In this article and podcast (press play above if you’d rather listen to the segment) we are going to dig into the differences between goals, objectives, and outcomes when writing grant proposals. 

Goals, objectives, and outcomes are the backbone of your project. 

In this article, you will learn to:

• Write clear goals
• Create S.M.A.R.T. objectives
• Develop measurable outcomes
• Prepare an action plan timeline to achieve your goals, objectives, and outcomes

Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes: What is the Difference?

Before we practice writing goals, objectives, and outcomes together, let’s take a look at what these different terms mean, especially in grant writing. 

• A goal identifies the change your project aims to create in response to a pressing need you have identified. Usually, this need is among a specific population, community, or geographic area. 
• An objective defines the measurable result expected from the project during a defined time period. When writing grants, this is generally the measurable result expected within the grant period. 
• An outcome details what the end result will look like for those served by your project. 

Below, we’re going to work through the process of creating goals, objectives, and outcomes for a sample project. 

What Makes an Effective Project Goal

A goal clearly articulates what your project aims to achieve. Goals should be brief: think one bullet point or sentence. 

I recommend using your problem statement to create clear and compelling goals. Your goal should really be the flip side of your problem statement. If you need help with your problem statement, check out our podcast on the 10 Must-haves in Your Grant Background Section.

Let’s walk through writing a goal together.  Our fictitious organization is Youth Soccer Rocks, which works in Rocking Socks City (also fictitious) and is creating a project that will serve underserved youth in their city. Their problem statement may be:

“75% of youth in the city of Rocking Socks suffer from chronic health issues compared to the national average of 12%. These staggering health issues correlate with high suicide rates, depression rates, and poor graduation rates.”

Your baseline goal would flip this problem statement around:

“Youth Soccer Rocks will provide a free soccer program for at-risk youth and provide a healthy pathway.”

Whenever possible, I advise grant writers to go further and  find out what larger community goals can be integrated into the organization’s goal. For example, you might look at mission statements from larger organizations, community plans, etc. The example could be that:

“The Rocking Socks City Council Consolidated Plan includes access to health for all.”

Now you can connect your project goal to a larger community goal. You also want to show what problem will be reduced. For our example, we could say that: 

“Youth Soccer Rocks’ free soccer program for at-risk youth will provide a healthy pathway to reduce chronic health issues by 50% among participants.”

Now that we have our goal, let’s dig into how to build objectives that emerge from that goal. le, we could say that chronic health issues will be reduced by 50% for underserved youth.

How to Develop S.M.A.R.T. Objectives

Think of goals as the overarching aim, and objectives as the specific framework of what will be accomplished.

Objectives need to be S.M.A.R.T., meaning specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. 

Typically, you do not want to have more than three objectives within a project. You will have many activities, but the number of overall objectives should be clear and concise. 

A sample objective for Youth Soccer Rocks could be:

“100 disadvantaged youth in Rocking Socks will receive sports scholarships by the end of twelve months. 

Let’s use the S.M.A.R.T. acronym to examine how we created this sample objective: 

• Specific: Identify the specific outcome the project will achieve, focusing on who will benefit and how. For our sample nonprofit, you would specify the number of youth served, the type of youth, and what their specific outcome will be. 
• Measurable: Use quantifiable terms to describe how the progress will be measured. For our sample nonprofit, you would detail the number of youth (100) and the number of scholarships.
• Achievable: Ensure that the objective is achievable within the duration of the project, resources, budget, etc. For our sample nonprofit, their objective should take into account the number of disadvantaged youth in the city and whether other free sports organizations are already serving them. If there is a huge need, no other similar services, and the project budget is raised, then the goal should be achievable. 
• Relevant: Make sure the objective relates to the problem statement and goal. For our sample nonprofit, we’d want to be sure that participating in sports is a possible solution to the health conditions prevalent in the local community.
• Time-bound: Set a date for the objective to be completed by. When writing, you can start with the end at the beginning of the objective. For example, by the end of 12 months…what will have happened? 

How to Create Outcomes for Grant Proposals

The outcomes are what will specifically be accomplished for those served by grant activities. When writing outcomes, you should include how you will set baseline data and how changes will be tracked. 

For our sample nonprofit, we know a few things: 

• At the start of the grant period, there are zero sports scholarships available for disadvantaged youth in Rocking Socks. 
• We know that there is a high rate of health issues in our target communities. 
• To show outcomes (or impact) we ideally want to document both the number of participants in the program and how their health metrics have changed. 

An outcome for the Youth Soccer Rocks project proposal could be: 

By the end of year one, 100 youth will have received sports scholarships and participated in health checks. We will track the number of scholarships delivered and the number of youth participating in the health checks via a roster sheet. Using anonymized information will identify health trends among participants.

Create an Action Plan Timeline to Achieve Objectives and Outcomes

Once you have identified your goals, objectives, and outcomes, you have put together the backdrop of the puzzle. Of course, you need to look at the budget to make sure that your objectives will really be achievable. If you have developed the budget for your objectives, then you are ready to flesh out the project design. 

One of the most important items you can create in the project design process is a timeline. Your timeline will include all necessary activities, who is responsible for leading each activity, and the start and end dates for each activity. 

Once your timeline is created, your project is a legacy. 

What do I mean by that? 

You will be able to hand over the timeline and budget to someone who gets hired from the grant, and they should be able to run the project with minimal further directions. 

Sure, you will want a handoff meeting and all that fun stuff, but if they have this piece in their arsenal, they can keep referring to it to stay on track with the implementation of the project. This is awesome. Remember to include items from the budget in your timeline.

Activity	Person Responsible/Lead	Start Date	End Date
Kick off Meeting	Executive Director/BOD	Oct. 1, 2026	Oct. 1, 2026
Recruit Project Manager	Executive Director	Oct. 7, 2026	Oct. 21, 2026

Free Resources for Creating Grant Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes

• Free Webinar and Class: 7 Steps to Write Winning Grants.
• Weekly email newsletter series, “Write Grants. Get Paid.”