How to write the chosen intervention section of a grant
We’ve talked a lot about using evidence to establish the need or the problem your nonprofit is working to solve. You need to argue why your nonprofit deserves a grant based on an extensive unmet need. But you also need to justify the chosen intervention.
But most grants leave out the reasoning behind the chosen intervention, the expert evidence that backs up the program design based on that need. Without this crucial piece, the funder has no understanding of why your program is the best route. They can’t with confidence say that you’ll solve the problem, because you haven’t told them why your program will work. You won’t see grant writing success without this piece.
Use the evidence
You should use evidence like studies, statistics, and quotes from experts to explain why your chosen intervention — the program you’re advocating for — is an effective way to solve the problem. For example, say the problem is rampant childhood obesity, and your nonprofit offers after school exercise and nutrition classes. Then, you absolutely must cite evidence as to why nutrition education and exercise instruction are effective in mitigating childhood obesity.
Be specific
The more specific you can get about your chosen intervention, the better. If you can say that your entire program — every aspect, from start to finish, down to the smallest detail — is based on evidence that proves your approach works, you’ll be head and shoulders above your competition when it comes to grant writing success. This is especially true for federal grants, which often are more rigorously judged.
If your program isn’t based on evidence or established best practices, consider measuring its effectiveness on your own. It’s always great to have a third party backing your chosen intervention, but in a pinch, your nonprofit’s own studies proving the program’s effectiveness will do.
Make changes
Absent this, maybe it’s time you took a good look at your program, did some research, and changed a few things to fit the expert wisdom out there. Justifying your chosen intervention will not only help your program, but it will increase your grant writing success too.
Learn more about our grant writing services here.
Elisabeth Kramp
08.05.2024 at 14:19Thank you for the phrase “chosen intervention”! That’s really instructive. My goal as a grant writer is to explain why and how my organization’s informed choice of interventions–out of a wide range of interventions–is indeed a good answer to the problem we and the grant maker are trying to solve together.