Developing Outcomes and Objectives for Your Program

Objectives and outcomes enable the grantee and The Endowment to monitor and track changes based on the work accomplished within the project. Tracking changes during the duration of a grant help grantees and The Endowment assess incremental impact without expecting the grantee to achieve policy and/or systems change by itself or within the project period. A proposal's objectives and outcomes should realistic and appropriate for the issue being addressed and for the grantee to handle.

What is an objective?

Objectives are activities to achieve the purpose of the proposal. They should be:

• Measurable
• Time constrained
• Tracked over time

There are two types of objectives. Product objectives include activities such as creating policy briefs, strategic plans or needs assessments. Process objectives include activities such as creating a task force or advisory group, training to staff or holding community meetings.

What is an outcome?

Outcomes are changes or benefits for individuals and communities that result from the project's activities. They demonstrate progress being made over the course of the project and should be:

• Measurable
• Time constrained
• Tracked over time
• Short-term and long-term
• Related to the broader impact of the problem addressed in the proposal.

Click here for examples.