITIF funds may be used to off‐set travel costs to conferences at which you are presenting your work.

Exclusions: 

a) ITIF monies may not be used for basic computer and related equipment expenses, nor will such items be considered as matching funds. However, specialized equipment that is specifically related to the project may be eligible, so long as a justification for inclusion is contained in the application.

b) ITIF funding may not be used to pay faculty salaries.

The following costs are the standards against which budget requests will be judged:

  1. Photocopying costs: $0.03 per page; Breakdown: (# pages in handout) x (# of handouts required) x (photocopy price) = estimated photocopy cost.
  2. Research assistant: $24‐35/hr (including benefit costs) is the current rate of pay for RAs at the University of Toronto, ranging from undergraduates to post‐docs.  Applicants should calculate the appropriate benefit rates in their budget.
  3. Technology and AV services: In general, applicants are encouraged to utilize existing resources where available. Many resources are available for free for the university community. On the other hand, some services are on a fee-for-service basis. UofT professional technology services generally run around $75/hour for professional services. Of course, student labour will be cheaper, but considerations of quality, continuity and sustainability may be important to your project.

For example, if you are creating a project for enhancing the teaching of a University-course, we have a number of tools you can use with your students at no cost, including, for example, survey tools.

We’d be happy to point prospective applicants to those services (please write to us for assistance).