The NCAR Annual Budget Review

To guide decision-making at a high, strategic level, NCAR develops, with NSF and community partners, a strategic plan every five years that sets the overall direction and priorities for the institution. Within this strategic framework, NCAR performs an annual budget review of its operating program to ensure progress towards NCAR's strategic goals.

The Annual Budget Review (ABR) process is a budget and program review of each NCAR laboratory with the goal of setting working budgets for the next fiscal year and planning targets for the following year. This process was established to more proactively plan for a range of funding possibilities and to anticipate problems well in advance of actual receipt of our operating funds. NCAR generally receives its final operating budget late in the third quarter of each fiscal year. With a backlog in congressional appropriations, it has become increasingly important to realistically plan for a range of budget levels. This proactive process allows UCAR to be more nimble through contingency planning within an increasingly ambiguous funding environment.

If you have any questions regarding the ABR, please contact Rena Brasher-Alleva at ext. 1116 or email her at rena@ucar.edu.

The FY 2008 NCAR Program Operating Plan

• Narrative Document (PDF)
• List of Acronyms (PDF)
These tables and the complete Program Operating Plan below are for internal and NSF use only.


• Table 1: Projected Funding by Lab
• Table 2: Projected Funding for ESSL
• Table 3: Projected FY2008 Program Plan - NSF Base/CISL Targets by Lab
• Table 4: Projected NCAR FY2007 Staffing Costs
• Table 5: Projected CISL FY2007 Staffing Costs
• Table 6: Projected EOL FY2007 Staffing Costs
• Table 7: Projected ESSL FY2007 Staffing Costs
• Table 8: Projected RAL FY2007 Staffing Costs
• Table 9: Projected SERE FY2007 Staffing Costs
• Table 10: Breakdown of Staff by % Support from NSF Base
• Table 11: Scientific Project Encumbrance Requests (SPERs)


• Print the Complete Program Operating Plan (PDF)

FY 2009 Annual Budget Review

• FY 2009 ABR Guidance (PDF)
• FY 2009 ABR Templates
• FY 2009 ABR Schedule (PDF)


• Executive Committee Access
• CISL Lab Administrator Access
• EOL Lab Administrator Access
• ESSL Lab Administrator Access
• RAL Lab Administrator Access
• SERE Lab Administrator Access

The FY 2009 NCAR Program Operating Plan

• FY 2009 POP Guidance (PDF)
• Narrative Document (PDF)
• List of Acronyms (PDF)
These tables and the complete Program Operating Plan below are for internal and NSF use only.


• Table 1: Projected Funding by Lab
• Table 2: Projected Funding for ESSL
• Table 3: Projected FY2009 Program Plan - NSF Base/CISL Targets by Lab
• Table 4: Projected FY2008 NCAR Total Staffing Cost
• Table 5: Projected FY2008 CISL Lab Staffing Cost
• Table 6: Projected FY2008 EOL Lab Staffing Cost
• Table 7: Projected FY2008 ESSL Lab Office Staffing Cost
• Table 8: Projected FY2008 ESSL Lab Staffing Cost
• Table 9: Projected FY2008 ACD Div. Staffing Cost
• Table 10: Projected FY2008 CGD Div. Staffing Cost
• Table 11: Projected FY2008 HAO Div. Staffing Cost
• Table 12: Projected FY2008 MMM Div. Staffing Cost
• Table 13: Projected FY2008 TIIMES Institute Staffing Cost
• Table 14: Projected FY2008 RAL Lab Staffing Cost
• Table 15: Breakdown of Staff by % Support from NSF Base
• Table 16: SPER Projection FY2008 - FY2010


• Print the Complete Program Operating Plan (PDF)

FY 2010 Annual Budget Review

• FY 2010 ABR Guidance (PDF)
• FY 2010 ABR Template
• FY 2010 ABR Schedule (PDF)


• Executive Committee Access
• Funding, Staffing, and Proposal Trends & Statistics for Administrators

The FY 2010 NCAR Program Operating Plan

• FY 2010 POP Guidance (PDF)
• Narrative Document (PDF)
• List of Acronyms (PDF)
• Print the Complete Program Operating Plan (PDF)