Mastering Grant Objectives: The “N” in the GRANTS Formula

Grant Writing & Funding · 086: The N in the G.R.A.N.T.S. Formula: 5 Tips If You Want to Avoid Failure When Writing Objectives

Mastering Grant Objectives: The “N” in the GRANTS Formula

Unlock the power of grant objectives with the G.R.A.N.T.S. Formula, a proven strategy that has fueled my grant success for nearly 20 years.

In our ongoing G.R.A.N.T.S. formula series, we’ve already explored: the importance of Articulating Goals (A), and now we dive into the crucial step of Narrowing your Objectives (N).

Crafting compelling objectives is not only a fundamental part of grant writing but also an opportunity to showcase your vision for achieving the desired outcomes.

In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of creating amazing objectives using the S.M.A.R.T. framework, ensuring your grant proposal stands out from the competition. Plus, don’t miss the chance to grab our downloadable Cheat Sheet and free mini video-series, exclusively designed to accompany the G.R.A.N.T.S. formula.

I love writing objectives. This actually is one of my favorite parts about writing a grant! Why?

Well, if the Goal is the anchor, the objectives are the tangible ‘how’ of writing a grant. These can either be the ‘wow, that’s cool!’ part of a grant or they can be the ‘no way that’s every gonna happen’ section. Your objectives are really how you will actually accomplish the goal. But if they are not SMART objectives then your entire grant just falls apart.

Objectives are the how you are going to meet your goals. Narrowing down your objectives is imperative to writing a competitive grant proposal. I use the S.M.A.R.T. formula to narrow down all my objectives! This is one of the most IMPORTANT steps in a grant as it will drive your project and your budget. If you do not have S.M.A.R.T. objectives, then your project usually will sound messy and confusing. You can easily eliminate any confusion by using this process:

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant/Realistic
Time-bound

We are first going to review the example we have been using over the last couple of weeks. (Refer to Research the Needs and and Articulate the Goal for more information on our examples).

Based on our research, we devised the problem statement: The teenage pregnancy rate in New Mexico is the highest in the nation, with 62 out of 1,000 teenage youth pregnant compared to the U.S. average of 18.8 (CDC, 2017).

We then defined our goal as: The Project will increase fiscal management and job wages for pregnant teenagers and teenage parents.

So now we need to narrow our objectives so that we show a roadmap on how we are going to reach our Goal.

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Let’s break this down into each part of the acronym S.M.A.R.T., and by the end you will have one entire objective.

What are your objectives? Are they S.M.A.R.T.?

Ex.

100 pregnant youth or teenage parents will receive 20 hours of financial literacy training by July 31st 2020.
75 pregnant youth or teenage parents will have completed their GED or High School diploma by June 30, 2020.
20 pregnant youth or teenage parents will be employed by December 31st, 2020.

Specific: Identify the outcomes that will be achieved:

Ex. We will focus on 100 pregnant youth or teenage parents financial literacy, 75 for completion of GED / High School diploma, and 20 for employment.

Measurable: Use quantifiable terms to describe how the progress will be measured.

Ex. Number of youth; i.e. 100 for financial literacy, 75 for GED/HS diploma, 20 for employment

Ex. Specific completion: i.e. 20 hours of financial literacy, completion of degree, employment.

Achievable: Is the objective achievable within the duration of the project, resources, budget, etcetera?

Ex. This would be balanced by the needs and the number of current youth served. So if the nonprofit serves 300 pregnant youth or teenage parents in housing projects, then these numbers may be very achievable. However if they only served 20 youth currently, they would need a good recruitment plan.

Relevant: Does the objective relate to the problem statement and goal?

Ex. Yes, these are possible solutions to help pregnant youth and teenage parents get out of of teenage poverty and to break the cycle of teenage pregnancy.

Time-bound: Do you have a date for the objective to be completed by?

Tip: Start off with the end in the beginning of the objective, such as; By the end of 12 months…

Ex. These objectives have varying end dates. The first objective is longer as maybe the financial literacy program will happen during the summer. The second objective is by the end of a school year, and the third objective gives more time (by the end of a year) to give time for workforce placement after degree and financial literacy has been received.

Okay, now put an objective together and use this activity for further objectives. What is your objective? Is it S.M.A.R.T.?

100 pregnant youth or teenage parents will receive 20 hours of financial literacy training by July 31st 2020.
75 pregnant youth or teenage parents will have completed their GED or High School diploma by June 30, 2020.
20 pregnant youth or teenage parents will be employed by December 31st, 2020.

So there you go. You can see how these objectives can set you apart from someone who doesn’t conduct the S.M.A.R.T. objective and may just state, “To have youth learn financial literacy, graduate, and get degrees.”

The difference is yours is a plan and theirs is a wish. Remember, your goal without a deadline is just a wish!

Alright, so to review how to write a S.M.A.R.T. objective is it needs to be:

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant/Realistic
Time-bound

I’ll see you next week, when we go over how to develop timetable activities for your objectives. We are peeling the onion layers back even more! If you are a visual learner, you are going to love next week’s episode!