What is the difference between "gap" and "weakness"?

When requiring a needs statement, funders sometimes ask for proposals to discuss "gaps" and "weaknesses." There is a definitional difference between the two: A gap is the absence of a needed service, facility, equipment, skill set, social network, etc., whereas a weakness is a deficiency in an existing service, facility, etc. For instance, if your organization needs computers to teach a computer literacy class, that's a gap. If you have computers but they are outdated or in need of repair, that's a weakness. While there are differences, both deficiencies are useful to your proposal--they are ways to justify your need for funding, tools to sell your proposal to the funder.

Think about your proposal from the perspective of your target audience, the proposal reviewers. Describe for them what the gaps and weaknesses are, who is affected by them and who else recognizes these needs (e.g., community stakeholders, research literature). Describe the resulting problems and what will happen if deficiencies are not solved--to the target population, the surrounding community and the nation or society as a whole. Discuss why gaps and weaknesses should be addressed now rather than later.

Include all possible and relevant data to quantify your needs. Also include qualitative information to transform cold statistics into something more accessible to the reviewer by illustrating the impact on human lives. Make needs both clear and real by including a human interest story--in other words, "get 'em in the heart, get 'em in the head."

To understand proposal reviewers' requirements and how they will review your proposal, DOWNLOAD this Guidebook for Federal Grant Reviewers. To find tips on addressing needs statements, check out the Center for Nonprofit Excellence's Grant Writing Toolkit.