Advancement · Program Development

Draw the line from
tutors to test scores.

A logic model builder for grant writers and program leads: six columns, links that show the chain of change, SMART checks on every outcome and a one-page print for the application.

Open the designerWhat you get
$12one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $12

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Grant writer’s desk, $49 for 32 items.

The designer

The worked example is a made-up after-school reading tutoring program. Edit it or start blank; your model saves in this browser as you type.

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What you get

Advancement · Program Development$12

What you finish with
A finished logic model you can print on one landscape page or save as a PDF: the six columns with arrows between boxes, the situation and population, assumptions and external factors, plus a list of SMART and structure gaps to fix first.
Who it is for
Grant writers, program directors, school and nonprofit staff writing an evaluation plan, and anyone asked for a logic model in a funding application.
Format
Browser tool. Works on a phone, tablet or computer; the full diagram is easiest on a wide screen. Print or save as PDF; export and import a file to move between devices.
Access
$12 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Grant writer’s desk ($49) and the Advancement Suite pass ($99), and 1 more bundle. Everything stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Program Development space in Caveat Advancement.
Support
Questions, a correction or a request: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Load the worked example to see a finished model, or start blank and name your program.
  2. State the situation and the population, then fill the columns. Many writers start at the long-term outcome and work back.
  3. Open Links on a box and pick the boxes it leads to. The Model tab draws the arrows.
  4. Fix what the Checks tab flags: outcomes missing a number or a date, outputs that lead nowhere.
  5. Print one page, or export a file to keep a copy.

Open the designer

How the checks work

What a logic model is for, and exactly what each check looks for.

The columns

A logic model reads left to right as a chain of if-then statements: if we have these inputs, we can carry out these activities; if we carry them out, we produce these outputs; if we produce them, these outcomes should follow, first in knowledge and skills (short term), then in behavior and practice (medium term), then in conditions (long term). Assumptions are the beliefs the chain depends on; external factors are conditions the program does not control. The columns follow the widely used University of Wisconsin-Extension and W.K. Kellogg Foundation formats; some funders use other labels (for example "impact" for long-term outcomes), so match the funder's template when it gives one.

Outputs count what the program did; outcomes describe what changed for people. "60 students tutored" is an output; "60% of tutored students meet the spring benchmark" is an outcome.

The SMART check, letter by letter

  • Specific: the wording names who changes (a group such as students or families, or a word from your population) and a change verb such as gain, meet, reduce or report.
  • Measurable: the wording contains a number: a percent, a score or a count.
  • Achievable: you tick it once the target is agreed with the people who know the baseline data. Software cannot judge this.
  • Relevant: an output or an earlier outcome links to it, so the model shows why the program would produce it.
  • Time-bound: the wording says when, such as "by May" or "within three years".

These are wording checks. A sentence can pass all five and still set the wrong target; the checks catch the common gaps reviewers notice first.

Sources

  1. W.K. Kellogg Foundation (2004). Logic Model Development Guide. Battle Creek, MI. The columns, the if-then reading and the place of assumptions.
  2. Taylor-Powell, E., and Henert, E. (2008). Developing a Logic Model: Teaching and Training Guide. University of Wisconsin-Extension, Program Development and Evaluation. Inputs, outputs and short, medium and long-term outcomes; assumptions and external factors.
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health (MMWR 1999; 48, RR-11, updated 2024). Describing the program with a logic model as an early evaluation step.
  4. Doran, G. T. (1981). There's a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management's goals and objectives. Management Review, 70(11), 35 to 36. The origin of the SMART mnemonic; the letters are used in several slightly different ways since, and the meanings above are the ones this page checks.

The worked example is made up: the school, numbers and targets are illustrations, not data from a real program. A logic model shows a program's expected chain of change; it is not evidence that the program causes the outcomes. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.