Do you have a new idea for a business or looking for support to expand your business? Grants can be one of the ways that could help fund your business venture and can be part of your funding strategy.
As a small business owner, you should also know about the support that the government provides to small businesses in the form of grant money. Subsidies, grants by a nonprofit organization, other organizations, and federal grants are part of community development programs that can help make a big difference in helping your business to thrive.
If you are looking to apply for a government grant or business grant and find the task of writing a grant proposal daunting perhaps you can seek the help of certified grant writers.
What Is a Grant Writing?
Grant writing is about crafting proposals to secure funding for a grant. To succeed in a grant application the professional grant writer should have a comprehensive understanding of the requirements of the funding opportunity and convey the necessary details of the project’s plan, approach, and evaluation. Grant writing doesn’t necessarily require higher education but requires familiarizing oneself with the grant guidelines as well as a good understanding of the mission of the organization to be in the best position to succeed for the grant.
What Do Grant Writers Do?
Essentially an experienced grant writer should have diverse experience that can write grants, craft proposals, and grant applications to secure grant funding on behalf of others. Professional grant writers are basically project management professionals that also locate a granting organization or source that funds projects. They do grant research, draft, and submit proposals that help businesses to succeed in receiving grant funding. They make sure that the applying business aligns with a grant’s specifications and the organization’s budget to succeed.
- READ MORE: How to Get a Small Business Grant
Is Hiring a Grant Writer Worth It?
If you are busy with the day-to-day running of your organization you might not have time to write a grant. You may also not have resources for a full-time grant writer on staff this is where freelance grant writers can help you get funding,
A good grant writer knows how to put together winning written proposals to help you succeed and has the time to make sure it is done right. Besides offering their expertise in helping you with writing grants the best grant writer will need to have some fundraising experience and also help submit the grant before the deadline.
How To Find a Grant Writer
A good grant writer must have the drive to find grants and funding that might be worth pursuing your business. Grant writing is a specialized form of writing and requires someone with technical writing experience to develop a grant proposal, below are some things to look for when considering hiring a grant writer:
- Should have research skills: An effective grant writer must be able to look through internal documents and external resources to find the information needed to write an effective proposal.
- Be able to crunch data: Grant writing services require persuasive writing skills and should also be able to present data to support the grant application and tie it to the grant’s requirements.
- Have people skills: To write an effective grant proposal, a grant writer must not only write persuasively but also be able to work effectively with people and be able to gather relevant information to support the grant’s application. He/she must also be able to communicate clearly with the grantor and answer questions as needed, build rapport and maintain connections.
Where To Find Grand Writers
If you’ve decided to hire a grant writer is right for your business, now you need to find one. But where can you find a professional grant writer? The American grant writers association is one great place to scout some great grant writers and resources and there are also several places where you can hire the right grant writer that is a good match for you.
1. Grant Writer Team
Grant Writer Team offers nonprofit organizations, small businesses, government agencies, and individuals a variety of services related to grants. They can help you with writing grants for you, creating your crowdfunding campaign, and developing a business plan and funding strategy for you. In addition, the Grant Writer Team members will help identify new grants and funding opportunities that can bring new revenues to your business.
2. Upwork
Upwork helps connect businesses with freelancers including grant writers for any industry that includes non-profit organizations, businesses, or government agencies. Upwork lets you post job vacancies, and describe your project scope, budget, and talent needs. Upwork comes with a vetting process making it easier to find qualified professionals for your project.
3. Fiverr
Fiverr is a gig economy marketplace and connects businesses with remote workers for various projects including grant writing. Here remote workers will offer up their starting price point, and projects they are proficient in including tailored service packages for businesses to choose from.
4. Freelancer
Freelancer is a freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplace, connecting almost 60 million employers and freelancers from 247 countries. Freelancer organizes projects by category related to skills, including websites, grant writing, product design, and more.
5. Guru
Guru lets you choose from a pool of over three million gig professionals. It focuses on placing talented professionals with projects in different categories that include programming and development, writing and translation, design and art, administration and secretarial, sales and marketing, business and finance, engineering and architecture, education and training, and legal. Through it, you can post a job, hire freelancers, and even make secure payments.
6. TaskRabbit
TaskRabbit offers freelancer recruitment services based on your preferred working arrangement be it flexible, local, one-off, or ongoing jobs. Freelancers are referred to as taskers that can be selected based on previous employer reviews, skills, success rate, and prices.
7. FlexJobs
FelexJobs lets you post vacancies for remote and flexible job postings in 50 career categories, including accounting and finance, business development, computer and IT, marketing, writing, and more. Besides having the option to choose from remote workers to hybrid working schedules you can also select candidates based on career levels, accolades, and more.
8. Toptal
Toptal helps to connect your business with technical writers that include grant writers, software developers, designers, finance experts, project managers, and product managers. It helps with selecting the right professional for you through its screening process to get you the best professionals the market offers. It advertises that depending on availability and how fast you can come to an agreement, you could start working with a technical writer within 48 hours of signing up.
9. PeoplePerHour
PeoplePerHour is a platform that connects clients with freelancers who are available for hourly or project-based work. Prospective freelancers are vetted by PeoplePerHour and are available across a variety of industries, including technology and programming, grant writing digital marketing, and more.
10. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network. Besides strengthening your professional networks you can use LinkedIn to find a grant writer as well. You can post your job posting for grant writers from your desktop or through the LinkedIn mobile app. LinkedIn offers free, basic membership but its Premium subscription offers you further access to LinkedIn’s products and features that include marketing, recruitment, sales, and learning products.
How Much Does It Cost to Write Grant Proposals?
Rates for grant writing can vary due to many factors, including expertise and professional experience level, location, and market conditions. The payment can also vary depending on the paid hourly rate, a flat fee per project, or in the form of a retainer.
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This article, "Where Can I Find a Grant Writer?" was first published on Small Business Trends