Northeast > Resources > Topic Specific > Assessment and Evaluation > What are outcomes?

I am currently writing a grant proposal and the RFP wants me to list my desired outcomes. What are outcomes?

A key component to proposal development is to have a clear idea about what outcomes you plan to achieve. You should know that outcomes are a critical part of any evaluation-one of the four main steps in strategic planning. It helps to think of these steps in a circle, not on a line: evaluation leads to assessment, just as much as assessment leads to design, which leads to implementation which leads to evaluation.

It is important to note that outcomes are not goals. Goals are important statements about the program's mission, but they are usually stated so generally that it may not be clear when you have achieved a goal. Outcomes are usually about changes in people's behavior, but it also could be about changes in organizational behavior or characteristics or changes in policies.

Often the term outcome is treated as synonymous with the term objective. When you write a proposal for funding you are invariably asked to list and explain the program's objectives. It's very common, for people, to respond by writing more about the activities they will undertake than about the outcomes they expect to achieve.

Typically, evaluators group objectives or outcomes into two categories: process objectives, which focus on program activities, and outcome objectives, which focus on the change the activities are designed to achieve. Process objectives are focused on the process by which you intend to bring about change more than on the change itself. Outcome objectives, on the other hand, focus on the impact of your program. They specify the changes that will occur among people who are exposed to the intervention/program. Or they specify changes anticipated in community conditions or changes in policies and practices.

A final note: some people believe that process objectives belong in the goal and objectives section of the proposal. Others argue that they should not, that process objectives belong in the methods section of the proposal. Either approach is acceptable; but you should always read grant application instructions carefully to be sure your approach is consistent with the funder's position. Also, if you use both process and outcome objectives, list them separately with headings for each-at least that way you convey that you know the difference.

This FAQ compiled by Yvette Camacho is derived from the Northeast CAPT's training manual Measuring Outcomes developed by Wayne Harding. To read more about this training, click here.

 Please contact the Northeast CAPT at capt@edc.org for more information.