# Build a logic model and theory of change for a program

A clear chain from inputs to long-term outcomes, with the assumptions underneath it, ready for proposals and evaluation planning.

- Topic: Business Strategy & Startups
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Write, Research, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/build-a-logic-model-and-theory-of-change-for-a-program

## Prompt

```text
Help me build a theory of change and logic model for one of our programs.

**Program:** [what we do, for whom, where, how often]
**The problem it addresses:** [root causes, as we understand them]
**Who we serve:** [population and eligibility]
**Resources:** [staff, partners, funding, facilities]
**What we hope changes:** [for participants and the community]
**Evidence we rely on:** [research, evaluations, or practice knowledge behind our model]

Steps:
1. Write a one-paragraph theory of change: "If we do X for Y, then Z will change, because..." Name the causal mechanism.
2. Build the logic model: inputs, activities, outputs, short-term outcomes (1 year), intermediate outcomes (1-3 years), and long-term impact.
3. List the assumptions linking each step and the external factors we do not control.
4. Stress-test it: point out leaps in logic (e.g. an activity that cannot plausibly produce the outcome claimed), outcomes that are really outputs, and impacts we should not claim to cause alone.
5. Mark which outcomes we could realistically measure and which are aspirational.

Return:
- The theory of change statement.
- The logic model as a table.
- Assumptions and risks.
- Suggested changes to make the model more defensible to funders and evaluators.

Do not invent research findings; where evidence would strengthen a link, write [CITE EVIDENCE]. Use the language of the people we serve, not jargon, where possible.
```

## What to fill in

- what we do, for whom, where, how often
- root causes, as we understand them
- population and eligibility
- staff, partners, funding, facilities
- for participants and the community
- research, evaluations, or practice knowledge behind our model
- CITE EVIDENCE

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.