Thanks for your guidance, Jim.   The grant hasn't been awarded yet, so I guess the effectiveness of the propsal writer, at least in this instance, is still TBD.     I don't think the grant writer is a scammer, as I have spoken to her and a few clients for whom she has produced successful results.  The only concern I have about the writer is her expertise, as her successes have been working with NPOs.   Her pricing does seem a bit high, compared to the few writers I have found online - but not astronomical.   I will do the suggested reading and learn about what to avoid and what to look for.   My Best, CO Joe    

ColoradoJoe, Did your friend receive the grant? He may have been scammed. That is a lot of money to put out for something that is not guaranteed. Look at this article - Government Grant Scams. Federal grants are used for specific purposes, so before someone else tells you they think they can get your one, make sure you would qualify. You can take a look at our Loans and Grants Search Tool. The Ultimate Guide to Financing gives some other options in term of financing. JimD

I too am interested in how to find Grant Writers. Or is this something that I can learn to do myself.

I don't think the grant writer is a scammer, as I have spoken to her and a few clients for whom she has produced successful results. The only concern I have about the writer is her expertise, as her successes have been working with NPOs. Hi Joe, may I ask how you found this grant writer? As JimD said that is an awful lot of money to pay for something that is not even guaranteed! There is definitely an art to writing grants, but it's not like writing a college thesis. Of course you need to make sure all the technicalities/requirements are covered properly in the grant proposal, but it doesn't need to be a work of Shakespeare. I really don't understand why this person is charging so much unless it is a highly technical grant that requires specializes expertise. A company I'm an angel investor in recently got approved for a big grant in November from NIH - I will try and check with the owner for grant writing tips and post.

I have written a number of grants, some by myself and others in conjunction with another individual. I have written them for both non-profits and for businesses applying for specific federal programs, such as SBIR funding. There are no guarantees that a grant will be awarded, particularly if it is a competitive grant. A grant writer should not make any guarantees about their ability to get a grant for you, though they should be able to provide information on the percentage and type of grants they have successfully written. Can you write the proposal yourself? Certainly. Just be certain you follow the guidelines exactly, right down to the size of the font you use and the width of margins on the pages. You will need good grammer and spelling and the ability to provide detailed research to support your proposal. Because your friend is a contractor, I would assume that he/she applied for a federal or state grant. If the grant was complex, then the $5,000 fee may not be excessive. I have gotten more for preparing some federal grants, particularly if the finished grant is 50 pages or more and involved weeks or months of detailed research. I would be careful about hiring someone to write a government grant who has had success only in the non-profit sector unless you can negotiate a lower fee.

Hi Joe! Thanks for your great question regarding finding a grant writer and the amount one will typically have to pay for such work. The amount of money that the grant writer charged is not unusual, especially if they are having to prepare a competitive proposal that is 20 plus pages or more. Grant writers charge $5K to $10k is rather typical for a government grant and varies depending on the experience, skill level, and length of proposal plus success rate of the one preparing the proposal. As to be expected, the higher the success rate the more the grant writer is able to command. The amount may seem like a lot, however, when one secures over $100,000 or more from a grant opportunity it becomes a high return on investment. Now, if your proposal is not awarded then it definitely seems like a lot. Plus, there are no guarantees you will get funded. There are many community workshops, trainings, classes, books, online courses, and resources to learn how to apply for a grant. If you think you are going to be applying for several of these in the future, it might be worth your while to invest in learning this valuable skill. It can save you a great deal of money while helping you to also bring in grant dollars. Please note, just like in baseball, you will not hit the ball every time you are up to bat. However, with some time, commitment, and specialized training you can learn the art of grant writing. There are also ways of securing an example of a winning grant proposal from a government agency that has been awarded in the past through the Freedom of Information Act, so that you have a first hand example of a good grant proposal. Finally, if you should go down the road of learning to write government grant proposals do not go at it alone. Get a mentor and/or experience grant writer to coach you through the process to keep you from making costly rookie mistakes. You might want to give the entire grant writing process some serious consideration to determine if you are willing to learn this skill or if it is in your best interest to let a professional do it for you. Feel free to direct other questions of this nature our way in the future. All the Best!