Lord Mayor’s Better Suburbs Grants - Community Facility Category - budget tips
A budget must support your application for a Lord Mayor’s Better Suburbs grant. Use this page to access budget tips and view the budget table example to help you develop your budget.
Budget tips
- Make sure your total project income equals your total expenditure.
- Volunteer staff can be costed from $35 per hour for non-skilled labour and at relevant rates for professionals.
- Provide a minimum of two recent quotes for all items detailed in the budget.
- All quotes should be itemised and detail the full scope of works.
- Ensure you are familiar with the program guidelines, in particular, what is eligible for funding.
- If you include 'in-kind' contributions in your budget, provide a breakdown of your calculations and all relevant details for each item.
- An accredited building certifier must be engaged for all capital works projects, to review plans before work commences, and to formally certify that the completed works have achieved compliance with the Building Code of Australia and the Disability Discrimination Act. The cost of engaging a certifier can be included in the project budget.
In-kind contribution or in-kind support:
- This is the dollar value of non-cash contributions to a project e.g. staff time or voluntary labour that would otherwise have needed to be paid for. It includes volunteer labour, administrative support, or donations of materials or equipment. These contributions should be given a dollar value and must be included in the proposed budget.
- To ensure your budget table balances the in-kind income line item must match the in-kind expense line item.
Please note that for the purpose of assessment:
- All budget figures must be goods and service tax (GST) exclusive i.e. deduct GST from quotes and invoices.
- If your organisation is not GST registered, 10% GST is added to your grant prior to assessment, but is not itemised as GST.
- If your organisation is GST registered, 10% GST is added to your grant as an itemised GST gross-up.
Example budget tables for the Lord Mayor’s Better Suburbs Grants ~ Community Facility Category are below:
Option 1 – Planning and design budget table:
| Income (source of funding) | Amount (ex GST) | Project expenditure (description of work and name of supplier) | Amount (ex GST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane City Council Better Suburbs Grant | $30,000.00 | Design Plans by <company name> | $20,000.00 |
| Organisation's financial contribution to the project | $5,000.00 | Engagement of specialist consultants by <company name> | $10,000.00 |
| Organisation's 'in-kind' contribution to the project | $2,250.00 | Contaminated land investigations by <company name> | $10,000.00 |
| Other grants e.g. State Government Grant (approved) | $8,000.00 | Development Assessment and Building Approval costs (if applicable) | $3,000.00 |
| Other income | $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 | Contingency 5% | $2,250.00 |
| Total income | $45,250.00 | Total expenditure | $45,250.00 |
Note: Ensure all income and expenditure totals match.
Option 2 – Construction phase budget table:
| Income (source of funding) | Amount (ex GST) | Project expenditure (description of work and name of supplier) | Amount (ex GST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane City Council Better Suburbs Grant | $100,000.00 | Field works by <company name> | $65,000.00 |
| Organisation's financial contribution to the project | $20,000.00 | Irrigation system and installation | $50,000.00 |
| Organisation's 'in-kind' contribution to the project | $15,000.00 | Rain tanks | $15,500.00 |
| Other grants e.g. State Government Grant (approved) | $25,000.00 | Pump system | $20,000.00 |
| Other income | $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 | Contingency 5% Accredited building certifier | $7500.00 $2000.00 |
| Total income | $160,000.00 | Total expenditure | $160,000.00 |
Note: Ensure all income and expenditure totals match.