Outputs and outcomes - what we mean

We ask applicants for larger grants to tell us what 'outputs' and what 'outcomes' their project or proposal will result in. This can be confusing. We hope these notes help explain why we ask, and what we mean by these terms.

Our aim
We want our funding to have an effect on low income Lambeth residents, helping them along the path to improving their financial circumstances and overcoming related social exclusion.

This is most commonly through education and training but there are other means as well.

Our grants have to result in things that relate directly to the objects of our three charities (promotion of education for people from low income backgrounds and the relief of poverty for Lambeth residents.

So we ask –

• What will happen if your project or proposal goes ahead?
• What will be the result if your project or proposal goes ahead?

The first of these is about outputs. The second is about outcomes. Outputs can usually be seen, measured and moved about. Outcomes are the expected consequences of the outputs and are usually harder to measure – but for us are far more important.

An example

Example 1 If you ask for a grant to set up an advice service to help people with debt, outputs (the things that happen) may include – Training three debt counsellors Providing 720 hours of debt counselling sessions a year The outcomes may be Greater financial awareness amongst low paid families of the dangers of debt and high interest loans Restructured and consolidated debt repayment for people burdened by debt Greater access to regulated financial services by people usually excluded from these

Example 2

If you ask for funding to provide one-to-one reading assistance to struggling low-income pupils in a school, outputs may include - One to one individualised tuition for 15 children twice per week Continued assessments every six months after a child has left the programme The outcomes may be - Average or higher literacy skills (i.e. a reading age appropriate to their peer group, or better) Improvements in academic performance Increased interest in school

And, being a grant maker focused on individuals, we will always be interested in case studies, including those that were not ‘successful’ but which can throw light on what could be done differently in the future.

We are also very interested in efforts to track participants over time even long after the intervention is completed.

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What will happen if your project or proposal goes ahead?

What will be the result if your project or proposal goes ahead?

The first of these is about outputs. The second is about outcomes.

Outputs can usually be seen, measured and moved about. Outcomes are the expected consequences of the outputs and are usually harder to measure – but for us are far more important.

We hope this page helps explain our approach. Call us with any further questions 020 7735 1925

Back to main grants page