NewsSpectrum Fellowship Budget Template

Overview

The NewsSpectrum Fellowship Budget Template is a free, opensource spreadsheet designed specifically for journalists, editors, and mediafocused fellows who need a clear, structured way to plan and track their fellowship finances. Whether the fellowship covers a sixmonth reporting stint, a yearlong investigative project, or a shortterm digital media bootcamp, this template helps the fellow maintain transparency, stay within funding limits, and demonstrate fiscal responsibility to sponsors.

Key goals of the template are:

• Clarity: Breaks down expenses into intuitive categories.
• Flexibility: Adapts to different funding structures (stipends, travel grants, equipment allowances).
• Accountability: Generates summary reports that can be attached to quarterly or final reports.
• Collaboration: Built in comment cells and versioncontrol tips for working with mentors or finance officers.

Key Sections of the Template

1. Funding Overview

This sheet captures all sources of income, including:

• Primary stipend from the fellowship organization.
• Supplemental grants, scholarships, or personal contributions.
• Reimbursement policies (e.g., perdiem, mileage).

2. Expense Categories

The template divides costs into six major buckets:

3. Monthly Tracking

Each month has its own row where fellows can log actual spendings against the budgeted amount. Columns include:

• Planned The amount allocated at the start of the fellowship.
• Actual Real spend, entered as receipts are processed.
• Variance Automatic calculation (Planned Actual).

4. Summary Dashboard

A visual snapshot built with conditional formatting and simple charts that shows:

• Total budget vs. total spent.
• Categorylevel spend percentages.
• Monthbymonth cashflow trends.

5. Documentation Log

A table for attaching receipt numbers, dates, and brief notes. This assists with audit trails and eases the creation of final expense reports.

How to Use the Template

Step 1 Download and Open

The template is available in .xlsx (Microsoft Excel) and .ods (LibreOffice) formats. Open it with your preferred spreadsheet program.

Step 2 Input Funding Details

1. Navigate to the Funding Overview sheet.
2. Enter each source of income, the total amount, and the date the funds become available.
3. If your fellowship pays in installments, list each installment in separate rows.

Step 3 Set Your Budget

1. Review the Expense Categories sheet.
2. Allocate amounts based on your projected needs. Use the Guidelines column for typical cost ranges (e.g., $1,200$1,800 for travel per field trip).
3. The Total Planned cell will automatically sum all categories.

Step 4 Record Expenses Monthly

1. At the end of each month, open the Monthly Tracking sheet.
2. Enter the actual amount spent in the Actual column for each category.
3. The Variance column updates instantly, highlighting overspending in red.

Step 5 Keep Supporting Documentation

Upload scanned receipts to a shared cloud folder (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.). In the Documentation Log sheet, record the file name, receipt date, and a short description.

Step 6 Review the Dashboard

Open the Summary Dashboard to see a quick visual of your financial health. If you approach a limit in any category, consider reallocating funds or discussing adjustments with your fellowship coordinator.

Customization Tips

Add New Expense Categories

If your fellowship includes unique costs (e.g., legal advice or translation services), simply insert a new row in the Expense Categories sheet. Make sure to extend the range references in the Dashboard to capture the new line.

Adjust Currency

The default currency is USD. Change the cell formatted as $ in the Funding Overview sheet to your local symbol (, , etc.) and adjust the formatting of the entire workbook via Format Cells Currency.

Link to Project Management Tools

For fellows using platforms like Trello or Asana, add a column in the Documentation Log called Task ID and paste the related card or task reference. This creates a quick crossreference between financial and editorial workflows.

Automate Receipts with QR Codes

Upload receipts to a cloud service that generates a shareable QR code. Place the QR code in the Documentation Log Link column clicking it will open the receipt directly, saving time during audits.

Collaborative Editing

If you are coauthoring the budget with a mentor, store the spreadsheet in a shared drive and enable Comment mode rather than Edit mode for the mentor. This prevents accidental overwrites while still allowing feedback.

Download the Template

Ready to start budgeting? Choose the format that works for you:

• Excel (.xlsx) 200KB
• LibreOffice (.ods) 190KB
• Readonly PDF guide 850KB

For any questions, visit the NewsSpectrum Fellowship Resources page or contact your program manager.