How do you hire a good grant writer?

Grants are available to nonprofit organizations, for-profit businesses that qualify for government grants, and individuals who qualify for foundation or government grants. Hiring a good grant writer can help you gain funding in your chosen field. According to the American Grant Writers’ Association, grant writers can help you research potential grant opportunities; write grant proposals, create budgets, and build budget narratives; review written materials before you submit; prepare a business plan; analyze your organization for grant competitive qualities; prepare research grants; help with 501(c)(3) applications for nonprofits; and more. Investing in the right grant writer could result in a financial win for your organization. Generally no licenses or certificates are required to be a good grant writer, but you may want to find a grant writer who has been certified (not just received a certificate of completion) by a reputable organization such as the Grant Professionals Certification Institute. Qualities to look for in a good grant writer include:

Proven success writing winning grants, especially in your target area.
Strong writing skills.
Strong math skills and demonstrated proficiency with budgeting.
Careful attention to detail — brilliant grant proposals may be rejected just for formatting errors, so you want someone who follows instructions explicitly.
Expertise in your target area.
Punctuality and good communication skills.

How much does a grant writer cost?

Hiring a grant writer can give you a competitive edge when applying for financial grants for your business or nonprofit organization, or as an individual. The cost to hire a grant writer can vary depending on their academic background, areas of expertise, previous grant writing success and years of experience. According to the Grant Professionals Association, grant writers should be paid hourly or by flat fee. It is unethical for a grant writer to accept a commission or percentage compensation of grant monies received. They can, however, be awarded bonuses in line with the hiring company’s prevailing practices. Here are some examples of average grant writing fees:

Hourly rate for grant writers with less experience or fewer grants awarded: $25-$35 per hour.
Hourly rate for grant writers with some degree of success: $35-$75 per hour.
Hourly rate for grant writers with proven success winning large grants: $75-$150 or more per hour.
For a smaller grant, the writer may charge a flat fee of $200-$500 for preparation and submission.

Pricing may also vary based on the complexity of the grant application. A federal grant that requires pages of research, budgets and a business plan may take more than 30 hours to prepare. For a high-level grant writer who charges $100 per hour, this means $3,000 or more in grant writing fees.

Most grant writers will provide you with a total cost estimate before agreeing to the work. You may be required to pay a deposit up front, or the grant writer may work from a retainer. Often, seasoned grant writers pay for themselves in the long run by writing successful grants.

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My time with Maverick Consulting was everything I could have hoped for and more. My name is Joshua Wolk and as someone who has severe dyslexia, resumes and cover letter writing is extremely difficult for me. My federal resume create by Maverick Consulting was well written and insightful. Additionally, I presented my resume to a member of the Rocky Mountain National Park human resources team for input and it was well received. As so someone who works in natural resources management (a scientific and jargon filled profession) I was worried this would be a problem. This was not the case and my time spent with Lisa-Beth ended in a out standing resume and cover letter! I would and will recommend this service to anyone interested in a tailored federal resume and cover letter!

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Lois is the most helpful teacher/mentor I have ever had the opportunity to work with. She is flexible about times and has helped me with many different writing and speaking projects. Lois has vast experience in many areas and knows how to make projects and learning enjoyable. She is willing to share her knowledge and insight. I am so glad that I hired her and will continue to go to her for all my speaking, writing, acting, film and academic needs. You will get custom help for a reasonable price- she is an amazing tutor. Giovanna

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Chris was great. He was prompt in communicating and completing the work. He also provided valuable feedback to help improve the quality of my writing. I would definitely recommend him!

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Great math tutor, so good that my child's grades went up quickly! She no longer thinks she's 'bad at math,' which is the idea she had gotten from every math teacher she'd had. Chris dispelled that and now she feels much better. Writing review so Chris gets more work :)

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She is a great amazing teacher . I enjoy her writing lessons a lot. Never regret to take lessons with her. She taught me different writing styles and loads of grammar. The lessons are fun too. Thank you May Chaisakulchai

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I had Cynthia as a teacher at UCLA Extension, and decided to work with her 1x1 when I was preparing to submit spec scripts to a few different fellowships. Her teaching style is the perfect combination of smart and supportive, and I know that my writing (and confidence in my writing) has improved since working with her. The notes she gave were exactly what I needed to take my script to a more competitive level. I can't recommend her highly enough.

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Brad prepared a quality resume & cover letter for me. We met at his office and spent close to an hour learning about my sales background and what I wanted to achieve in a job. I even referred a friend who hired him based on my suggestion. Upon my initial resume I never asked for a re-write till now. I wasn't receiving any responses on the positions I applied for. Brad went out of his way to work with me on some re-write adjustments and now I feel 100% more confident. I strongly recommend his services.

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Kelly works professionally and thoroughly to ensure that you are happy with the result. I have worked with her multiple times and recommend her as a great source for anyone who needs help with their writing!

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