The basics of goals and objectives

Megan Hill 06.10.2020 Grant Writing Tips 4

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Some grant applications will ask specifically for a project goal and a list of objectives, and rarely will the foundation take the time to explain what they mean within the instructions. And there is an industry standard for writing these, so it’s important to know what you’re doing.

Other times, grant guidelines may give different definitions of what they define as goals, objectives, outcomes, etc. than what I’m about to tell you here. So if that happens, go with what’s on that specific grant’s guidelines/application. Not every foundation is exact with their requirements, but if they do ask you to outline a project goal and objectives, here’s what you’ll need:

Goal

A goal is an overarching, long-term statement  of achievement for a project or program. It’s a brief, general statement outlining the long-term effect of your work. Projects generally should have only one goal, with many objectives supporting the accomplishment of that goal. (Unless, of course, an RFP gives a different definition.) Goals should be only one sentence.

Objective

Objectives are the specific means of measuring and accomplishing a goal. It’s acceptable to have multiple objectives for a proposal, but don’t get carried away and promise the world. Each objective should list very specific information on what will be accomplished and when. How many people will change their behavior, and what’s your deadline for accomplishing this? Do you plan to raise the test scores of 80% of your participants by the end of the two-year grant period? Give each outcome a separate objective; don’t try to make compound objectives with multiple things to accomplish in each, because that makes one single objective more difficult to measure or report on.

What are your ideas for writing goals and objectives? Share them in the comments below!

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