Statement of need example for a nonprofit grant, with a template
The statement of need tells the funder what problem their money will fix. Here is each part of a strong one, with a fill-in template and a filled example, then the whole statement put together.
Follow the funder's own instructions first. If they set a word limit or ask their own questions about need, use theirs and fit these parts into them.
The example: Harbor Table, a fictional volunteer food pantry asking the fictional Shoreline Community Fund to pay a part-time Saturday coordinator. Every name and number in it is made up.
Brackets mark what you fill in. In the examples, [FILL IN: ...] marks a fact left blank instead of guessed.
1. Who you serve and where
What it answers: The people this project helps, in one sentence.
Template
[Organization] serves [who] in [where].
Filled example (fictional)
Harbor Table is a volunteer-run food pantry that serves families in Shoreline County.
2. The problem in your own numbers
What it answers: What you see every week, from your own records.
Template
[Your number], according to [your record]. [What that number shows].
Filled example (fictional)
We served 312 households last year, according to our intake log. Saturday is our busiest day, yet we can open for just two hours because only two volunteers can cover the shift.
3. The wider picture
What it answers: One public number that shows the problem is bigger than your doorstep.
Template
[A public number for your area], according to [source and year].
Filled example (fictional)
[FILL IN: a food insecurity figure for Shoreline County, with its source and year].
4. What happens now
What it answers: What people go without today, said plainly.
Template
Today, [who] [what they do without, or what it costs them].
Filled example (fictional)
People who arrive after the doors close have to travel to another pantry [FILL IN: distance to the nearest pantry]. Many of them work weekdays, so Saturday is the only day they can come.
5. Why nothing else fills the gap
What it answers: Why existing services don't already solve it.
Template
[Other services nearby] [why they don't cover this need].
Filled example (fictional)
[FILL IN: the other pantries nearby and their Saturday hours].
6. Why now, and why you
What it answers: What this grant changes, and why your organization is the one to do it.
Template
With [the grant], [what changes] [by when]. [Why you are the one to do it].
Filled example (fictional)
With a paid Saturday coordinator, the pantry can stay open six hours every Saturday within two months. Families already come to us; what we lack is someone to run the Saturday shift.
The whole statement of need (fictional example)
Harbor Table is a volunteer-run food pantry that serves families in Shoreline County. We served 312 households last year, according to our intake log. Saturday is our busiest day, yet we can open for just two hours because only two volunteers can cover the shift. [FILL IN: a food insecurity figure for Shoreline County, with its source and year].
People who arrive after the doors close have to travel to another pantry [FILL IN: distance to the nearest pantry]. Many of them work weekdays, so Saturday is the only day they can come. [FILL IN: the other pantries nearby and their Saturday hours].
With a paid Saturday coordinator, the pantry can stay open six hours every Saturday within two months. Families already come to us; what we lack is someone to run the Saturday shift.
Straight answers
How long should a statement of need be?
Often a page or less. On an online form it is usually one box with a word limit.
Should I use national statistics?
Lead with your own numbers and local ones. A national figure says the problem exists somewhere; your intake log says it walks through your door.
Is a statement of need the same as a problem statement?
Yes. Funders also call it a needs statement or the need section. Write it the same way under any of those names.
Rather not write it yourself?
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