How to Ask Better Grant Application Questions: Collecting Data That Leads to Better Decisions

When designing a grant application, it can be tempting to ask for as much information as possible.

More information must mean better information, right?

Not necessarily.

A lengthy application can create more work for applicants while producing data that is difficult to compare, difficult to analyze, or ultimately never used. Meanwhile, the information that could actually help your organization understand programs, measure outcomes, and make better funding decisions may be buried in paragraphs of narrative responses or inconsistent data.

The goal isn’t to collect more data. It’s to collect better data.

That starts with asking better questions.

Whether you’re designing a new grant application, updating an existing process, or evaluating your current grant management practices, the following principles can help you collect information that is truly useful.

1. Start With the Decisions You Need to Make

Before writing a question, ask yourself:

What will we do with the answer?

Every question in a grant application should have a purpose.

Will the answer help you:

• Determine eligibility?
• Evaluate an application?
• Understand who is being served?
• Compare programs?
• Determine funding levels?
• Monitor performance?
• Measure outcomes?
• Identify community needs?
• Report results to your board, funders, or community?

If you can’t identify how the information will be used, consider whether you need to collect it at all.

Designing questions around the decisions you ultimately need to make can also help prevent an application from becoming unnecessarily long.

2. Don’t Ask Three Questions in One

Consider a question such as:

“Describe your organization’s mission, the population you serve, and the primary services you provide.”

That’s actually three different questions.

The applicant may answer all three, but the resulting information can be difficult to evaluate consistently.

Instead, separate the questions:

• What is your organization’s mission?
• Who does your organization primarily serve?
• What services does your organization provide?

Breaking complex questions into smaller, focused questions makes them easier for applicants to answer and easier for reviewers and administrators to evaluate.

3. Use Structured Fields When You Need Structured Data

If you expect to compare answers, report on them, or analyze them later, think carefully about how you collect the information.

For example, asking:

“How many people did your program serve?”

as an open-ended text field could produce answers such as:

• 250
• Approximately 250
• 250 individuals
• Two hundred fifty
• 200–300

The information may be understandable to a person, but it isn’t necessarily easy to analyze.

If you need a number, collect a number.

If you need an organization type, consider a standardized list.

If you need a geographic area, use a consistent format.

The way you structure a question determines the quality of the data you receive.

4. Avoid Collecting Information You Won’t Use

Grantmakers often collect information because it might be useful someday.

This is understandable, but it can create unnecessary work for everyone involved.

Every additional question adds effort for the applicant. It may also create additional information that your staff have to review, maintain, store, and potentially report on.

Before adding a question, ask:

Will we actually use this information?

If the answer is no, consider removing it.

A shorter application that produces meaningful data can be more valuable than a lengthy application filled with information that nobody uses.

5. Use Conditional Questions When Appropriate

Not every applicant needs to answer every question.

For example, if a grant program provides funding for multiple types of programs, you may only need certain information from applicants that select a particular program category.

Conditional questions can help create a more focused application experience by showing applicants only the questions that are relevant to them.

This has two benefits:

1. Applicants spend less time answering questions that don’t apply to them.
2. Grantmakers receive more relevant information.

A well-designed application should adapt to the applicant whenever possible.

6. Ask for Measurable Information

Narrative responses have an important place in grantmaking. They provide context, explain challenges, and allow applicants to tell their stories.

But narrative alone can make it difficult to understand what actually happened.

Whenever appropriate, ask for measurable information alongside the narrative.

For example:

Instead of only asking:

“Describe the people your program served.”

Consider also asking:

• How many people did you serve?
• How many were children?
• How many were adults?
• How many participated for the first time?
• How many completed the program?

The narrative can explain the why and how. Structured data can help explain the what and how much.

Both can be valuable.

7. Distinguish Outputs From Outcomes

One of the most important distinctions in grant reporting is the difference between outputs and outcomes.

An output describes what a program did.

Examples include:

• 500 meals distributed
• 20 workshops conducted
• 150 students enrolled
• 75 people received counseling

An outcome describes what changed as a result.

Examples might include:

• Participants increased their food security.
• Students improved their reading proficiency.
• Participants gained employment.
• Clients demonstrated improved mental health or well-being.

Both types of information can be important.

If you only collect outputs, you may know how much activity occurred without knowing what difference the activity made.

When designing grant applications and reporting requirements, consider collecting both.

8. Use Consistent Terminology

Data becomes much more useful when everyone is using the same definitions.

