Budget narrative prompt builder
Funders do not fund spreadsheets — they fund justified plans. A budget narrative is the prose that turns each line item into a defensible argument: what the money buys, how the figure was reached, and how it moves the project toward its goals. This builder takes your line items and project context and produces an LLM prompt that writes that narrative cleanly and consistently.
How it works
You paste your budget line items with their amounts, describe the project goals, and add any funder requirements — cost categories, caps, matching-fund rules, or allowable-expense policies. The builder assembles a prompt that instructs the model to justify each line in turn: what it covers, how the amount was derived, and which project activity or outcome it supports. It groups costs by category if the funder requires it and explicitly forbids inventing figures, so every number in the narrative comes from your input.
Tips and notes
- Connect every cost to an outcome. Reviewers reward a clear line from spend to impact. The prompt requires each justification to name the activity it enables.
- Show your maths. “5 staff × 0.2 FTE × £45,000” is more credible than a flat number. Include the calculation in your line items and the prompt will carry it through.
- Mirror the funder’s categories. If the call lists allowable cost headings, paste them into the funder requirements field so the narrative matches the scoring rubric.
- Leave the numbers to you. The prompt will flag, not fabricate, any line without a justification — fill those gaps before submitting.