Funding and project costs - guidance, examples and FAQs

Any examples provided here are to demonstrate the type of information to include, rather than indicating that we are able to support specific requests.

If you are applying for funding, the application panel will need to see a full breakdown of your costs to enable them to make a decision.

Before you apply please ensure you are applying for costs that we are able to fund (see below), and that your budget engages with the following questions.

• What costs and expenses are you applying for funding to cover?
• How have you arrived at any given figure for items you need to purchase or fees you will need to pay? Please tell us where you have found the amounts you are applying for.
• Why are particular items important for your project? This is particularly important if you are applying for something we wouldn't usually fund or for an unusual item. Please help us to understand why this funding is essential for the success of your project.
• Have you applied for funding for this project elsewhere? Please include details, including specifying what part of your project IATL funding will support.
• If you have a shortfall in your budget, how will you meet it?

FAQs

What costs does IATL not cover?

Costs that we do not normally cover include equipment and staff costs for full-time staff. Total funding limits for student-led projects and for staff and staff/student co-led projects are listed on the Project Support webpage. Students, please note that funded activity/outcomes cannot be used as part of any student assessment, and that proposed student projects must be completed within 3 months after graduation at the latest. If you are unsure whether we can fund an item or activity, please ask us before you apply.

What rate should students working as co-creators be paid at via Unitemps?

The suggested rate is FA4 spinal point 16. Please ensure that you budget for the Unitemps bill rate. This is higher than the hourly pay rate that co-creators will receive since it includes the Unitemps fee. Click here to see Unitemps ratesLink opens in a new window (current as of March 2023). Please also consider whether over the course of your project, students will be paid at the post-AWR rate. Broadly, the post AWR rate is paid after 12 weeks of work. Further information is available hereLink opens in a new window. Please also bear in mind that Unitemps rates are typically updated, and increase, in August.

My project includes raising money. How should I include that in my budget?

If your project's activity will be raising funds (such as selling tickets for a performance) please model some income possibilities in your budget. See example below:

We plan to sell tickets at different prices (£3.50 for members of our partner societies, £4.00 for non-members), of which 10% will be kept by Warwick Arts Centre, for their box office/booking service. Considering the capacity of the venue, the best income possibility in case of selling out, would be £495, with hypothetically 100 members and 50 non-members.

How much detail shall I include in the budget?

Please be specific, and don't generalise. If you include an estimate, please give details of how you have arrived at that figure.

An example of a budget without sufficient detail

I am applying for £300 from IATL. Basically, I need this amount to cover my travel and other project costs. I will need to travel out of town a few times to interview participants. I might also need some money to pay someone to help me with photography, as I have no experience of this.

If the application panel received this budget, they would need to know how much specifically travel and accommodation would likely cost, and a quote from a video editor.

What does a good budget look like?

Our application panel needs to understand why you need the money you're applying for, and how you have arrived at the figures you've included in your budget. Below are examples of budgets for different types of project that give the sort of information the panel need to make an informed decision.

Research-based project budget

Cost 1: Participant Compensation: As an incentive to participate in the project, participants will be offered compensation of a £5 Eating at Warwick voucher. Using 80 participants and compensating them £5 each results in a cost of £400.
Cost 2: Materials Production: Each booklet given to participants consists of 16 pages. Printing one page costs 5p, and so eighty booklets of 16 pages at 5p per page results in a cost of £64.
Overall, the expenses of this project come out to £464. This is the amount that I am applying for from IATL funding.
£500 has also been applied for from the URSS Grant Scheme to meet my personal costs during the two months of full-time research (such as accommodation and food) as well as to meet any shortfall in costs for participants.

Performance-based budget

I have not applied for any other funding. Here are the costs and expenses that are associated with the project. I have done some research on the service fee charged by professionals I used when I had my first theatre show and these are the expenses and cost which IATL funding will cover:

Photography - £100 (Using friend from Warwick Photography Society)
Videography and editing - £100 (maximum cost)
Costume and Makeup - £100 (price agreed)
Band Fee (saxophonist, pianist etc) - £300 (best price after researching band hire costs)
Set Designer- £100 (written quote obtained)
Set-£100 Props (object, potted plants, postcards) - £100
Publicity (social media promotion) using Warwick contacts - £50
Printing programmes- £20 (price estimated using quote from Warwick print)