Download the editable ATI template
Editable Excel workbook with a project logframe, indicator tracker, and risks and assumptions register. Replace the example prompts and adapt the tool to the donor’s requirements and your organisation’s procedures.
ATI original resource • Version 1.0 • Published 15 July 2026
Logframe Template: Free Logical Framework Template for NGO Projects
The logical framework (logframe) is the standard project design tool used by USAID, the EU, UN agencies and most institutional donors to structure a project’s goals, outcomes, outputs, activities, indicators and assumptions in one document. This free template gives you a ready-to-adapt structure aligned to the format donors expect to see in a funding proposal.
What’s in the Logframe Template
Standard Logframe Columns
- Narrative Summary: Goal, Outcomes, Outputs, Activities
- Objectively Verifiable Indicators (OVIs): the measurable evidence of success at each level
- Means of Verification (MOVs): the data source for each indicator
- Assumptions: external conditions that must hold for the logic to work
How to Complete Each Level
Goal
The long-term, higher-level change your project contributes to but does not achieve alone (e.g. “Reduced maternal mortality in Region X”).
Outcome
The specific change in behaviour, condition, or practice your project is directly responsible for by project end.
Outputs
The concrete deliverables — trainings held, facilities built, materials distributed — that your project produces.
Activities
The specific tasks implemented to produce each output, each with an associated budget line.
Common Logframe Mistakes to Avoid
- Confusing outputs with outcomes (an output is what you deliver; an outcome is the change it causes)
- Indicators that are not specific, measurable, or time-bound
- Assumptions written as positive statements of fact rather than genuine risks
Related Resources
- Theory of Change Template
- Indicator Library
- Monitoring Plan Template
Related ATI Training
ATI’s Diploma in Monitoring and Evaluation covers logframe design in depth, alongside indicator development and MEAL system design.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the logframe the same as a Theory of Change?
No. A Theory of Change explains the broader causal logic and assumptions behind how change happens; a logframe is the more structured, donor-facing tool that operationalizes that logic into a results chain with indicators.
Do all donors require a logframe?
Most institutional donors (USAID, EU, UN agencies) require some form of results framework, though the exact format and terminology vary by donor.
How to build a useful project logframe
- State the long-term goal and the specific outcome the project can reasonably influence.
- List the outputs the project will deliver and the activities needed for each output.
- Choose indicators with clear definitions, baselines, targets and disaggregation.
- Identify data sources, collection frequency and responsible staff.
- Record critical assumptions and risks, then review them during implementation.
Minimum quality checklist
- The results chain follows a clear cause-and-effect logic.
- Indicators measure the result at the correct level.
- Targets are realistic, time-bound and supported by baseline evidence.
- Data collection is feasible, ethical and proportionate.
- Responsibilities and reporting frequency are explicit.
Related ATI resources
Connect the logframe to the M&E Plan Template, Indicator Library and NGO Proposal Template.
Related ATI training: Monitoring & Evaluation and Project Management.