Needs Assessment
What is a Needs Assessment?
As the name implies, a Needs Assessment is an assessment of the needs of a population or group served by your programs, risk factors, and resource gaps to meet these needs.
The assessment may also have a Readiness component, which identifies the strengths and resources in the communities that can be mobilized to help implement the programs.
Together, the Needs and Readiness Assessment helps your organization and the funder understand your organization's true needs and capacities and, based on this assessment, how resources should be allocated to meet these needs through grant-funded programs.
Why is a Needs Assessment needed?
Most grants provide funding to assist with technical assistance or capacity building in a certain area. Most federal grants are multi-year funding in partnerships with the federal agencies that provide the grant awards (the grant award is referred to as a "cooperative agreement"). Many federal grants require a Needs and Readiness Assessment in the first year or first part of the year to provide a baseline understanding of community needs and readiness before the design and implementation process.
Since most, if not all, of the funded programs are to serve a specific community or population, the funder wants to ensure that your organization engages the community from day one to receive input from those you will serve, using partnerships, collaborations, culturally grounded strategies, and innovative methodologies. This helps ensure that the design and implementation of the program address true needs and that the program is of high quality and impactful.
What does a Needs Assessment entail?
Quantitative and qualitative data collection from secondary (existing research) and primary sources (surveys, focus groups, interviews, and others) to assess the needs, at-risk factors, and community capacity specific to the funded program (e.g., premature births, low birth weight, infant mortality, prenatal and postnatal care, poverty, domestic violence, teen pregnancy, high-school dropout, substance abuse, unemployment, etc.).
Community engagement: Involving the communities from day one to collect data and foster collaboration.
Collaboration and coordination with the communities, local partners and leaders, and local/state governments to build a strong foundation and support for the program.
Data analysis and reporting: The data collected from the CNRA need to be analyzed and presented to the funder, staff, and community. A comprehensive report is required to compare and analyze secondary and primary data to identify key issues. The report is critical and helps serve as the guiding point for the design and implementation.