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Respond to these two peer DQ with 3-4 sentences

1. Budgets and financial capabilities can be a daunting task associated with a grant proposal. Many grants request financial information because they may not fully fund your endeavor, and therefore require some type of matching funds. Additionally, they may try to determine whether the organization may be able to sustain the grant goal once funding may cease. Using materials and information from the course—along with grants you have reviewed thus far—detail the general financial information that is requested for a grant. Then, offer any strategies or guidance on how best to present your financial information so that the grant reviewer may look more favorably on your RFP/grant application.

        Budgets and Finances play a crucial role in the life of a nonprofit organization.  When majority of your funds are coming from donations, it is essential that you have an understanding of how funds are being used.  Budgets are important because they give organizations and potential donors an opportunity to see the financial shape of an organization. 

       In terms of grants, the financial information is used to give the grantors an opportunity to evaluate an organization. This allows a grantor to see if the organization has the ability to use their funds correctly, how are they managing the funds, are they spending unnecessary monies etc. (Grant Writing Online Information - for Educational, Business, Government Grants, n.d.). Typically a grant will ask for the following information:

• Statement of Financial Position
• Statement of Activities
• Statement of Functional Expenses for Voluntary Health and Welfare Organizations and other not-for-profit organizations.
• Statement of Cash Flow
• Financial Statement Disclosures

(Grant Writing Online Information - for Educational, Business, Government Grants, n.d.).

            In terms of requesting information for a budget a grantor will typically ask for a budget and a budget justification summary, which details how why the money will be used within the budget.  Typically in terms of a budget a RFP/grant application will ask for:

• Staff salaries
• Taxes
• Fringe benefits
• Indirect costs
• In kind items
• Rent and utilities
• Equipment and supplies
• Postage
• Travel

In requesting money it is always a great strategy to justify as to why you are requesting that particular amount.  The grantor should be able to see the logic behind why you are requesting that particular amount, they should never be left guessing.  This may make them question giving you any funds. When creating a budget for an RFP, it is important to make sure that all funds in the budget equal to amount of money being requested (Pfau, S., n.d.).   It is also very important to “make sure that the numbers in the proposal narrative and budget justification text match those in the line item budget” (Pfau, S., n.d.).

It is important that all financial information is accurate, detailed, and neat.  The grantor should be able to understand all financial information, it the information looks confusing it will look like you’re to not able to handle the funds correctly.  An organization can always hire an accountant to help them organize the financial documents and to help create a budget. An organization needs to already have a strong financial standing before requesting for additional funds. 

2. The financial budget for a grant proposal is very important because it will list expenses and income for the specific program you're requesting funding for.  According to Foundation Center, "A project budget is the estimated financial plan for a project, for which funding is required. This document should include the expenses you anticipate to incur for a specified period of time, as well as earned income that will be generated during the course of the project" (Geever, N.d). 

 The reason a budget is so important on a grant proposal because it allows the company your requesting funding from, to see exactly how you spend your money, if the company will succeed if the grantor only awards a partial grant and if the company will operate according to the goals and objectives that are listed in the grant proposal.  The grant writer should always present a proposal to where it's easy to understand, have a proposal that's without jargons, have it proofread by another professional to make sure it's without grammatical or other errors, and that it flows.  According to About Money, "Present your grant proposal budget in a way that will make an excellent impression on the grant reviewer. 

• Print it on a new page
  
• Align figures correctly
  
• Double-check your figures
  

Include column headings, such as Budget Category, Requested Funds, Local Contributions, and Project Total" (Kramer, 2015).