Why It Matters
An outcome is what you hope to change through a policy or program. Outcomes are measured by at least one indicator that captures progress in achieving the desired result. They are necessary to answer the question: “What difference did this program make for participants?
Benefits of Defining Desired Outcomes
- Improves the ability to clearly communicate the grant’s purpose, intended impact and objectives, ensuring resources are directed toward specific, measurable goals.
- Enables grantees to focus strategically on the grant activities that will help them achieve the desired outcomes.
- Increases communication, transparency and trust with grantees and other stakeholders by creating a shared understanding of what is expected and how success will be measured.
- Allows federal agencies to distribute funds more purposefully, efficiently and effectively.
- Creates a framework for evaluating the effectiveness of funded programs by establishing specific, measurable targets, making it possible to assess what works and what doesn’t and creating opportunities for learning and improvement.
- Helps federal agencies and grantees invest in relationships with implementation partners that prioritize the same outcomes.
- Opens the door to outcomes-based grantmaking and outcomes-based contracting.
Outcomes Should:
Logic Models
Before writing a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), it is important to develop a logic model. A logic model is a graphic that describes the relationship between program activities and intended effects.
Goals and objectives describe what you plan to achieve (e.g., reduce the number of people getting the flu).
Resources are what is available to meet your goals and objectives (i.e., inputs such as funds, staff and materials).
Activities are the direct products and services delivered by a program (e.g., training first responders, serving meals or vaccinating people).
Outputs are the direct and measurable products and services delivered by a program (e.g., the number of vaccinations administered).
Outcomes are the expected change that will result from program implementation (e.g., the percentage of hospitalizations from the flu). They are measured by indicators that capture progress in achieving the results.
Further Reading
The White House Office of Management and Budget’s 2024 Uniform Grants Guidance Revisions, M-24-11, aims to reduce the burden of managing federal financial assistance. It encourages federal agencies to clearly define and measure program goals and outcomes in their Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs). See Section §200.301 of the guidance for more information.