Evaluation

An evaluation plan provides measurable outcomes to demonstrate that the project is reaching milestones, objectives and overarching goals.  A strong evaluation plan has both summative (on going) and formative (at the end).  This includes measurements for the success of the program in the application. It is reassuring to the granting agency to see that the process will be monitored and evaluated. This way, it is easy to see if measurable targets are indeed being met, and whether the proposed methods are succeeding or whether different parts of the plan need to be fine-tuned.

One important consideration is who will be monitoring and evaluating the project. This should include identifying the person/people/organization who will be conducting the evaluation.  It is very common for projects to consultant for independent evaluation services.

Important Note: Often the grant guidelines will have defined objectives and outcomes they need to see in this section.  Especially pay attention to Government Performance Results Act Measures – GPRA measures are often included in the guidelines and are required to be in this section.

There are two parts to this portion:

1. Outcome evaluation considers whether the project has met its objectives (i.e. increase percentage in target area, change in behavior, academic achievement etc.)
2. Process evaluation measures how the project was conducted (i.e. number of meetings, number of people who received program)

Great websites to check out will be posted here.