Reviewers want proof the problem is real. Pair the numbers with the story.
01Why This Matters
Your Statement of Need is only as strong as the evidence behind it.
Reviewers read your Statement of Need first. They are asking one question: is the problem real, and is it as significant as the applicant claims? Your data is the answer.
Data alone is sterile. A reader looking at percentages without context will not feel the urgency. Stories alone are anecdotal. A single example without supporting data feels unrepresentative.
Data shows the scope. Stories show the stakes. Strong applications always use both.
Reviewers reward applications that cite local data first, then layer in regional and national context. National statistics are useful for framing, but they cannot stand alone.
02The Concept in Plain Language
Three layers of evidence: local, regional, and national.
Local data is the most powerful. It proves the problem exists where you are proposing to address it. Sources include your own service data, school district data, county health departments, state agencies, and US Census data filtered to your geography.
Regional and state data builds context. It shows whether your local problem is part of a larger pattern. Sources include state agency reports, regional planning organizations, and university research.
National data frames the issue. It signals that the problem is documented at scale and worth federal attention. Sources include the US Census, BLS, CDC, federal agency dashboards, and peer-reviewed research.
Every claim needs a named, citable source. "Studies show" is not a citation. "According to the 2024 American Community Survey" is.
03What Grant-Ready Looks Like
The Standard
A grant-ready organization has three or more credible statistics specific to its service area, at least one local data point, and a story that humanizes the numbers.
Grant-ready also means knowing which data you do not have, and having a plan to gather it before the next NOFO requires it.
04Your Worksheet
Pull together your three strongest statistics. Pair them with a story.
Cite every statistic. Without a source, a number is just an assertion. Your work autosaves as you go.
Local is strongest. Example: 31 percent of households in our county are food insecure (USDA ERS, 2024).
Layer in regional or state context.
National framing is fine here if you have local data above.
One paragraph. Specific person or family, with permission. Anonymize if needed.
What would you want to know that you cannot currently document?
Survey, partner data request, secondary research. Specific actions.
05What This Looks Like in Practice
Notice how the data and the story reinforce each other.
Nonprofit
A regional food bank serving three counties is preparing a Statement of Need for a USDA grant. Their data includes county-level food insecurity rates from the USDA Economic Research Service, school district free and reduced lunch participation rates from each district's published reports, and national context from Feeding America.
Their community story features a family they serve, anonymized, whose participation in the school nutrition program revealed gaps in summer meal access that the proposed project will address.
"Food insecurity affects 31 percent of households in our three-county service area, well above the state average of 18 percent. School district data shows 64 percent of K through 12 students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Summer access remains the most acute gap, illustrated by the Rodriguez family, whose three children lost reliable nutrition during the 2024 summer months."
Local Government
A county transportation department is preparing a Statement of Need for a federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant. Their data includes 23 pedestrian fatalities over five years from the county sheriff and NHTSA data, peer-reviewed research showing that infrastructure investments in comparable communities reduced fatalities by 27 percent, and the state DOT's safety crash dashboard.
Their community story focuses on a specific high-injury intersection where two fatalities occurred within 18 months, with quotes from neighborhood residents and crossing guards.
"Twenty-three pedestrian fatalities occurred in our county between 2019 and 2024, a rate 40 percent above the state average. Peer-reviewed research demonstrates that targeted infrastructure investments in similar communities have reduced fatalities by an average of 27 percent. The intersection of Main and Park, site of two recent fatalities, exemplifies the conditions this project will address."
06Red Flags
Pause and reassess if any of these are true.
Evidence gaps weaken every other section of your application. Address them before you draft.
Watch for these signals
All of your data is national. You have no local statistics.
You cannot name the source for one or more of your key statistics.
Your most recent data is more than five years old, with no recent update available.
You are using percentages without raw numbers, or raw numbers without percentages.
You have no human story to pair with the statistics.
Your Next Step
Organize what you have. Plan to gather what you need.
If your evidence base is strong: organize it in the sequence you will use in your Statement of Need. Local data first, then regional, then national framing, then the human story.
If you have gaps: identify whether you need to commission a short survey, request data from a partner, or pull from publicly available sources. Build this into your standard pre-application workflow.
Continue to Worksheet 05: Success Story Bank to document your organization's track record of delivering results.