Budget Management

The budget management module in AcaTrove tracks how research funds are allocated and spent. Each budget account corresponds to a funding source -- a grant, departmental allocation, or institutional fund -- and provides real-time visibility into committed, spent, and remaining balances.

Budget Dashboard

Navigate to /purchasing/budgets to see all budget accounts you have access to. The dashboard displays:

• Account name and funding source (e.g., "NSF Grant #2345678" or "Department Operating Fund").
• Total allocation -- The total amount available for the budget period.
• Committed -- Funds tied to approved but not yet received requisitions.
• Spent -- Funds from completed and received requisitions.
• Remaining -- Total allocation minus committed and spent amounts.
• Utilization bar -- A visual indicator showing how much of the budget has been used.

Budget dashboard with account summaries and utilization bars

Creating a Budget Account

Workspace administrators and authorized budget managers can create new accounts:

1. Click + New Budget on the budget dashboard.
2. Enter the account name, funding source, and total allocation.
3. Set the budget period (start and end dates). This is typically aligned with a fiscal year or grant period.
4. Assign budget managers -- users who can view the full budget and approve requisitions charged to it.
5. Optionally set spending thresholds for notifications (e.g., alert at 75% and 90% utilization).
6. Click Create.

Viewing Budget Details

Click on any budget account to see its detail page, which includes:

• Spending breakdown by category -- A chart showing how funds are distributed across categories like Reagents, Equipment, Software, and Services.
• Monthly spending trend -- A timeline of spending activity across the budget period.
• Requisition history -- A list of all requisitions charged to this account, with status and amount.
• Remaining forecast -- A projection of when funds will be exhausted based on current spending patterns.

Budget detail page with category breakdown and spending trend

Budget Alerts

Budget accounts support configurable alerts:

• Threshold alerts -- Triggered when spending reaches a percentage of the total allocation (e.g., 75%, 90%, 100%).
• Overspend prevention -- When enabled, requisitions that would exceed the remaining balance are blocked from submission.
• End-of-period alerts -- Notifications sent as the budget period end date approaches, showing unspent funds.

Configure alerts when creating or editing a budget account. Alerts are sent to all assigned budget managers.

Allocating Funds Across Projects

A single budget account can fund multiple projects. When a requisition is linked to both a budget account and a project, the spending is tracked against both. This allows you to see how a grant's funds are distributed across different research activities.

Adjusting Budgets

Budget managers can adjust allocations during the budget period:

• Increase allocation -- Add supplemental funds (e.g., when a no-cost extension is granted).
• Transfer between accounts -- Move funds from one budget account to another, with a note explaining the reason.
• Close account -- Mark a budget as closed when the funding period ends. Closed accounts remain visible for reporting but cannot accept new requisitions.

All adjustments are logged in the budget history for audit purposes.

Tips

• Review the remaining forecast monthly to avoid end-of-year spending crunches.
• Link every requisition to both a budget account and a project to maintain clear spending attribution.
• Export budget reports as CSV or PDF from the budget detail page for grant reporting.