The short version
A logic model is a one-page picture of how your program works: the resources you put in (inputs), what you do (activities), what you produce (outputs), and the changes that result (outcomes), plus the assumptions and outside factors involved. This template gives you each column with prompts and a complete example.
When to use this template
Use this template when a funder asks for a logic model, or when you are designing a program and want to check that your activities actually lead to the results you plan to promise. It is especially helpful before writing the program design, objectives, and evaluation sections of a proposal, because those sections all draw from it.
If the funder supplies its own logic model format, use theirs and transfer your content. For a deeper explanation of logic model thinking, including theory of change, read our logic models guide.
How to read a logic model
A logic model reads left to right as a chain of "if-then" statements. If we have these resources, then we can do these activities. If we do these activities, then we will produce these outputs. If we produce these outputs, then participants will experience these short-term changes, which lead to medium-term and long-term changes.
| Column | Question it answers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Inputs | What resources do we need? | Staff, volunteers, space, funding, partners |
| Activities | What will we do? | Tutoring sessions, workshops, outreach |
| Outputs | What will we produce, and how much? | Number of sessions, participants, materials |
| Short-term outcomes | What changes in knowledge, skills, or attitudes? | Improved reading skills |
| Medium-term outcomes | What changes in behavior or practice? | Reading more often independently |
| Long-term outcomes (impact) | What lasting conditions change? | More students reading at grade level |
The template
LOGIC MODEL: [PROGRAM OR PROJECT NAME] Organization: [ORGANIZATION NAME] Grant period: [START DATE] to [END DATE] Prepared: [DATE] Prepared by: [NAME(S)] PROBLEM STATEMENT [ONE OR TWO SENTENCES summarizing the need this program addresses, drawn from your statement of need.] GOAL [ONE SENTENCE describing the broad, long-term change the program contributes to.] TARGET POPULATION [WHO the program serves, how many, and where.] ---------------------------------------------------------------- INPUTS (Resources) - Staff: [POSITIONS AND FTE, e.g., "1.0 FTE program coordinator"] - Volunteers: [NUMBER AND ROLE] - Partners: [PARTNER NAME AND WHAT THEY CONTRIBUTE] - Facilities: [SPACE, LOCATION] - Materials and equipment: [KEY ITEMS] - Funding: [SOURCES AND AMOUNTS] - Other: [CURRICULUM, DATA SYSTEMS, EXPERTISE] ---------------------------------------------------------------- ACTIVITIES (What we do) - [ACTIVITY 1: what, how often, how long, delivered by whom] - [ACTIVITY 2] - [ACTIVITY 3] - [ACTIVITY 4, optional: recruitment, training, evaluation, family engagement] ---------------------------------------------------------------- OUTPUTS (Direct products, usually counts) - [NUMBER] [UNITS of ACTIVITY 1, e.g., "sessions delivered"] - [NUMBER] [PARTICIPANTS enrolled / served] - [NUMBER] [MATERIALS distributed / TRAININGS held] - [OUTPUT linked to each activity] ---------------------------------------------------------------- SHORT-TERM OUTCOMES (Changes in knowledge, skills, attitudes; typically during the grant) - [OUTCOME 1: "[X%] of [PARTICIPANTS] will [CHANGE] as measured by [TOOL] by [DATE]"] - [OUTCOME 2] MEDIUM-TERM OUTCOMES (Changes in behavior or practice; often by the end of the grant or within a year) - [OUTCOME 1] - [OUTCOME 2, optional] LONG-TERM OUTCOMES / IMPACT (Lasting change the program contributes to; often beyond the grant period) - [OUTCOME 1] ---------------------------------------------------------------- ASSUMPTIONS (What must be true for this model to work) - [ASSUMPTION 1, e.g., "Families can bring children to the site four mornings a week."] - [ASSUMPTION 2] EXTERNAL FACTORS (Outside conditions that may affect results) - [FACTOR 1, e.g., "Changes in school schedules or district programs."] - [FACTOR 2] ---------------------------------------------------------------- MEASUREMENT PLAN (Optional but recommended) Outcome | Indicator | Data source / tool | When collected | Who collects [OUTCOME 1] | [INDICATOR] | [TOOL] | [TIMING] | [STAFF ROLE] [OUTCOME 2] | [INDICATOR] | [TOOL] | [TIMING] | [STAFF ROLE]
Filled-in example
LOGIC MODEL: Summer Reading Bridge
Organization: Riverside Literacy Project
Grant period: May 1, 2027 to April 30, 2028
Prepared: March 1, 2027 Prepared by: J. Lee, Executive Director; M. Ortiz, Program Director
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Elementary students in Riverside's Eastside neighborhood lose reading skills over the summer because families lack access to affordable, nearby summer learning and books at home.
GOAL
More Eastside students read at grade level by the end of third grade.
TARGET POPULATION
120 students in grades 2–4 at Eastside, Maple, and Grant elementary schools in Riverside.
