What goes in a logic model?
A logic model typically includes inputs (the resources needed), activities (what the project will do), outputs (what those activities produce), and short-, intermediate-, and long-term outcomes (the changes the project hopes to achieve). It may also identify assumptions and external factors that could influence results. These elements show how the project's resources and activities are expected to contribute to its goals and help identify what the evaluation should measure. There is no single correct format; the logic model should fit the project, not the other way around.
| Inputs | Activities | Outputs | Short-term outcomes | Long-term outcomes |
|---|
| Academic advisors, advising tools, funding | Advisors meet with first-year students twice per term | # of advising sessions completed | Students develop academic plans earlier | More students complete their programs on time |
Does my proposal need a logic model?
Whether you must include a logic model in your proposal depends on the funder's requirements. For example, NSF's Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program makes logic models optional and states that proposals won't be penalized for not including one. But whether a logic model is required and whether it's useful are two different questions. Developing one can help your team think through how project activities are expected to produce the intended outcomes, identify gaps in the project design, and determine what the evaluation should measure. Even if you don't include a logic model in your proposal, creating one during project planning can strengthen both the project and its evaluation.
How does a logic model help the evaluation?
A logic model helps guide the evaluation by showing how the project's activities are expected to contribute to its intended outcomes. It helps evaluators identify what questions to ask, what evidence to collect, and which assumptions to examine. It can also reveal gaps in the project design, such as outcomes that aren't reasonably connected to any planned activities. As the project progresses, the evaluation can help the team revisit those assumptions and understand whether the project is working as expected.
The Grantibly perspective
Lauren's perspective
A logic model created during proposal development can't predict exactly what will happen over the next three, four, or five years. Programs evolve. Staff, partners, and recruitment strategies change, students or participants respond differently than expected, and timelines shift.
Evaluation should document and help teams understand those changes rather than treating every adaptation as a deviation that needs to be defended. The important questions are: What changed? Why? What happened as a result? What did we learn?
