Every year, the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology is awarded approximately $65 million in sponsored programs funding. The road to getting these awards is often long and tedious: writing proposals, balancing deadlines, crossing your fingers, and once the award comes through the work only increases. Fortunately, the team run by Justine Story, the Director for Budget and Resource Planning, provides crucial support so that IGB researchers can focus on their work.