Education Project Evaluation

Budget

Budgeting for an evaluation can be challenging because the cost is largely dependent on the design and the skills you have in-house. Federal granting agencies currently recommend that about 10% of your project budget be dedicated to evaluation.

When budgeting, you should consider the following:

• Staff time (salary & benefits)
• Consultant time
• Respondents time (especially if paying or offering an incentive)
• Travel costs
• Communication costs (especially for phone interviews or online survey services)
• Printing/copying
• Equipment (if audio or video taping interviews)
• Supplies (computers and software)
• Annual inflation increases (if project is for more than one year)

The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University offers a checklist for developing and evaluating evaluation budgets. You can get a copy at Budgeting Checklist.