how detailed should a first-time proposal budget be. one funder wanted every pen itemised, the next said ours was too granular
Match the granularity to the size of their grant, not to your internal accounting. Under 10 lakh, a one-page budget is right. Above 50 lakh they will want detail and a narrative note explaining assumptions.
The thing both funders were actually reacting to is whether the budget tells a story that matches the proposal. If your proposal says community mobilisation is central and your budget has no travel or field staff line, they will not believe you regardless of the number of rows.
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