Statement of Need — General (Any Cause)

📝 The structure — fill in YOUR words

1. WHO IS AFFECTED — name the people, not the issue.
   '[Number] [people] in [place] experience [problem].'

2. HOW YOU KNOW — 2-3 real numbers with named sources.

3. WHAT HAPPENS IF NOTHING CHANGES — one honest sentence about
   the cost of inaction.

4. WHY NOW — what makes this the moment to act.

✅ A good example

"Nearly 1 in 5 seniors in our county lives alone, according to the 2024 census estimates. Our local food bank reports a 40% rise in senior clients since 2022. Without intervention, isolation among elderly residents is projected to keep climbing as the population ages — but our volunteer network is ready to scale right now."

🚫 Common mistakes

• Starting with your organization's history — nobody funds a history lesson.
• Citing a statistic you can't source — if you can't name where it came from, cut it.
• Making the problem sound unsolvable — funders invest in problems that can be fixed.

💡 Tips

• One strong local number beats five vague national ones.
• End with hope, not despair — the need is the setup, your project is the punchline.