Budget Templates

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Three budget models from scrappy startup to multi-school growth. Each with detailed line items, cash flow projections, and funding source mapping.

Budget A

One-Location Startup

Minimum viable program at a single school or community site. Total: $205–$750. Designed to prove concept with near-zero funding.

Line Item	Low Estimate	High Estimate	Notes	Funding Source
Curriculum materials (printed)	$25	$75	Printed handouts, activity sheets, posters	Self-fund
Classroom supplies	$30	$100	Art supplies, journals, name tags, stickers	Purina $150
Animal care supplies	$50	$150	Food, bedding, basic enclosure items (if classroom pet)	Purina $150
Background checks (2 volunteers)	$40	$80	$20-$40 per person depending on state	Self-fund
Liability insurance rider	$0	$150	$0 if under school's policy; $150 for separate rider	Self-fund
Field trip transportation	$0	$75	Walking distance shelter = $0; school bus = $75/trip	Parent fundraise
Guest speaker honorarium	$0	$50	Many vets/shelter staff volunteer; honorarium optional	In-kind
Technology (tablet for documentation)	$0	$0	Use school's existing devices	—
Volunteer coordination	$0	$0	Volunteer time (not a direct cost)	—
Contingency (10%)	$20	$70	Buffer for unexpected needs	Self-fund
TOTAL	$205	$750

Key insight: With Purina Pets in the Classroom ($150/teacher), you can launch for as little as $55 out-of-pocket. This is intentionally a no-excuse budget.

Budget B

Five-School Pilot Program

Professional pilot across 5 schools with paid coordinator, standardized curriculum, and outcome measurement. Expenses: $75K–$120K | Revenue target: $100K–$200K

Expenses

Category	Line Item	Annual Cost	Notes
Personnel	Program Director (0.75 FTE)	$45,000–$55,000	Salary + 20% benefits load
	Program Assistants (2 PT)	$12,000–$18,000	$15-20/hr, 10-15 hrs/week each
	Contract evaluator	$5,000–$8,000	Pre/post assessment design + data analysis
Program Delivery	Curriculum materials (5 schools)	$2,500–$5,000	$500-$1,000 per school, printed + digital
	Animal care supplies	$3,000–$5,000	Classroom pets, shelter partnership supplies
	Field trips (10 total)	$1,500–$3,000	Transportation + entry fees, 2 per school
	Guest speakers/professionals	$1,000–$2,500	Veterinarians, shelter staff, wildlife educators
Operations	Insurance (liability + animal)	$2,000–$4,000	Commercial general liability + animal-specific rider
	Office/admin supplies	$500–$1,000	Software subscriptions, printing, communication
	Professional development	$1,000–$2,000	Conference attendance, certifications for staff
Marketing/Growth	Website and materials	$500–$1,500	Design, hosting, printed brochures
Marketing/Growth	Community events (5)	$1,000–$2,500	Family engagement events at each school
Contingency	10% reserve	$7,500–$12,000	Standard nonprofit contingency
TOTAL EXPENSES		$75,000–$120,000

Revenue Sources

Source	Amount	Probability	Timeline
PetSmart Charities Community Grant Grant	$25,000–$50,000	High (40%)	Q1
Petco Love Impact Grant Grant	$15,000–$50,000	High (35%)	Q1-Q2
El Pomar Foundation Grant	$10,000–$25,000	Medium (30%)	Q2
Title IV-A (via school district) Federal	$15,000–$50,000	Medium (25%)	Q3 (next school year)
Mars Petcare Partnership Corporate	$25,000–$50,000	Low-Medium (20%)	Q2-Q3
Individual donors/events Earned	$5,000–$15,000	High (60%)	Ongoing
School district contracts Earned	$5,000–$15,000	Medium (30%)	Q3-Q4
TOTAL REVENUE (realistic)	$100,000–$200,000

Monthly Cash Flow (Year 1)

Jul

$5K

$3K

+$2K

$2K

Setup, individual donors

Aug

$25K

$8K

+$17K

$19K

First grant arrives

Sep

$5K

$9K

-$4K

$15K

School year starts, full staffing

Oct

$15K

$9K

+$6K

$21K

Second grant disbursement

Nov

$5K

$9K

-$4K

$17K

Steady operations

Dec

$10K

$7K

+$3K

$20K

Year-end giving + holiday break

Jan

$20K

$9K

+$11K

$31K

Corporate partnership starts

Feb

$5K

$9K

-$4K

$27K

Steady operations

Mar

$15K

$9K

+$6K

$33K

Title IV-A disbursement

Apr

$5K

$9K

-$4K

$29K

Steady operations

May

$5K

$9K

-$4K

$25K

End-of-year assessments

Jun

$10K

$5K

+$5K

$30K

Final reporting, summer planning

Budget C

Growth Model: Year 1 → Year 3

Scaling from pilot ($350K) to regional presence ($2M–$4M) over three years.

Year 1: Foundation ($350,000)

Category	Amount	% of Budget
Personnel (ED + 3 staff + evaluator)	$180,000	51%
Program delivery (10 schools)	$60,000	17%
Operations (insurance, office, tech)	$35,000	10%
Marketing & community engagement	$25,000	7%
Research & evaluation	$20,000	6%
Contingency (10%)	$30,000	9%
TOTAL YEAR 1	$350,000	100%

Year 2: Expansion ($800,000–$1,200,000)

Category	Amount	% of Budget
Personnel (ED + 8 staff + evaluator + admin)	$450,000–$600,000	55%
Program delivery (25 schools)	$150,000–$200,000	18%
Operations (scaled)	$60,000–$100,000	8%
Curriculum development & training	$50,000–$80,000	7%
Marketing & expansion	$40,000–$70,000	5%
Research & publication	$30,000–$50,000	4%
Contingency	$80,000–$120,000	3%
TOTAL YEAR 2	$800,000–$1,200,000	100%

Year 3: Regional Scale ($2,000,000–$4,000,000)

Category	Amount	% of Budget
Personnel (20+ staff, multiple sites)	$1,100,000–$2,200,000	55%
Program delivery (50-100 schools)	$400,000–$800,000	20%
Operations (multi-site)	$150,000–$300,000	8%
Training academy (train-the-trainer)	$100,000–$200,000	5%
Research, publication, advocacy	$80,000–$160,000	4%
Technology platform	$50,000–$100,000	3%
Contingency + reserve building	$120,000–$240,000	5%
TOTAL YEAR 3	$2,000,000–$4,000,000	100%

Funding Source Mix by Year

Source Type	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3
Foundation grants Grant	60%	40%	25%
Corporate partnerships Corporate	15%	25%	30%
Government (federal/state) Govt	10%	20%	25%
Earned revenue (contracts, fees) Earned	10%	10%	15%
Individual donors	5%	5%	5%

Strategy: Diversify away from grant dependence each year. By Year 3, no single source exceeds 30% of revenue — sustainability standard.