For example, if one program reports “participants,” another reports “clients,” and another reports “individuals served,” are those terms actually describing the same thing?

Similarly, what does “completed the program” mean?

Does it mean attending one session? Completing a six-week program? Meeting a specific performance threshold?

Establishing consistent terminology and definitions can make data easier to compare across organizations and over time.

It also helps applicants understand exactly what you’re asking for.

9. Prepopulate Information Whenever Possible

If you already have information about an organization, don’t make the applicant enter it again unless there’s a good reason to do so.

For example, if your organization already has:

• Organization name
• Address
• Contact information
• Tax identification information
• Previous award information
• Program information

consider whether some of that information can be carried forward or confirmed rather than re-entered.

Reducing repetitive data entry improves the applicant experience and can also reduce errors.

10. Don’t Make Applicants Repeat Information

Related to prepopulating information is the broader principle of asking for information once whenever possible.

If an applicant has already provided a program description, don’t ask them to provide essentially the same information again in another section unless there is a clear reason.

If the same information is needed at multiple points in your process, consider whether your system can reuse the information.

The goal should be to design a process where applicants provide information once, and your organization can use it throughout the grant lifecycle.

11. Collect the Core Categories of Data

While every grant program is different, there are several categories of information that many grantmakers may want to consider collecting.

Organization Information

Basic information about the applicant organization, such as:

• Organization name
• Contact information
• Mission
• Organization type
• Service area
• Leadership
• Relevant organizational capacity

Program Information

Information about the specific program being proposed:

• Program description
• Goals
• Target population
• Geographic area
• Services provided
• Implementation approach
• Timeline

Demographic Information

When appropriate and relevant to the funding program, demographic information can help organizations understand who is being served.

Depending on the program, this might include:

• Age
• Gender
• Race and ethnicity
• Geographic location
• Household characteristics
• Other population characteristics relevant to the program

Demographic information should always be collected thoughtfully, with a clear understanding of why it is needed and how it will be used.

Services and People Served

Consider collecting information that helps answer:

What is being provided, and to whom?

This could include:

• Number of people served
• Types of services provided
• Frequency of services
• Number of service encounters
• Program participation
• Completion rates

Outputs

Outputs help quantify program activity.

Examples include:

• Number of classes
• Number of participants
• Number of meals
• Number of counseling sessions
• Number of households assisted

Outcomes

Outcomes help you understand what changed.

Depending on the program, this might include:

• Improved skills
• Increased employment
• Improved health
• Increased educational achievement
• Increased stability
• Improved access to services

Financial Information

Depending on your funding model, you may also need information about:

• Project budget
• Requested funding
• Other funding sources
• Program expenses
• Matching funds
• Actual expenditures

Narrative Information

Numbers don’t tell the entire story.

Narrative questions can help applicants explain:

• Why the program is needed
• What challenges they face
• What makes their approach effective
• What they learned
• What changed during the funding period

Success Stories

Quantitative data can demonstrate scale and trends. Stories can demonstrate the human impact behind the numbers.

Consider whether there are appropriate opportunities for applicants to share examples of how their work affected individuals, families, or communities.

Challenges and Barriers

Not every program will achieve every intended outcome.

That’s okay.

Asking grantees about challenges, barriers, and lessons learned can provide valuable information that isn’t captured by traditional performance measures.

Understanding what didn’t work (and why) can be just as useful as understanding what did.

12. Design the Data Collection Process Around the Entire Grant Lifecycle

One final consideration is often overlooked:

The grant application shouldn’t exist in isolation.

The information you collect during the application process may also be useful during:

• Review
• Award management
• Contracting
• Progress reporting
• Final reporting
• Outcome measurement
• Impact analysis

Think about the information you need across the entire lifecycle and determine where it makes the most sense to collect it.

Some information belongs in the application.

Some belongs in progress reports.

Some may only become available after a program has been implemented.

The goal is not to ask applicants for everything at the beginning. The goal is to collect the right information at the right time.

Better Questions Lead to Better Data

A well-designed grant application isn’t simply a form that gathers information.

It is the beginning of a data collection strategy.

When questions are purposeful, clearly written, appropriately structured, and connected to the decisions your organization needs to make, the information you collect becomes much more useful.

You can move beyond simply knowing who received funding and how much was awarded to understanding:

What was funded?
Who was served?
What services were provided?
What happened?
What changed?
What did we learn?
And ultimately, what impact did the funding have?

That’s the real opportunity.

The goal isn’t to collect more data. It’s to collect better data—and use it to make better decisions.