Free template · Word & Google Docs

Free logic model template, with a theory of change

A one-page logic model template that maps inputs, activities, outputs and outcomes, plus a theory of change page that explains why the chain works and a measurement plan that turns your outcomes into an evaluation plan. Below it, a complete logic model example for a youth literacy program.

Download for Word or Google Docs .docx · free · no email required

✓ Six-column logic model: inputs to long-term impact
✓ Assumptions and external factors
✓ Theory of change: if, then, because
✓ Measurement plan you can reuse as an evaluation plan

The parts of a logic model

Read a logic model left to right as a chain of if-then statements: if we have these resources, we can run these activities; if we run them, we produce these outputs; if we produce them, these outcomes follow.

Section	What it answers
1. Inputs	What you invest: staff, volunteers, money, partners, space, materials
2. Activities	What the program does: services, sessions, training, events
3. Outputs	Countable products of the activities: sessions held, people served
4. Short-term outcomes	Changes in knowledge, skills or attitudes, usually within a year
5. Intermediate outcomes	Changes in behavior or practice, often one to three years
6. Long-term impact	The lasting change in conditions you are working toward

Logic model example

A nonprofit logic model for Harbor Bend Reads’ Summer Reading Initiative, the same fictional program written up in our sample grant proposal. The organization and figures are fictional; the structure is what to copy.

The logic model

Problem: 58% of third graders in the district read below grade level, and summer widens the gap.

Inputs	Activities	Outputs	Short-term outcomes	Intermediate outcomes	Long-term impact
4 part-time reading coaches; program director (0.2 FTE)	Small-group tutoring, 4 mornings a week in summer, 2 afternoons a week in the school year	150 students served; 2,000+ tutoring sessions	Students gain 1+ reading level	Students read at or near grade level by end of grade 3	More Harbor Bend children read at grade level, and stay on track in later grades
Leveled reader sets; reading journals	Take-home book bags and reading journals	150 book bags; 120 reader sets in use	Students read more at home	Reading becomes a daily habit
School district classrooms (in-kind); $42,262 grant	Six family reading nights	6 events; ~240 family members	Parents learn simple ways to read together	Families read together 3+ times a week

Why this works

Every activity has an output you can count and at least one outcome.
Outcomes move from what people learn, to what they do, to the condition that changes.
The long-term impact is broader than the program alone can deliver, which is normal: it names the direction.

Assumptions and external factors

Assumptions	External factors
Families will attend if tutoring happens at the schools their children already go to.	Changes to school calendars or bus routes.
Small groups matched by reading level produce faster gains than whole-class help.	Staff turnover among part-time coaches.

Why this works

Naming assumptions shows the funder you know what the plan depends on, and what you’ll watch.

Theory of change example

If we give struggling readers in grades 2–5 small-group tutoring at their own schools through the summer and the school year, and send books home with them, then they will gain reading levels instead of losing ground over the summer. As they read more at home and their families read with them, reading becomes a habit, and more Harbor Bend children read at grade level by the end of third grade, because targeted, frequent practice at the right level is what closes early reading gaps.

If we…	then…	because…
Tutor small groups matched by level, 4 days a week in summer	Students gain reading levels over the summer	Frequent practice at the right level closes gaps faster (our in-school results: 68% gained a level)
Send books and journals home, and host family nights	Families read together more often	Families told us books at home and simple ideas were what was missing
Students gain levels and read more at home	More read at grade level by end of grade 3	Early reading gains compound in later grades

Why this works

The logic model shows the plan; the theory of change shows the reasoning behind each link.
Each “because” points to evidence: the organization’s own results or what families said.

Download for Word or Google Docs .docx · free · no email required

Logic model vs. theory of change

They answer different questions. A logic model is a map of what the program does and produces, laid out as a table. A theory of change explains why those activities should lead to the change you want, including the assumptions and evidence at each step. Funders often ask for one or the other; the template includes both so you can send whichever the guidelines request.

	Logic model	Theory of change
Answers	What will we do and produce?	Why will it work?
Format	One-page table	Pathway or narrative
Emphasis	Inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes	Causal links, assumptions, evidence
Used for	Planning, grant attachments, evaluation	Strategy, program design, funder conversations

How to build a logic model

Start at the right. Write the long-term change you want to see, for whom. Then ask what has to be true first, and work backward through intermediate and short-term outcomes.
Add the activities that cause those outcomes, and the outputs that show the activities happened. Every activity should connect to at least one outcome.
List the inputs the activities need: people, money, partners, space and materials. In a grant proposal, these should match your budget.
Write down the assumptions the chain depends on, and the outside factors that could help or get in the way.
Pick an indicator for each outcome in the measurement plan. That table becomes the evaluation plan in your grant proposal.
Keep it to one page. The logic model is a summary. The detail belongs in the proposal narrative.

Listing outputs (people served) as outcomes (what changed for them).
Outcomes the program can’t plausibly influence in the grant period.
Activities that don’t lead to any outcome, or outcomes with no activity behind them.
A logic model that doesn’t match the budget and the proposal narrative.

Keep it in one place, use it in every proposal

A logic model is most useful when it doesn’t live in a separate file nobody opens. Grantable keeps your organization profile, including your logic model, in your workspace, and drafts proposals from it: the activities, outcomes and evaluation plan stay consistent across every application.

Free to start.

Try Grantable free Grant proposal template

Questions

What is a logic model?

A logic model is a one-page visual summary of how a program is supposed to work. It connects the resources you invest (inputs) and what you do (activities) to what you produce (outputs) and the changes that result (short-term, intermediate and long-term outcomes). Nonprofits use it to plan programs, explain them to funders and design evaluations.

What are the components of a logic model?

The standard components are inputs, activities, outputs and outcomes, with outcomes usually split into short-term, intermediate and long-term (sometimes called impact). Many logic models also list the problem statement, assumptions and external factors. This template includes all of them.

What is the difference between outputs and outcomes?

Outputs are what your program produces and can count directly: sessions held, people served, materials distributed. Outcomes are what changes for people as a result: skills gained, behaviors changed, conditions improved. Funders care most about outcomes, and a common mistake is to list outputs in their place.

Do funders require a logic model?

Many federal agencies and a growing number of foundations ask for a logic model or theory of change, either in the narrative or as an attachment. Even when it isn’t required, building one makes the goals, activities and evaluation sections of a proposal much easier to write and keeps them consistent.

How long should a logic model be?

One page. It’s a summary of how the program works, not the full plan. If it spills onto a second page, combine similar activities or outcomes and move the detail into your proposal narrative.

Is there a logic model template for Google Docs?

Yes. Download the Word file and upload it to Google Drive, then open it with Google Docs. The tables, guidance boxes and placeholders carry over.

Download for Word or Google Docs .docx · free · no email required

More free grant templates

Word · Google Docs

Case for support template

The master argument for giving to your organization, with statement of need examples.

Word · Google Docs

Letter of inquiry template

The two-to-three page pitch that gets you invited to submit a full proposal, with a sample LOI.

Word · Google Docs

Grant proposal template

A 10-section proposal outline with guidance, prompts and a full annotated sample proposal.

Excel · Google Sheets

Grant budget template

Project budget with indirect costs and cost share, a drafted budget narrative, and your organization budget.

See all templates