Problem Statement

Now it is time to begin writing the narrative section of the grant proposal. The first section of the narrative is always the Problem Statement or Needs Assessment. This section is where you will introduce the funders to your organization and identify how your project will impact your local community.

A Problem Statement should be organized into the following sub sections:

• Need to be addressed: Explain the extent to which the project meets the specific purpose of the source of funds.
• How the needs were determined: Describe how you determined the needs you propose to address.
• How the needs will be met: Explain how you propose to use the project to meet these needs.
• Benefits to be gained: Describe what benefits will be realized as a result of meeting the needs.

Here are some examples:

http://www.epa.gov/seahome/grants/src/ej2prob.htm

http://www.learnerassociates.net/proposal/exam3.htm

http://www.npguides.org/guide/grant2.htm#3b

Now let’s go through the Problem Statement step-by-step.

Step 1: Explain the need to be addressed:

• Clearly relate to purposes and goals of your organization.
• Be supported by objective evidence, experiences, statistics, and testimony.
• Give reasonable dimensions: Can your organization realistically solve the problem?
• State in terms of clients rather than needs of your organization.

Step 2: Describe how the needs were determined:

• Focus on a particular group – at a particular time – in a particular place.
• Present conditions as being similar to those in other places.
• Questions to consider in determining approach:
  • Who else has expressed concern with the problem?
  • Who besides your target group might benefit?
  • Might your approach be of interest or benefit to others?

Step 3: Explain how the needs will be met:

• Who-‘s behavior is in need of change?
• What-is the behavior to be changed?
• Why -does undesirable behavior exist and/or should behavior be changed?
• How-Might behavior best be changed?
• How Much-Needs to be changed?
• Are there other programs like yours that have demonstrated success?
• What techniques will be of the most value to people, not the applicant?
• Do you have the capability to proceed as proposed?

Step 4: Describe the benefits to be gained:

• With whom are you concerned?
• On which conditions do you plan to focus?
• Can changes be accomplished within the grant period?
• Is the problem statement concerned with people or the applicant?
• Where does the problem statement lead?

EXERCISE: Sometimes it is difficult to define or state the need of your project in a precise and clear manner. Using Circular Reasoning can help to define the sub-sections of the problem statement. Here is an example:

“The problem in the psychology department is that it does not have enough computer laboratories.”

Problem: Not enough computer labs in the psychology department.

Need: An additional computer lab.

Objective: Create a new computer lab.

Method: Plan the space, personnel and equipment needed to create a new lab.

Evaluation: A new lab now exists in the psychology department.

Use the blanks on your Study Guide to complete a Circular Reasoning exercise for your project.