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Creating SMART outcomes for successful grant applications

The success of a grant application can often hinge on your ability to create a compelling proposal that not only outlines your project’s goals but also presents a clear path to achieving them. One essential tool in achieving this is by setting SMART outcomes.

What are SMART outcomes?

SMART outcomes are goals or objectives that are: 

  • Specific 
  • Measurable 
  • Achievable 
  • Relevant 
  • Time-limited 

Why use SMART outcomes?

SMART outcomes make it clear what you’re aiming to achieve. Using them can help you work out (and communicate) what success means for you and how you want to achieve it, so your project will be as effective as possible.

Having clear SMART outcomes will also help determine whether you have achieved your aims or not and understand whether the project did what you wanted it to, allowing you to learn from it and keep developing in future.

How can you make your outcomes SMART? 

Your targets should be clear and well-defined.

Avoid vague language and ensure your objectives are detailed enough to leave no room for misinterpretation. Ask yourself:

  • What exactly do I want to accomplish?
  • Why is this important?
  • Who will be involved?
  • Where will it take place?

For example, instead of saying: We will improve local people’s knowledge of food growing.” 

An applicant could say: We will run interactive gardening sessions, each lasting one hour, to train residents from the Harbour Estate on how to grow common vegetable plants.”

Your targets should be quantifiable, allowing you to track progress and assess success.

At the end of the project, it should be very clear did we do that, yes or no?” and during the project it should be clear how much have we done, how much is left to do?” 

How will you measure how much progress you are making towards this goal and when you’ve achieved it? 

For example: We will run five interactive gardening sessions, each lasting one hour, to train 40 residents from the Harbour Estate on how to grow common vegetable plants. Participants will improve their scores on our vegetable-growing questionnaire by 50% after the session.” 

Is the goal attainable with the skills and resources you have available? 

Be realistic. Consider your resources (including your team’s size, skills and workload, time and budget available) and the situation you’re working in. 

Focus on what is achievable for you as an organisation, regardless of what others are doing. 

For example: We will run three interactive gardening sessions, each lasting one hour, to train 20 residents from the Harbour Estate on how to grow common vegetable plants. Participants will be able to name one new thing they have learned about vegetable growing as a result of the session.” 

How does this goal help you to achieve your organisational mission? 

Think about how it fits with the bigger picture of your work – and make sure you’re clear why you’re doing it 

For example: We will run three interactive gardening sessions, each lasting one hour, to train 20 residents from the Harbour Estate on how to grow common vegetable plants, to help improve food security in the community. Participants will be able to name one new thing they have learned about vegetable growing as a result of the session.” 

Establish a clear timeframe for achieving your targets. This adds a sense of urgency and allows for effective project planning.

When will you achieve this by? 

If you’re doing a series of activities, what will the frequency be? 

For example: We will run three interactive gardening sessions, each lasting one hour, between April and July 2023 to train 20 residents from the Harbour Estate on how to grow common vegetable plants, to help improve food security in the community. Participants will be able to name one new thing they have learned about vegetable growing as a result of the session.”