# Statement of Need with Data Weaving

Drafts a statement of need that weaves your local community data with the broader problem context, cited to sources you supply. Use it when your funder expects evidence and you have data but need help building a coherent, citation-supported narrative.

## Prompt

## Context
You are helping a nonprofit grant writer draft a statement of need for a proposal to [FUNDER NAME]. The organization is [ORGANIZATION NAME], which serves [TARGET POPULATION] in [SERVICE AREA]. The writer has gathered local data and national or state context and needs those woven into a compelling, evidence-grounded need statement. Every statistic must come from sources the writer supplies. Nothing is invented.

## Task
Draft a statement of need using this data:

Local data and sources:
[LOCAL DATA AND SOURCES]

Broader context data and sources:
[BROADER CONTEXT DATA AND SOURCES]

Funder priorities relevant to this need:
[FUNDER PRIORITIES]

The need statement should:
1. Open with a grounding statement that puts the reader in the community and the problem.
2. Present local data as the core evidence, with each figure attributed to its source.
3. Connect the local picture to the broader context to show this is not an isolated problem.
4. Name the gap: what is absent, insufficient, or inaccessible for [TARGET POPULATION] in [SERVICE AREA].
5. Close by linking the documented need to [FUNDER PRIORITIES] without overstating the match.

## Standards
- 400 to 600 words. Paragraph form, no bullet points in the final text.
- Every statistic must be attributed inline to the source the writer provided. Do not invent statistics, dates, sources, or outcomes.
- Do not round figures in ways that change meaning.
- Do not name other funders or organizations as inadequate. Name gaps in access or availability, not failures of others.
- Tone: direct and specific. No crisis language that overstates or dramatizes beyond what the data supports.
- Do not make promises about what the program will achieve; the need statement describes the problem, not the solution.
- If any data point appears to conflict with another or is missing a source, ask before incorporating it.

## Variables

- FUNDER NAME
- ORGANIZATION NAME
- TARGET POPULATION
- SERVICE AREA
- LOCAL DATA AND SOURCES
- BROADER CONTEXT DATA AND SOURCES
- FUNDER PRIORITIES

## Input checklist

- [ ] Local data with sources: census figures, county health reports, school district data, community assessments, or your own program intake records
- [ ] Broader context data with sources: state or national statistics from credible public sources (CDC, USDA, HUD, peer-reviewed studies)
- [ ] The funder's RFP or funding guidelines, noting any specific outcome areas or populations they prioritize
- [ ] A clear description of the gap: what is missing or insufficient for your target population in your service area
- [ ] Remove any beneficiary names, case details, or identifying information before pasting, or confirm your AI tool is approved under your organization's data policy

## Verification checklist

- [ ] Confirm every statistic in the draft appears in the data you supplied and is attributed to the correct source
- [ ] Check that no funder, program name, dollar amount, or deadline was invented by the AI
- [ ] Verify that local figures are presented as local and broader figures as broader; check that the AI did not flip the scale
- [ ] Confirm the gap statement matches what your program actually addresses, not a broader problem the program cannot solve
- [ ] Check that funder priority language reflects the actual RFP, not a paraphrase that changes the meaning
- [ ] Read for promises: confirm the need statement describes the problem only and does not claim program outcomes

## Sample output

Sample output. Generated by AI from sample inputs:

In Millbrook County, one in four children under age 12 experiences food insecurity on a regular basis. According to the 2023 Millbrook County Community Health Needs Assessment, 26.4% of households with children report running out of food before the end of the month. That figure has risen from 19.1% in 2019, a shift the assessment attributes to pandemic-era job losses that have not fully reversed in the county's service economy.

Millbrook County's rate exceeds both the state average of 18.7% (Ohio Department of Health, 2023) and the national childhood food insecurity rate of 17.3% (USDA Economic Research Service, 2022). The county sits in the bottom quintile of food security among Ohio's 88 counties, a position it has held for three consecutive reporting cycles.

The data describes a structural problem, not a temporary one. Millbrook lacks a full-service grocery store within 10 miles of two of its five townships, leaving an estimated 4,200 residents in a federally designated food desert (USDA Food Access Research Atlas, 2023). Existing emergency food resources in the county serve approximately 1,100 households monthly; local food pantry directors report consistent unmet demand of 30 to 40 percent during the summer months, when school meal programs are not in operation.

The gap is specific: children in Millbrook County's rural townships have no consistent access to nutritious food during summer break. School-year meal programs serve these children reliably; nothing comparable exists for June through August. Cedar Valley Food Bank's summer meal program is the only county provider targeting this age group outside the school calendar, and it currently reaches fewer than 200 children per summer due to transportation and site limitations.

The Hartfield Foundation's focus on childhood nutrition in underserved rural communities aligns directly with what the data shows in Millbrook County: a documented, persistent, and measurable gap for a population with few alternatives.

## Customization notes

For funders with strict page limits, condense the context paragraph and prioritize local data. If your funder focuses on a specific sub-population (children, veterans, seniors), structure the opening around that group and place national context in the second paragraph rather than leading with it. For community foundation proposals, replace the national data with county-to-county comparisons; local funders respond to local specificity.

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From The Nonprofit Grant & Fundraising Library at vetslearn.com/libraries/nonprofit