As former research agency leaders with decades of experience in planning and evaluating investments in research, we have something to tell you. If you have any hope of preparing a winning proposal, you are going to need a way to simplify, organize, and communicate your ideas. Grant reviewers have a limited amount of time and bandwidth to wrap their minds around your innovative concepts. Don’t make them spend hours figuring it out. If the reviewer doesn’t grasp how you will achieve the results you promise or how the many components of your approach work together, the best you can hope for is praise for a promising idea.
How to get started?
Grant proposals for complex projects that incorporate logic models, or some equivalent structure, are often viewed more favorably in the review process at the funding agency.
Why is this so? Communication, clarity, and coherence around how the research is aligned with the requirements and desired results laid out in the solicitation are what matter most. These attributes are lacking in many proposals. Winning proposals are winners, in part, not just on the compelling nature of the research, but also because the proposal lays out a roadmap that convinces reviewers and funders that your proposed work will contribute to a future worth investing in. Logic models are roadmap generators.
What is a logic model?
A logic model is a detailed framework that outlines the key components of a program. It presents the visual argument for why and how what you proposed to “do” will “get” you the results you claim.
Typically, groups start with a simpler theory of change, which serves as the elevator speech or “sales pitch” for your project. It describes the essence of the research you propose (what you will “do”) and establishes the expected benefits for the field and society to emerge from your work (what you will “get”). That is the level of clarity and conciseness you need to communicate to the reviewers and funders as they read your first paragraph.
The logic model builds off the theory of change and serves as the blueprint for your research proposal. It typically describes and illustrates the relationships among:
(1) the resources or inputs needed to conduct the research;
(2) the research and other supporting activities that are to be accomplished;
(3) the outputs, which are measures of progress toward activity accomplishment;
(4) the outcomes, which are the results (e.g., field knowledge and societal benefit) that
are proposed to be achieved once the research is completed; and
(5) the impact, the results which may occur at some point in the future.
There are nearly 50 million articles and other resources out on the web to help you understand
how to build a theory of change and logic model for your research proposal. Alternately, most
management and evaluation consultants can facilitate the development of a model from
conversations with you and your team. We think it is important to develop the models as a
group, so that the proposal writing assignments follow the same template.
Figure 1. Simple Theory of Change (top) Logic Model (bottom.)
How do you use a logic model to write grant proposals?
Filter for Message, Simplicity, and Clarity. The first and foremost use of a logic model is to arrive at a shared vision for the project at the outset, before any writing begins. The value of logic modeling for your research proposal is that by meeting with your research partners to develop the roadmap for your project, you can arrive at a clearer, more coherent
understanding of how to communicate what the funder will achieve by investing in you.
Litmus Test for Implementation Content. Once you have used the model to illustrate the value
of your proposed research, the logic model serves as a dry run for your descriptions of how the project will be implemented. Can you adequately demonstrate that you understand the complexity and interdependence of the multi-sector, interdisciplinary work you propose to undertake? Most proposals are weak here. The logic model provides a simple flowchart to identify the strengths and weaknesses of how you envision your project will unfold. Don’t make the reviewer struggle to understand.
Develop Appropriate Metrics. The components of the logic model make it clear what matters
most in your proposal and point the reviewer and funder to the types of metrics you will use to
demonstrate progress and claim success. The evaluation section of most proposals is frequently left to the last minute, is the shortest, and is usually the weakest. Bring in your evaluator to develop the model with the group, a logic model can fill in the gaps in your collective thinking from start to finish as you determine how you will assess if it has been
successful. This is one way to know you have gotten through the morass of disconnected details to simplicity and clarity.
One last piece of advice – don’t wait until you have started your project to develop the logic model! Giving yourself a strong structural foundation at the outset will enhance your ability to execute on your plans, communicate with all participants, and stay focused on your ultimate goals.
Cynthia Phillips
Joanne Tornow
UI Collab Consultants