Printer FriendlyMost grant proposals must include a program evaluation section. Often this section significantly affects your likelihood of receiving the grant because funders want to know that you have thought carefully about whether your planned program will work and want to know that you have in place a strategy for evaluating whether the program did work. Suppose, for example, you wanted to solicit funds for members of an inner-city Southeast Asian population. How would you know if the program you initiated is performing as effectively as you hoped? How would you know if it was performing at all? Most funders are going to ask you for a program evaluation section as part of your proposal. Here are some ideas to help you write a strong program evaluation section.
First, identify the specific goals and objectives of the program.
Identifying the goals and objectives of a program involves detailing the outcomes that are expected as a result of client's participation in the program. Identifying the goals and objectives also involves specifying the materials and activities that are part of the implementation of the program. Please see the tipsheet on Strategic Planning for more ideas.
Second, explain how you will measure the program's effectiveness.
This part of the process involves actually describing how you will gather and analyze the data that are indicators of program effectiveness. The data to be gathered can be quantitative in nature (gathering test scores) and/or qualitative (measuring attitudes and beliefs). The data can be gathered by an outside evaluator or by an evaluator who is part of the implementation team. Be sure to describe who will carry out the evaluation and when they will carry it out.
Third, explain how you will apply the data from the evaluation(s) to enhance program performance.
Program evaluation serves a significant purpose not only as a measure of program effectiveness, but also as an indicator of what areas of the program may require strengthening, considerable change, or elimination altogether. Evaluation data gathered throughout the life of a program should be incorporated back into the program to assist in greater program effectiveness. Explain in the proposal how you will use the feedback from the evaluation to improve the program.
When writing the program evaluation section of your grant proposal, it is important to include the following information:
- Who will conduct the evaluation?
- What specific components of the program will be evaluated?
- What method(s) will be used to measure program effectiveness (methods for evaluating a program can include outside consultants, surveys, observation, interviews, questionnaires, interviews, etc.)?
- Why is the evaluation method you have chosen the most accurate way for determining your particular program's effectiveness?
- How, and to whom, will the evaluation findings be disseminated?
by Christopher Karas