Grant Strategy & Evaluation

Strong grant proposals begin long before the writing.



Most grant proposals describe a worthwhile program. Strong proposals do something more: they make a compelling case for why the work matters, define what success will look like, and demonstrate a credible plan for measuring impact.


LaBarbera Research & Evaluation works with organizations before and during the proposal process to assess funding opportunities, strengthen program and research design, define meaningful outcomes, develop evaluation plans, and translate those plans into competitive proposals.



The goal is not simply to submit a well-written application. It is to build a strong, evidence-informed case for investment.

How We Help

  • 1. Funding Fit & Grant Strategy

    Assess prospective funding opportunities for alignment with your organization, program, population, and evidence base. Identify what a funder is looking for, potential gaps, and what would be required to develop a competitive application.

  • 2. Research & Evaluation Design

    Develop research questions, evaluation questions, study designs, comparison strategies when appropriate, data-collection plans, and methodological approaches that meet funder requirements and produce credible evidence.

  • 3. Outcomes & Measurement

    For organizations seeking to understand change beyond a single program outcome, evaluation planning can also incorporate the Progress Toward Flourishing framework, identifying meaningful dimensions of change within the context of the population, program, and community.

  • 4. Proposal Development

    Develop or strengthen the research, evaluation, outcomes, methods, impact, and related sections of grant applications, working in partnership with organizational leadership and other proposal team members.

  • 5. Independent Evaluation

    Serve as the external evaluator for funded initiatives, from evaluation planning and data collection through analysis, reporting, dissemination, and organizational learning.

Why it Matters

The strongest proposals are not simply well written.

They are well designed.

Funders increasingly want more than a compelling description of need. They want to understand what an organization intends to accomplish, why its approach is credible, how it will measure change, and what it will learn from the investment.


Bringing evaluation expertise into the process early can strengthen both the proposal and the proposed program.



This May be a Good Fit if...

You're preparing for a significant funding opportunity and:

  • the funder requires a strong evaluation or research plan;
  • you’re unsure whether your current outcomes adequately demonstrate impact;
  • the proposed project requires a logic model, theory of change, or measurement strategy;
  • you need an independent evaluator as part of the proposal team;
  • you’re pursuing research-oriented funding that requires a rigorous study design; or
  • you want to build an evidence strategy that extends beyond a single grant.




LaBarbera Research & Evaluation helps mission-driven organizations build stronger programs, measure meaningful change, and develop credible evidence of impact.