Grant Writing Program Evaluation and Reporting 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A logic model's 'outputs' section should document which of the following?
- Long-term community changes
- Direct products of program activities (Correct answer)
- Funding sources and budgets
- Staff qualifications and credentials
Correct answer: Direct products of program activities
Outputs are the direct, tangible products of program activities, such as number of workshops held or participants served.
Question 2: Which evaluation design provides the strongest evidence of a program's causal impact?
- Pre/post survey with no control group
- Randomized controlled trial (RCT) (Correct answer)
- Focus group feedback
- Case study of one participant
Correct answer: Randomized controlled trial (RCT)
RCTs randomly assign participants to treatment and control groups, providing the strongest causal evidence of program effectiveness.
Question 3: When a funder requires a 'summative evaluation,' they are asking for an assessment that:
- Monitors implementation as it happens
- Judges the program's overall effectiveness at the end (Correct answer)
- Identifies staff training needs
- Estimates the budget variance
Correct answer: Judges the program's overall effectiveness at the end
Summative evaluation occurs after program completion to judge overall outcomes and effectiveness.
Question 4: A grantee submits a progress report showing outputs were met but outcomes were not. The most appropriate next step is to:
- Return all unused grant funds immediately
- Analyze barriers and adjust program strategies with funder approval (Correct answer)
- Discontinue the program entirely
- Remove outcome measures from future reports
Correct answer: Analyze barriers and adjust program strategies with funder approval
When outputs are met but outcomes fall short, grantees should investigate root causes and work with funders to adapt strategies.
Question 5: Which of the following is an example of a 'process indicator' in a grant evaluation plan?
- Percentage of youth who graduate high school
- Number of training sessions delivered per quarter (Correct answer)
- Reduction in community poverty rate
- Increase in participant wages after one year
Correct answer: Number of training sessions delivered per quarter
Process indicators measure implementation fidelity—how well and how much the program was delivered.
Question 6: An external evaluator differs from an internal evaluator primarily in that the external evaluator:
- Has less experience with evaluation methods
- Brings independence and objectivity to the assessment (Correct answer)
- Is always required by federal grants
- Reports only to program staff, not the funder
Correct answer: Brings independence and objectivity to the assessment
External evaluators are not employed by the organization, which reduces bias and increases credibility of findings.
Question 7: A funder asks for 'disaggregated data' in a final report. This means the grantee must:
- Remove all personally identifiable information
- Break down outcome data by subgroups such as age, race, or gender (Correct answer)
- Combine data from all program sites into one figure
- Provide data only for the highest-performing participants
Correct answer: Break down outcome data by subgroups such as age, race, or gender
Disaggregated data separates results by demographic or other subgroups to reveal disparities or differential impact.
Grant Writing Program Evaluation and Reporting 2
A logic model's 'outputs' section should document which of the following?