For grant writers
Nonprofits pay for applications, not hours, and the person who hires you rarely signs the checks. Quote each application, take a share up front, and send the invoice to whoever pays.
When the director hires and the treasurer pays
A nonprofit’s director hires you, and the treasurer who pays has never heard your name.
You’re asked to work for a share of the grant if it’s won, which your profession’s code of ethics rules out.
The deadline is the funder’s, so the work arrives in a rush and the payment arrives slowly.
Questions grant writers ask
Should a grant writer work on commission?
No. The Grant Professionals Association’s code rules out pay based on a percentage of the grant, and many funders won’t allow it either. Charge a flat fee per application.
How much should a grant writer charge per application?
Price the hours a typical application takes you, from research to submission, and quote one number. A federal application takes far longer than a foundation letter, and the fee should show it.
Do grant writers guarantee funding?
No, and your agreement should say so. You’re paid for a strong application delivered on time; the funder decides.
What’s different for grant writers
An invoice the treasurer can pay
Your client taps Bill someone else on the invoice and names who pays. The invoice and its reminders go to that address, not to the director who hired you.
Each application as an offer
Send an offer from the client’s row with the funder and the deadline in the scope and a share due now. They accept the agreement and pay that part before you start.
Your page on the first day
This is the consulting setup, and it’s what your page starts with. Change any of it where it appears.
- Clients can book from tomorrow onward.
- Moving or canceling is free up to 24 hours before.
- There are 15 minutes clear after every session.
- Before booking, your page asks: “What should I read before we talk?”
Your engagement letter opens with this: Advice is given in good faith on the information you share; decisions and outcomes stay yours.
What it doesn’t do for you
There’s no grant database, no funder research and no submission portal. Applications go in through each funder’s own system.
Others who start from the same setup
Independent consultants · Fractional executives · Marketing consultants · HR consultants · Startup advisors · Speakers · Bookkeepers · IT consultants · Workshop facilitators · SEO consultants · Corporate trainers · Management consultants · Accountants · Data consultants · Sustainability consultants · Independent recruiters · Strategy consultants · Cybersecurity consultants · Restaurant consultants · Privacy consultants · AI consultants · E-commerce consultants · Change management consultants · Pricing consultants · Procurement consultants · Customer success consultants · Export consultants · Fundraising consultants · Operations consultants