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INPUTS
- Staff: 0.5 FTE program director; 4 certified reading specialists (seasonal, 6 weeks)
- Volunteers: 20 trained volunteer tutors
- Partners: Eastside Elementary (classroom space, breakfast); Riverside Public Library (library card sign-up, author visit)
- Facilities: 4 classrooms at Eastside Elementary
- Materials: Leveled book sets; 1,500 take-home books; assessment kits
- Funding: Harbor Family Foundation ($25,000 requested); Lakeview Bank Foundation ($10,000 secured); individual donors ($3,500); donated space and meals ($3,000 in-kind)
- Other: Riverside Literacy Project's small-group tutoring curriculum and pre/post assessment
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ACTIVITIES
- Small-group reading instruction (groups of 4 or fewer), 4 mornings a week for 6 weeks, led by reading specialists with volunteer tutors
- Weekly book selection, with students choosing 2 books to keep each week
- Volunteer tutor training (two 3-hour sessions before the program)
- Family engagement: opening family night, weekly text updates, and a closing celebration
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OUTPUTS
- 24 program days delivered (6 weeks x 4 days)
- 120 students enrolled
- 20 volunteers trained
- 1,440 books distributed (12 per student)
- 2 family events held
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SHORT-TERM OUTCOMES
- 75% of enrolled students will attend at least 80% of sessions, per attendance records
- 60% of regular attenders will gain at least one reading level on the pre/post assessment by August 15, 2027
MEDIUM-TERM OUTCOMES
- 70% of participating families will report their child reads independently at home at least 3 times a week, per end-of-program family survey
- Participating students will maintain or improve reading levels from spring to fall, per school fall benchmark data shared under our data agreement
LONG-TERM OUTCOMES / IMPACT
- A higher share of Eastside third-graders meet the state reading standard
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ASSUMPTIONS
- Most families live within walking distance of Eastside Elementary or can use the morning bus route
- The school district continues to provide space and breakfast
- Students who keep books at home read them
EXTERNAL FACTORS
- Changes to the district summer school program
- Family mobility and housing instability
- Summer heat or building closures
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MEASUREMENT PLAN
Outcome | Indicator | Data source / tool | When collected | Who collects
Attendance | % of students attending 80%+ of sessions | Daily attendance log | Daily | Reading specialists
Reading gain | % gaining 1+ reading level | RLP pre/post assessment | Week 1 and week 6 | Reading specialists
Home reading | % of families reporting 3+ times/week | Family survey | Final week | Program director
Fall retention | % maintaining or improving spring level | District fall benchmark | October | Program director
The example makes each link visible. Training volunteers (activity) produces 20 trained tutors (output), which makes small groups possible, which supports reading gains (short-term outcome). The long-term outcome is something the program contributes to rather than controls, so it is not promised as a grant deliverable.
Customizing tips
- Start from the right, then check from the left. Many teams find it easier to name the long-term outcome first, work backward to the activities that would produce it, and then read the model left to right to test the logic.
- Keep outputs and outcomes separate. Counts of activities and participants are outputs. Changes in people are outcomes. Mixing them is the most common logic model error.
- Make short-term outcomes measurable. Use the SMART approach (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound). Our SMART objective builder helps you write them.
- Promise only what you can measure. If you cannot collect data on an outcome during the grant, list it as long-term and do not make it a grant deliverable.
- Connect every activity to an output and an outcome. If an activity does not lead anywhere, ask whether it belongs.
- Name your assumptions honestly. Assumptions are where programs fail. Reviewers trust models that acknowledge risks.
- Match your budget. Every input with a cost should appear in your grant budget, and every budget line should support an activity in the model.
- Reuse it. The same logic model feeds your evaluation plan, objectives, and final grant report.
- Fit the funder's format. Some federal programs and foundations require specific columns or a one-page landscape table. Transfer your content and keep the logic intact.
Common questions
What is the difference between outputs and outcomes?
Outputs are the direct products of your activities, usually counts: sessions held, people served, books distributed. Outcomes are the changes that result for people or communities: skills gained, behavior changed, conditions improved. Funders want both, but outcomes show whether the program worked. 'Served 120 students' is an output; '60 percent gained a reading level' is an outcome.
Do all funders require a logic model?
No. Many federal programs and larger foundations request one, and some provide their own format. Smaller funders rarely require it. Even when it is not required, building one helps you write clearer objectives, a stronger evaluation plan, and a budget that matches your activities.
How many outcomes should a logic model include?
Keep it focused. Two or three short-term outcomes, one or two medium-term outcomes, and one long-term outcome is plenty for most programs. Every outcome you list should be something you can plausibly influence and, for short- and medium-term outcomes, measure during the grant.
Sources
We check facts against primary sources wherever possible. Rules and programs change, so confirm details with the funder or agency before you apply.
- Logic Models: A Tool for Effective Program Planning, Collaboration, and Monitoring — Institute of Education Sciences, REL Pacific
- Outputs — University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension, Logic Model course
- SMART Objectives Guide — NACCHO
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