Creating a Budget with Excel - Lesson Objectives - June 2020

Sep 12, 2026

Upload by Aladdin

Lesson material for creating a project budget with Excel, presented with a June 2020 timeframe and structured around clear lesson objectives. It explains how research budgeting and financial management principles connect to Excel functions to produce a project timeline, an assumptions sheet with justified estimates, and a budget covering expected costs. It also covers building an expense tracker to compare actual versus budgeted expenses and monitor grant balances, while emphasizing adherence to Mawazo Institute budget rules, eligible/ineligible costs, and an expense categorization system.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages49

Reading Time17 min

AccessFree to download

Lesson Objectives

Part 1: Introduction

Putting Principles into Practice

Part 2: Budget Guidelines

Reviewing Budget Guidelines

Part 3: Project Timeline

CREATING A BUDGET WITH EXCEL JUNE 2020 [www.mawazolearningexchange.org](www.mawazolearningexchange.org) Lesson Objectives The goal of this lesson is to create a timeline and budget for your project using: • Principles of research budgeting and financial management covered in Lesson \#2 • Excel features and functions covered in Lesson \#1 Note: We will be using Mawazo’s budget template and guidelines for this lesson. Every funder and institution will have their own specific approach that might differ from ours, but the core concepts covered are transferable. PART 1: INTRODUCTION Putting Principles into Practice Using research budgeting principles and Excel, we will: i. Review the guidelines provided by Mawazo and how to apply them to create your research budget ii. Create a timeline of all key activities in your project and the time required to complete them iii. Create an assumptions sheet with justifiable estimates of your project requirements and corresponding costs iv. Create a budget of all expected project costs based on assumptions and estimates v. Create an expense tracker to record actual vs. budgeted expenses and grant balances We will use the Sample Collection component of M. Mawazo’s project as tool to learn how to create a research budget using Excel. Please download the following documents on the course webpage: i. M. Mawazo’s Research Proposal ii. M. Mawazo’s Sample Collection Budget iii. Mawazo Institute Budget Template PART 2: BUDGET GUIDELINES Check the rules. Reviewing Budget Guidelines At the Mawazo Institute, we have specific rules and guidelines for how grantees should structure their research project budgets and track research expenses. This includes: • Timeline, Assumptions, Budget and Expense Tracking templates • Eligible and ineligible costs • Expense categorization system Every funder and institution will have their own budget template and guidelines. Please review these instructions carefully and follow all the rules provided when submitting a budget to a particular entity. Reviewing Budget Guidelines PART 3: PROJECT TIMELINE

FAQs

What outputs will participants create using Excel in this lesson?

Participants will review budget guidelines, build a complete project timeline, create an assumptions sheet with justified estimates, produce a budget of expected costs, and set up an expense tracker for actual versus budgeted expenses and grant balances.

How does the lesson handle differences between funders and institutions?

It notes that every funder and institution may use different approaches and templates, but the core concepts covered are transferable when applying the provided guidance.

Which budget rules and guidelines are emphasized by the Mawazo Institute?

The lesson emphasizes rules for structuring research project budgets and tracking research expenses, including timeline, assumptions, budget and expense tracking templates, eligible versus ineligible costs, and an expense categorization system.

Sep 12, 2026

Upload by Aladdin