Tips for Successful Grant Writing

No one will want to pay you (at least, not much) to write your first grant. So how do you get started earning money from grant writing? You will need samples of your grant writing to show potential clients and references from satisfied clients. Volunteering to help a small community group raise money with a couple of grants is a great way to get samples and references.

Then you have to determine how much to charge. Professional grant writers do not work on commission but for a fixed fee or for an hourly rate. A very simple grant prepared by a new grant writer might cost $250, but a complicated government application prepared by an experienced grant writer could earn several thousand dollars. There are a lot of factors that determine price. You can read more about pricing and building a resume and portfolio on my web site, grantadviser.com/freelance.html.

Frequently people are looking for grants to start what will hopefully be for-profit businesses. “Where to go for funding and will a grant writing book be of use to them,” they ask.

On the federal and state levels, the Small Business Administration makes many loans to start up businesses. Government agencies on the local level may offer grants to start ups or to save businesses having trouble or to get them to locate in specific areas, frequently called Economic Empowerment Zones or Business Improvement Districts. Some quick research and/or calls to the offices of your elected representatives should reveal several sources.

And writing those grants will not differ from writing a foundation grant as described in the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Grant Writing. In fact, one college was using my book as one of two required texts in a class on entrepreneurship.