Writing outcomes into a grant proposal

This guide is for whoever writes your grant proposals and keeps getting stuck on the section that asks, "What outcomes will you achieve, and how will you measure them?" It assumes you've read our grant writing basics, which explains how a proposal fits together, and our guide to measuring impact, which explains outputs, outcomes and logic models. Here we turn that thinking into words a funder can believe and you can deliver. After reading, you'll be able to write a goal, objectives, indicators and targets, a short evaluation plan, and a results table you can report against.

Why this section matters

Candid Learning, which teaches proposal writing, lists "planned activities, outputs, and outcomes" and "evaluation" among the parts of a project description. For a reviewer, the outcomes section answers a simple question: if we fund this, what will be different, for whom, and how will we know?

It also becomes your promise. Whatever you write here is what you'll report against later. Federal rules make that explicit: 2 CFR 200.329 says a federal grantee's performance reports should compare accomplishments with the award's objectives and explain why goals weren't met. Many private funders expect the same thing, even if they don't say so. Write outcomes you can actually achieve and measure.

From program to promises: four layers

Use four layers, from broad to precise:

Keep the layers separate. Many weak proposals mix them, for example giving a goal ("children will love reading") where the funder wanted an objective.

Writing a strong objective

A good outcome objective answers five questions:

• Who will change? Name the group and how many: "40 children enrolled in the after-school program", not "youth".
• What will change? One change per objective: a skill, a behavior, a condition. Use one clear verb.
• How much? A number or share you can count.
• By when? A date or the end of the grant period.
• How will you know? Name the source: a test, a survey, attendance records, a partner's data.

Weak: "Improve literacy outcomes for local youth."

Stronger: "By June 30, at least 30 of the 40 children enrolled in our after-school program will move up one or more reading levels, as measured by their school's reading assessment."

Output objectives still have a place

Funders often want both. Output objectives promise activity: "Hold 60 tutoring sessions between October and May." Outcome objectives promise change. Include the outputs that lead to each outcome, so the reviewer can see how you'll get there. If your logic model is drawn, the outputs and outcomes should match it. The CDC describes outcomes as "who or what will change due to the program's efforts", in a sequence from shorter-term to intermediate to longer-term.

Be honest about what you can claim

• Short grants, short-term outcomes. In one year, you can usually show short-term changes in knowledge, skills or behavior. Don't promise long-term change, like graduation rates, from a one-year grant.
• Contribution, not credit. Many things affect people's lives. Say your program "contributes to" a long-term change unless you can really show cause.
• Set realistic targets. Use last year's results as your baseline if you have them. If it's a new program, say so and set a modest first-year target.

Baselines: where you start

A target only means something next to a starting point. A baseline is the measure before the program starts, or at enrollment.

• If you already run the program, use last year's numbers.
• If it's new, plan to measure at the start: a short survey or assessment when people join.
• If you can't measure a baseline, say so honestly and explain what you'll compare against instead.

Federal agencies are told to identify "indicators, targets, baseline data" for recipients in the award (2 CFR 200.301). Using the same words in your proposal shows you understand what reviewers look for.

The evaluation plan, in half a page

Most small-charity proposals need a short, practical plan, not a research study. Cover:

1. What you'll measure: list each indicator.
2. How: the tool (survey, test, attendance log, interview) and who collects it.
3. When: at enrollment, midway, at the end.
4. Who analyzes it: a staff member, volunteer or partner, and how much time it takes.
5. How you'll use it: to adjust the program during the year, not just to report.
6. Cost: if evaluation costs money or time, include it in the budget.

If the funder has its own required measures, use them exactly, even if you also track your own.

A results table you can reuse

Put your objectives in one table, near the end of the program section. Reviewers like it, and you'll use the same table for your report.

Our grant proposal outline shows where it goes in a full proposal.

Reporting back against your outcomes

When the report is due, go back to the table and add two columns: actual result and explanation.

• Report what happened, including targets you missed. Explain why, and what you changed. Federal rules ask for exactly this, and most funders respect honesty more than perfect numbers.
• Add a story. One true example, shared with permission, brings the numbers to life.
• Keep the evidence. Keep surveys, attendance sheets and assessment records, in line with your document retention policy and the grant's terms.

Our guide to grant reporting covers deadlines and the money side.

Your outcomes checklist

• Our goal is broad, and each objective is specific: who, what, how much, by when
• Each objective has one indicator we can actually count or observe
• We have a baseline for each indicator, or a plan to measure one at the start
• Targets are realistic for the grant period and our past results
• Outputs and outcomes match our logic model
• The evaluation plan says what, how, when and who, and its cost is in the budget
• We used the funder's own required measures where it has them
• We keep the results table and evidence to report against later