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Theory of change builder

Set out your inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and impact. The diagram is generated as you build it, checked for the two mistakes funders pick up most often, and downloadable as an SVG you can drop straight into a bid. It also writes the narrative paragraph that usually has to sit alongside it.

Your chain
What you invest — staff, money, partnerships. One per line.
What you actually do with those inputs.
What that produces, with numbers where you have them.
What changes for the people involved. Not what you deliver.
The longer-term difference. Usually one statement.
Worth checking before this goes to a funder:
    Download SVG
    The narrative version
    Most funders want both: the diagram for the shape of the argument, the paragraph for the reasoning behind it.
    The diagram is the easy part. The evidence behind the arrows is not.

    A theory of change is a set of claims that one thing causes another. A funder reading it will ask how you know — and whether the outcomes you have promised can actually be measured on the sample you will have. That is a design question, and it is far cheaper to answer before the bid than after the grant.

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    In short

    What is a theory of change?

    Answer

    A theory of change sets out how an activity is expected to lead to a result — what you invest, what you do, what that produces, what changes for people, and the longer-term difference. It makes the assumed chain of cause and effect explicit so it can be tested rather than taken on trust. This free builder produces the diagram and the accompanying narrative, and flags the two errors funders pick up most: outputs with no numbers, and outcomes that are really activities.

    Getting it right

    The two mistakes this checks for

    ✓Outputs without numbers. An output is something you produce and can count — sessions run, people reached, hours delivered. If none of your outputs carries a figure, a funder cannot tell whether the activity happened at the scale promised.
    ✓Outcomes that are really activities. "Deliver six workshops" is an activity. "Parents more engaged with school" is an outcome. The test is whether it describes what you did or what changed for someone else — and outcomes, unlike activities, are not fully within your control, which is exactly why they need evidence.
    ✓Too many impacts. Impact is the single long-term difference the work contributes to. More than one or two usually means outcomes have drifted upward.

    Common questions

    Answers before you ask

    What is a theory of change?

    A theory of change sets out how an activity is expected to lead to a result: what you put in, what you do, what that produces, what changes for the people involved, and the longer-term difference. It makes the assumed chain of cause and effect explicit so it can be tested rather than assumed.

    What is the difference between a theory of change and a logic model?

    A logic model is the chain itself — inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes. A theory of change is the logic model plus the reasoning: why each step is expected to produce the next, and what has to be true for it to work. Funders increasingly ask for the reasoning, not just the boxes.

    What is the difference between an output and an outcome?

    An output is something you produce and can count: sessions delivered, people attending, hours of support. An outcome is what changes for those people: confidence, attendance, employment. Outputs are within your control; outcomes are not, which is why they need evidence rather than assertion.

    Do I need a theory of change for a funding application?

    Most UK funders now ask for one, or for something that amounts to one. The National Lottery Community Fund, NIHR and most trusts and foundations want to see the chain from activity to difference before they will fund it.

    Is this builder free, and is my data stored?

    Yes and no respectively. It is free with no account, and it runs entirely in your browser — nothing you type is transmitted or stored anywhere.

    Can I use the diagram in a funding bid or report?

    Yes. The SVG downloads at full quality and can be dropped into a bid, a report or a slide deck. There is no attribution requirement.

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