Many factors deliver a grant success, the strength of the applicant’s program, board of directors or farm team, finances, objectives, and accomplishments. The funder’s preferences, a competitive application, and how closely the proposal addresses the funder’s objective or opportunity are all important factors.  Grant writers do not determine these factors, and they have no influence on the decision-making.  Therefore, it is not easy to measure success rates, but I have a track record of working with clients, partners, and funders who can attest to my skills and contributions.

There is no guarantee of being awarded a grant.  However, hiring an experienced grant writer does increase the chances of being awarded a grant. 

In some ways, grant writing is like playing the lottery.

To win the lottery, you must buy a ticket; the more tickets you buy, the better your chances. To receive a grant, you must submit a technically correct proposal for a program for which your entity is eligible. After that, funding decisions depend on many factors, such as the number of applications, the mood of the reviewers, geographic, economic, social, and political considerations, and many other factors that are hard to predict.

You can get more grants by submitting more high-quality proposals for different programs; as you get proposals funded, funders are also more likely to give you money. Over time, you should achieve a 25% – 50% success rate. If less than 25% of your proposals are being funded, something is wrong. If more than 50% of your grants are being funded, your probably are not stretching the envelope far enough by trying to get grants to extend your entities service capabilities.

Grant makers frown upon contingency fees, and many will not fund your organization if they find out you paid a Consultant using their funds.  Not only is this unethical, but it goes against the state, federal, and foundation funding guidelines.

If a funder were ever to find out that a grant writer was paid a percentage of the grant award, at the very least, the grant would be rescinded, and at worst, there could be legal consequences for the applicant. Grant preparation costs and fees are usually paid from other entity resources, such as unrestricted individual donations, reserves, farm income, etc. I am paid for my time and expertise, even if the proposal is not successful.  Whether by the hour or project.

I do not screen clients for their funding “potential.” Rather, I generally accept any assignment, provided that I have the capacity to meet the requirements of the grant and deadline. Potential clients should appear to be eligible for the grant, and have the time and capacity to work with me.  Clients should have at least three years of farm tax records (Schedule F)  or 990’s, a basic program or operational budget, a sense of impacts and outcomes, and a great story to tell.

If you have a particular grant you wish to apply for, please give no less than 45 business days’ notice before the deadline, depending on the complexity of the application.  It may take up to several weeks to research, write, edit, and submit to guarantee successful completion.

After your grant is submitted, I am happy to work with you on future grant applications. If (and, hopefully, when) your grant is awarded, it is your responsibility to manage post award administration, which can include preparing State grant reimbursement requests, tracking grant expenditures, funder site walks, and completing written grant reports.  Large federal grants require the most reporting, tracking, and staff time on a quarterly basis.

My fees vary depending on the type of service requested. Every client comes to the process with different grant experiences and readiness. The entire grant writing and submission process for each grant application, includes; consultations, discovery, written grant narratives, budget development, forms and supporting documents, revisions, project management, and submission.  I am happy to discuss a price package for clients looking for 3 or more planned grants written in a 12-month period.

Yes.  I work remotely with all clients using email, calls, video, Google Workspace, and Microsoft products to communicate.  I will travel within a one-hour radius.

All of my clients have great farms and good causes, but I do not donate my services. While I appreciate all efforts, I can only work with established farms, producers, processors, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations.