Proposal Budgeting Tools & Standards

VCU Institutional Fact Sheet (Authorized official, institutional address, etc)

SOM Standard: Budgeting for anticipated salary increases

Proposal budgets are expected to be a reasonable estimate of the actual expenses that will be incurred in performing the proposed project.  Inflation, or cost escalation, including anticipated state legislation approved increases to salaries and stipends, is a reasonable part of the estimate.  Follow any sponsor instructions or limitations related to inflation, annual escalation, or cost-of-living. In the absence of a sponsor policy or guidance imposing specific restrictions on inflation, SOM standard practice is:

• Apply a standard inflation rate calculated as the average of the last three state legislature approved salary increases, rounded to the nearest whole number.

• Current rate = 4%

  • Calculation = Average of FY23, FY24, FY25 state increases (5%+7%+3%/3)

• This rate should be applied to the Year One budget and all other years of the budget.

• At minimum, the Year One budget should include the escalation, in cases where the budget is awarded in equal annual increments.

• Consult: somresadmin@vcuhealth.org during budget development if questions or concerns arise.

• SOM will monitor the use of inflation as part of the proposal approval process.

VCU Fringe Benefit and F&A Rates

For a full breakdown of VCU fringe benefits rate (sometimes requested by sponsors), go here: https://controller.vcu.edu/cost-analysis/fringe-benefit-rates/

NOTE: Salary and fringe for VCUHS and MCVP only employees must be budgeted in the general or other costs section, not in the personnel section, of the RAMS-SPOT and sponsor budget for outgoing proposals.

NOTE: Undergraduate students do not receive fringe benefits. See codes SW and WS here: https://controller.vcu.edu/cost-analysis/fringe-benefit-rates/

Faculty Salary Caps

Note: For Outgoing Proposals for both AHRQ and DHHS proposals (including NIH), budget using the new Executive Level II salary cap of $225,700 per the 2025 salary table published by the US Office of Personnel Management found here: OPM Salary Table

Note: DOJ has a salary cap applicable to awards above $250,000 that limits the rate of compensation to 100% of the annual maximum salary payable to a member of the Federal Government’s Senior Executive Service (SES) at an agency with a Certified SES Performance Appraisal System for that year. The calculation for the current cap is $225,700 x 110% = $248,270.

Postdoctoral Fellows and Trainees

SOM references the NRSA pay scale in establishing budgeting standards to ensure SOM faculty are able to remain competitive in recruiting and retaining Postdocs.

Current rates found here: NOT-OD-24-104

Budgeting Standards for Post Docs

Research Projects:

Post Doc roles are typically budgeted as TBD at the proposal stage because the roles the PD role is typically not considered key personnel. 

SOM standard is to budget TBD Post Doc positions at the YR03 NRSA rate.  This allows for recruitment at various levels of experience. 

Consult with somresadmin@vcuhealth.org early in the budget development process if there are questions or there is a request to deviate from this standard.

NRSA training/fellowships:

Must be budgeted following the NRSA pay scale. 

For individual fellowship the NRSA rate used should be the level the PD would be in at the start of the proposed budget period.

For unknown trainees on T32 applications, at Just in Time or at the time of trainee appointment, Post Doc rates requested should reflect the trainees actual years of Post Doc experience according to the NRSA pay scale.

• For awareness - SOM Minimum Post Doc Salary – SOM standard is new Post Docs hired in SOM must be paid at least the NRSA YR0 post doc rate in effect on the day of initial appointment.

More information on the Post Doc Administration will be made available in our Post Doc Policy.

Graduate Students (Predoctoral)

Before budgeting graduate student costs in your proposal, consider the following:

• What is the sponsor type? Federal, foundation, etc.

• Will we be allowed to re-budget after award, if needed?

• Will this be a PhD or MD-PhD student?

• Is the PI including a specific student, or a TBD student, in the budget?

In general, budget the following for graduate students:

At Just In Time – Graduate students rates for stipend and tuition should be updated as need and allowable. 

For awareness, All SOM students receive the current stipend of 35,535. When submitting a proposal or receiving an award that mandates the NIH NRSA stipend rate for predoctoral scholars, the School of Medicine will fund the difference between the NRSA stipend rate and the SOM graduate student stipend rate.  This only applies when the student's home department is in the School of Medicine, regardless of where the grant funding is managed. Departments should contact Dr. Mike Grotewiel and Ruth McIntosh-Brandt with any questions about this "differential" funding.

https://sfs.vcu.edu/tuition-and-fees/estimate-your-tuition-and-fees/post-undergraduate-calculator/

As calculated on 7/7/23

Laboratory Technicians

Budgeting Lab/Research Technicians

Labs and Research Technicians perform a variety of routine, technical, and administrative responsibilities in support of lab-based research at the university. They directly perform daily bench work executing lab/technical protocols such as: setting up and performing experiments, collecting data and specimens, operating lab equipment, and preparing materials. Lab Technicians should be budgeted as TBD personnel in budgets since they are not key personnel.

Minimum to budget: $49,800 aligns with 50th percentile of the entry level Lab/Research Technician 1 on VCU's Job Summary Tool

Budget higher if prior experience is required: $49,800 if prior experience is required.

Laboratory Assistants

Budgeting Lab/Research Assistant

Lab Assistants perform a variety of routine, entry-level, non-technical duties in support of lab-based research.  Typical duties include performing general lab maintenance by cleaning and sterilizing instruments, glassware, and equipment; wrapping, labeling, and preparing specimens; and setting up and monitoring equipment. They may be responsible for maintaining stock, ordering supplies, and keeping records. NOTE: Technician role is more commonly used if staff will be directly performing experiments and other direct research conduct activities.  

Minimum to budget: $39,800 aligns with 50th percentile of entry level Lab/Research Assistant 1 on VCU's Job Summary Tool

Budget higher if prior experience is required: $39,800 if prior experience is required.

Resources for Budgeting Other Research Positions

VCU Job Summary Tool: Job Summary Tool | HR | VCU

See “Research & Innovation” section for listing of all University & Professional Staff jobs in the Research Job Family

Faculty with Joint VA/VCU Appointments

When including faculty with joint VA appointments in a proposal, make sure the following language is included in the budget justification personnel section:
Dr. XX has an appointment with Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and with the Richmond Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC). The institutional base salary used in this application represents the VCU salary, and it does not include salary from the VAMC appointment. Dr. XX has __/8th appointment at the VAMC. He/She is contributing __ person months (__%) VCU effort to this application.