# Problem Statement Snapshot

Drafts a concise, data-anchored problem statement for an LOI or concept paper. Use it when you need to open a funding pitch with a clear, credible case for why the problem you address is real and urgent.

## Prompt

## Context
You are helping a grant writer at [ORGANIZATION NAME], a [ORGANIZATION TYPE: e.g., community health nonprofit, youth workforce program] serving [TARGET POPULATION] in [SERVICE AREA]. The organization is preparing a letter of intent or concept paper for [FUNDER NAME OR TYPE: e.g., a community foundation, the state arts council]. The program area is [PROGRAM AREA: e.g., food access, job training, early literacy]. The writer has supplied these verified data points to support the problem statement: [DATA POINTS: source, statistic, and year for each].

## Task
Draft a problem statement of 150 to 200 words. Structure it in three moves:
1. Open with a specific local or population-level fact that makes the problem concrete and immediate.
2. Connect the local condition to a pattern or gap. Use only the data points supplied above.
3. Close with a one-sentence bridge that positions [ORGANIZATION NAME] as the logical respondent, without overpromising outcomes.

## Standards
- Use only the data points the writer supplied. Do not add statistics, prevalence figures, dollar amounts, or citations from your own knowledge. If a supplied data point lacks a source or year, flag it and ask before using it.
- Write in plain language. Avoid jargon the funder would have to decode.
- Do not use the words "holistic," "seamless," "robust," "transform," or "game-changer."
- No bullet lists. Paragraph form only.
- The bridge sentence states what [ORGANIZATION NAME] does, not what it will achieve. Outcome claims belong in the program description, not here.
- If [DATA POINTS] is empty or contains unsourced numbers, stop and ask the writer to supply verified figures before drafting.

## Variables

- ORGANIZATION NAME
- ORGANIZATION TYPE
- TARGET POPULATION
- SERVICE AREA
- FUNDER NAME OR TYPE
- PROGRAM AREA
- DATA POINTS

## Input checklist

- [ ] At least two to three verified data points, each with source name and year, before running the prompt
- [ ] Check the funder's RFP or guidelines for any required framing, geography, or population language
- [ ] Confirm the service area description matches what the funder's guidelines define as eligible geography
- [ ] Confidentiality: strip any beneficiary names, case details, or personally identifiable information before pasting data, and confirm your AI tool is approved under your organization's data policy
- [ ] Verify each statistic traces to a primary source you can cite in the final document

## Verification checklist

- [ ] Every statistic in the output matches a data point you supplied. If a figure appears that you did not provide, delete it.
- [ ] Each cited source is real and the year matches what you gave. The AI cannot verify citations; you must check each one.
- [ ] The bridge sentence describes what the organization does now, not what the grant will cause it to achieve.
- [ ] No funder name, program requirement, or deadline was invented by the AI.
- [ ] The word count lands between 150 and 200 words.
- [ ] The statement addresses the population and geography defined in the funder's guidelines.
- [ ] Read it aloud. If a sentence would confuse a non-expert reader, rewrite it.

## Sample output

Sample output. Generated by AI from sample inputs:

In Garfield County, one in four households cannot reliably afford food, a rate 40 percent higher than the state average (USDA Economic Research Service, 2023). That gap is sharpest among families with children under six: county school data show that 62 percent of kindergarteners enrolled in 2023 qualified for free or reduced-price lunch, yet the nearest food pantry is more than twelve miles from the two zip codes with the highest concentration of those families (Garfield County School District, 2023; Cedar Valley Food Bank service map, 2023). The problem is not a shortage of food assistance in the region. It is a distribution gap that leaves the youngest children in the hardest-to-reach households without a consistent source of groceries. Cedar Valley Food Bank operates the only mobile pantry in the county and has served the 74201 and 74203 zip codes weekly since 2019.

## Customization notes

For health and human services funders, lead with a local statistic rather than a national one. National figures work as context but rarely create urgency for a community foundation. For arts and culture funders, the problem statement often focuses on access gaps rather than need statistics. Adjust the data-point prompt to ask for attendance, reach, or demographic representation figures instead. Small organizations with limited internal data can source figures from county health assessments, census tract data, or school district reports, all of which are public and citable.

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