Course Content

This is an intermediate level course

Getting a work-able budget is key for running effective projects or services. It is very important to get this right as it both makes you more attractive to a funder and ensures that you have thought through what the project will really cost you. This course will look at the process of developing a budget for a project or new service. Specifically, the session will cover:  

  • How the budget relates to the project plan 
  • What a budget needs to cover 
  • How to estimate costs 
  • Templates and tools 
  • A worked example of creating a budget 


It will be an advantage if you have looked at How to draw up a basic budget prior to this course. It is, however, aimed at non-finance people.

This course leads on to  Full Cost Recovery which looks at how to include an amount in a project budget towards the organisation’s core costs and how to calculate these. 

Learning journey

The following courses precede and follow this one:

Pricing options

Please sign up as a DCA member to receive the discounted rate. See the link at the top of the page.

Charging policy

To discuss a sponsoring partnership contact [email protected]

We aim to provide as much free, accessible material as possible. DCA offers courses free or at lower cost where we have obtained funding or sponsorship Some resources are offered on a paid-for basis so that we can cover our costs and continue to provide this material to community groups, charities or social companies. We are able to offer a lower price to DCA members because of the membership fees they have paid. (Please do not click on the discounted rate unless you are sure that your organisation is a member.) On average a course costs us about £300 to create and your support is appreciated. You can donate any amount towards our work using the link below or sponsor our work through a partnership agreement which has benefits for both organisations. We are a registered charity and our number is 1060910.
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