3.4: Statement of Need
Your need statement is critical to your proposal and should answer three questions.
- Why is the project needed?
- What problem or challenge will your project attempt to solve?
- How does your project relate to the mission of your organization?
In this section, you should be data-driven and provide as much relevant evidence as possible to support your claims. Demonstrate your knowledge of the problem by citing appropriate literature and related research. State whether the problem you are trying to solve extends beyond the needs of your local, regional, or national area. You should incorporate two types of evidence to support your project:
- Quantitative Data: Include numerical data and statistics that support your claims, and always cite your sources to build credibility with the funding agency. For example, if you are applying for a grant to serve the educational needs of your community, you might include the fact that 47 percent of the adults in your college's service area lack a high school diploma or GED. Cite where you found that information.
- Qualitative Data: You might incorporate a short anecdotal story demonstrating your project's need. Make your case personal with quotes from people who express a need for your project or those who have benefited from similar projects. Qualitative data makes it harder to generalize or provide the same big-picture perspective as quantitative data. However, qualitative data offers personal stories that can help your case.
The needs you list become the objectives of your project, and the case you make is the foundation of your entire proposal.
Read this article's overview of grant proposals; focus particularly on the advice for developing your statement of need. We will return to many of the other elements in this article throughout this course.
This document provides examples of strong and weak need statements. Think about the consistent characteristics of better need statements.