Writing The Evaluation Plan For Your Grant Application

No matter the source of funding for their program — government or private foundation — managers everywhere are feeling greater pressure to demonstrate their programs’ effectiveness. And they must do so using scientific methods, not anecdotes about individuals who benefited. Funders want to see data and other hard evidence to justify continuing or expanding a program. Construct an evaluation plan that is sustainable and something that others can replicate. Many granting agencies will specify a certain amount of budget to be devoted to evaluation (commonly 10-15%), so consider what can be accomplished with those resources when planning the scope of your evaluation.

For transparency and accountability, under this section, you should clearly show the users of the plan. Again, you should describe the involvement of stakeholders and the financiers of the project in this same section.

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In developing an evaluation design, you should first determine who will be studied and when, and then select a methodological approach and data collection instruments. The NSF-sponsored Online Evaluation Resource Library provides step-by-step instructions for developing an evaluation plan. A baseline study is a survey of the status quo of the community or beneficiaries using set indicators before the project begins which will be used as a base to see how well the project achieves its objectives. A baseline study is of core importance and should always take place before project activities begin. The entire evaluation of the project will be based on the baseline study and its quality will determine the quality of the outcomes of the evaluation process as well. Thus, it is very important to be careful in deciding upon the indicators and what kind of data to collect and include.

Putting the plan in writing helps ensure that the process is transparent and that all stakeholders agree on the goals of both the program and the evaluation. It serves as a reference when questions arise about priorities, supports requests for program and evaluation funding, and informs new staff. An evaluation plan also can help stakeholders develop a realistic timeline for when the program will be ready for evaluation.

This is especially important if the evaluation will use surveys or interviews to assess baseline opinions or behaviors, because asking respondents later to recall prior opinions or behavior may produce biased results. By thinking this through in advance, stakeholders can ensure they conduct any necessary pre-tests before the program begins and establish a method to collect data over the course of the program. Institutional Review Board review and approval is required as a condition of funding by many government agencies, and is often required by private and non-profit organizations as well. The good news is that the process of preparing an application for IRB review is very likely to strengthen not only the ethical treatment of human subjects in a project, but the methodological design of the inquiry as well. In order to support members of the college community who are seeking funding from external sources, we have compiled information detailing how to develop an effective evaluation plan for your grant proposal.

Tool: Evaluation Plan Assessment Reviewers’ Rubric

Stakeholders also must continually monitor the program’s progress and verify that relevant data are being captured, particularly if the goal is to conduct an outcome evaluation. Although evaluation is not always easy and can sometimes be an imposition to program operations, having an evaluation plan is invaluable to making such efforts as feasible and successful as possible.

The methodology section clearly outlines and describes how they obtained each finding and outcome. An effective evaluation plan will also ensure better results in upcoming projects of the same nature.

In turn, stakeholders should be aware that some evaluations, particularly outcome evaluations, might require staff to operate a program differently than usual to rigorously assess the program’s effect. For example, evaluators might ask staff to refrain from altering the program’s operation during the evaluation period or to select participants in a different manner, perhaps through a randomized process. Partnering with an evaluator in the early stages of program development and implementation can help program staff understand what may be required of them to successfully evaluate the program later. Partners and stakeholders use evaluation plans to clarify a program’s purpose, goals and objectives and to describe how program activities are linked to their intended effects.

Grant Project Evaluation

Sharing Plan – In most cases, the sharing plan section is often overlooked, despite the fact that it can play a major role. Toward the end of the plan, there should be a proper way of sharing evaluation findings. This section should also state how the findings and outcomes of the project will reach the involved stakeholders.

Determining that requires documentation on program design, program implementation, problems encountered, the targeted audience and actual participation. Or, stakeholders might want to know the program’s impact on participants and whether it achieved its objectives. In this case, program staff should plan to collect data before implementing the program so an evaluator later can assess any changes attributable to the program. The key to developing a program that can be evaluated is to have the goal of future evaluation in mind when designing the program’s documentation, goals and implementation.

