Question

How can you test to see if your needs statement is directly linked to the issue identified in the problem statement? This is for a grant writing class.

Please cite your source if you used one. Thank you.

Answer 1

In order to be successful in grant writing, a researcher needs the funding agency to clearly understand the problem that the researcher is attempting to solve, and justify it by pointing out the gaps in previous researches or substantiating the significance behind one’s own research findings. It’s this fact that makes a needs statement so important to the entire grant writing process.

Because of its emphasis on the research goals and aim, a needs statement draws on from the specific research problem statement as It defines the problem, describes the implications of the problem, and identifies the gaps in the academic community. The needs statement is the place from which a researcher starts, and it may be the section where s/he spends the most tim

to this end, it is necessary that a needs statement directly draws on from the research problem so that the founder can get an idea about the feasibility of the study. One way of assessing the feasibility of a needs statement is to assess the extent to which the needs statement can determine the focus an organization will take by addressing the particular needs of a specific target audience through a new research project. If the needs statement is able to influence the decisions of the funder then one can retrospectively interpret the needs statement to reflect on the problem statement. Secondly, an effective needs statement is able to give information about the specific requirements or lack of resources and the underlying issues which are sought to be addressed in the research. In other words, it is able to further elaborate upon the main research problem and present it within the anger context of the experiences of the target popular.

Thus in conclusion, a needs statement can be assessed with respect to its ability to answer the questions, “What is the problem or need?” and “How does one know that it’s a problem for a specific population?”