We do our work in different contexts and cultures. As a result, words sometimes mean different things to people. Here’s what we mean by these words in our grant management forms.

• Organization – a prospective grantee organization with nonprofit 501(c)(3) status.
• Program – a specific project with a start and finish timeline that contributes to advancing the mission of your organization
• Letter of Intent – a brief questionnaire that determines your eligibility to apply, along with a description of the program for which you’re requesting funding
• Grant Application – a more detailed proposal about what you intend to do with funding, including specific program objectives and more details about your organization and community impact if program is funded
• S.M.A.R.T. Program Objectives – statements written using the S.M.A.R.T. writing structure
• Objectives – a component of a goal; a step within a goal
• Goal – long-term things that you want to accomplish that include a series of objectives (steps) toward that goal
• Six-Month Check-In report – a short questionnaire asking how things are going with your grant objectives
• Follow Up Report – a detailed accounting of what you did with the funding, aligning with your intentions in the application objectives above

Note:  Goals and objectives are often used interchangeably, but the main difference comes in their level of specificity. Objectives are very concrete, whereas goals are less structured and more big-picture focused; goals are often written as part of a strategic plan.