The Data That Counts: Using Metrics to Strengthen Your Grant Applications

For under-funded founders—especially women, First Nations entrepreneurs, migrant women, LGBTQIA+ business owners, and founders with disabilities—securing grant funding often comes down to one question:

Can you prove your impact?

And by “prove,” we don’t mean deliver a polished pitch or a compelling anecdote (although those still matter). We mean backing up your claims with numbers, metrics, and meaningful outcomes that show funders what success looks like—and that you know how to measure it.

In an era where funders are increasingly looking for evidence, metrics are more than just “nice to have.” They’re strategic tools that can increase your chances of being funded, help you stay on track during delivery, and demonstrate value after the project wraps up.

What Funders Really Want to See

Funders aren’t just investing in ideas—they’re investing in outcomes. And outcomes require measurement.

Your grant application doesn’t need to be packed with dashboards and data, but it should answer these essential questions:

• Who will benefit from this project—and how will you know it worked?

• What changes do you expect to see—and how will you track them?

• How will you stay accountable during delivery?

That’s where metrics come in. But not just any metrics. The strongest applications use targeted, relevant, and achievable metrics—not a “kitchen sink” list of everything you might one day track.

What Makes a Strong Metric?

A good metric helps a funder picture the change you’re trying to create. It’s specific, measurable, and clearly linked to your project’s goals. It also reflects what’s realistic for your business to track.

Here are a few examples:

• Quantitative impact metrics:
  Number of people trained, products distributed, partnerships formed, or customers served.

• Behavioural outcomes:
  Increase in adoption of a practice, improvement in skills or knowledge, or changes in daily routines.

• Financial outcomes:
  Cost per outcome, revenue growth, budget utilisation, or diversification of funding.

• Operational metrics:
  Number of new markets entered, team members hired, or systems improved.

• Social impact indicators:
  Improvements in wellbeing, reductions in emissions, or increased access to a product/service for an underserved group.

Importantly, your metrics don’t need to be perfect. They just need to be aligned with the problem you’re solving, the people you’re serving, and the scale of funding you’re requesting.

Don’t Over-Promise—Be Realistic

Founders often fall into the trap of writing metrics that are either too ambitious (“We will reach 1 million users in 12 months”) or too vague (“We’ll increase engagement”).

Funders don’t expect you to change the world with one grant. What they’re looking for is focus. Be honest about what you can measure now—and what you’ll build toward over time. If you don’t have baseline data yet, say so. You can even request funding to support data collection or evaluation.

Your application is stronger when you show how you’ll use feedback and data to improve—not when you try to guarantee a miracle.

Use Metrics to Strengthen Your Narrative

Data doesn’t kill a good narrative—it grounds it.

Use a metric to make your message more tangible:

Instead of: “We help young women build confidence in business.”
Try: “In our pilot, 87% of participants reported feeling more confident presenting to customers after four weeks.”

Instead of: “We’re solving food insecurity in regional communities.”
Try: “Our meal kit pilot delivered 9,200 culturally appropriate meals to 120 households in two regional towns over three months.”

Metrics like these give your narrative shape and substance—demonstrating that your work is not only intentional, but effective.

Use What You’ve Got—and Build from There

Don’t wait until you’ve “perfected” your data tracking. Most early-stage founders are working with limited resources. Start small:

• Use surveys, feedback forms, or before/after assessments.

• Keep spreadsheets with service delivery data.

• Capture quotes, photos, or short videos alongside the numbers.

• Track trends across time to show progression—even if the numbers aren’t huge yet.

Over time, you’ll build a metrics library that you can draw from in every grant application.

Final Word

Metrics are not about proving your worth. They’re about making your work legible to those who want to support it.

By anchoring your narrative in data—and being transparent about what you can track and why—you show funders that you’re not just hoping for impact. You’re measuring it.

And that’s an application worth backing.