Grant Writing Toolkit
When developing a project plan, you need to explain what you’re going to accomplish, how you’re going to implement the activities within the project, and when those activities will occur.
You can do this by writing clearly articulated goals, objectives, outcomes and action steps (or deliverables/outputs).
Goals: A goal is an overarching statement of what you’ll achieve in your project.
Objectives are measurable actions to achieve a goal. Objectives should be S.M.A.R.T:
Outputs are the direct results of your project: it’s the number of people served, publications, and so forth.
Outcomes are the results of your outputs; for example, changes that have occurred as a result of the project/outputs.
When writing your outcomes, consider writing outcomes with impact: in other words, how they are going to contribute to society.
The ins and outs of outcomes and outputs: Getting it right in your grant applications
This blog post by Strategic Grants explains the differences between outcomes and outputs.
Write goals, objectives, and outcomes for your grant proposal
This article by Holly Rustick outlines how to write clear goals, SMART objectives, measurable outcomes, and an action plan timeline. Includes examples.
What are goals and objectives in a project proposal and how can NGOs write them effectively? (7:33 min)
Goals and objectives form the most crucial part of a project proposal. This video by fundsforNGOs discusses how to frame goals and objectives in a project proposal. Examples included.
Writing the goals and objectives for the grant proposal (6:55 min)This video by Professor Reginald York (University of North Carolina) offers sound advice for developing goals and objectives in grant applications and includes examples.