Choose The Questions You Want To Answer And Know What Information You Need To Answer Them

We will evaluate our project by observing the students during the program and discussing our observations at regular staff meetings. We will start on the first day of the program with a pre-program survey of participants’ knowledge of local watersheds and their actions regarding wetland conservation. We will conduct a nearly identical post-program survey during the final day of the program. During each field work session, two trained interns will use an observation instrument to assess the quality of participants’ field investigations. The observers will share their findings with the staff after each session so we can improve how we conduct the field work with participants. Finally, at the end of the program, we will ask participants to complete a survey about their intended actions regarding conservation of the local watershed. In this blog, I’ll give a brief overview of some important takeaways from the webinar.

Due diligence in project finance involves managing and reviewing the aspects related to a deal. Proper due diligence ensures no surprises arise in regard to a financial transaction.

I’m Leslie Goodyear and I’m an evaluator who also served as a program officer for three years at the National Science Foundation in the Division of Research on Learning, which is in the Education and Human Resources Directorate. While I was there, I oversaw evaluation activities in the Division and reviewed many, many evaluation proposals and grant proposals with evaluation sections. An evaluation plan is a valuable asset that can help ensure that a project runs smoothly. A well-documented plan states the roles of all participants in the project and the sources of all resources. Furthermore, if the plan clearly states the dates on which specific activities should take place, then the involved participants will be encouraged to be right on schedule. Methodology – In this section, an evaluation plan should clearly state the methods that will be used to collect data, expected data sources, and the roles and responsibilities of each participant in the project. This is the section that should also describe which methods will be used to ensure that the project is completed successfully.

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At the end of each day, teachers would provide feedback on the day’s events and activities via a feedback form. On the last day of the workshop, teachers would complete a post-workshop survey (one similar to the pre-workshop survey). This can save space by conveying lots of information in a table instead of in narrative. Involved participants, contractors, and stakeholders share the plan among themselves.

• Ideally, program staff and an evaluator should develop the plan before the program starts, using a process that involves all relevant program stakeholders.
• The following suggestions and resources are provided to assist with developing an evaluation plan for grant proposals.
• Determining that requires documentation on program design, program implementation, problems encountered, the targeted audience and actual participation.
• Programs without evaluation plans in place can experience significant challenges during evaluations.
• For a description of other assessment activities and initiatives at St. Olaf, see our Assessment of Student Learning page.

While this can be done retrospectively (e.g., “how much did your IPM knowledge increase as a result of today’s workshop?”), it is most often desirable to document change by measuring at two or more points in time. This is sometimes referred to as collection of “pre and post” evaluation data. Develop a conceptual model of the project and identify key evaluation points.

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Unless otherwise specified, this website is not affiliated to any of the organizations mentioned above in any manner. The material provided here is solely for informational purposes only without any warranty. Include a timeline to help the reader understand how you are going to carry out the evaluation. To obtain feedback from the people served and other members of the community.

Identify the desired long-term impacts—changes in economic, environmental, or social condition—and the possible measures to show whether the impacts have occurred. Currently, program facilitators administer both a pretest and a posttest to youth participants in order to measure what information is learned by the students during the six-week program.

Program staff should, whenever possible, partner with a university, experienced researcher or sister science agency to help construct the plan. Having an evaluation plan in place will help ensure that future program evaluation is feasible and financially viable and that its results are instructive to program staff and stakeholders. Some people use the terms evaluationandassessmentinterchangeably with respect to documenting the outcomes of a grant-funded project. Projects may also have outcome goals that are not related to student learning. When a grant-funded project is intended to sustain or improve student learning, then assessment of student learning outcomes might very well be one component of the project evaluation plan.

While this is not a comprehensive discussion of evaluation, it is a tool to help you conceptualize how you will evaluate your project’s goals and objectives. If you would like assistance developing or feedback on your grant evaluation plan, contact IE&A at ie-a-