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Check grant budget lines and whether an overspend needs approval
Practice: Giving the right context. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
Your funder lets you cover an overspend in a budget line without asking only if it's 10% or less of that line's award; anything more needs written approval. Write exactly 3 numbered lines, one per budget line, each as Line: award − spent = remaining, then one unnumbered last line saying whether Supplies needs approval, with the percent math. Plain text, under 70 words.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Not giving the funder's rule. The AI agrees with the ED that moving money is fine. Try: Add: "Overspends over 10% of the line's award need written approval."
- Not asking to see the work. Your program officer will want the math. Try: Add a line to copy: "1. Personnel: $40,000 − $38,000 = $2,000"
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it. Try: Cap each line: "each line under 12 words, the last under 20."
- Forgetting where it goes. AI loves markdown tables and bold, which show up as clutter in an email to your program officer. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold, headings or tables."
What a strong prompt includes
- Gives the funder's rule
- Asks to show the math
- Asks about Supplies
- Sets a word limit
- Asks for plain text
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