What is the grant writing process?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             I begin by researching potential funders for your program using Grant Station, a grant database. I list the potential funders and working together, we decide who to apply to. I look to see if the funders want a Letter of Inquiry or a grant application. I then research your potential funders on Candid.org to see how much money they usually grant to programs like yours. If needed, we work on a program budget. I then write a draft proposal and send it to you for approval. Once you have approved the proposal you can either submit the application or I can.

How long will it take to write a donor acquisition letter?                                                                                                                                                                                                          A week or less depending on the amount of projects I am already working on.

I have a tight deadline. Can you start my project right away??
Again, that would depend on my current workload.

What are your rates??
My rates are reasonable and based on the project. A donor acquisition letter takes far less time than writing a grant proposal.

What if I want to make revisions?
I want you to be 100% happy with my work. You are free to make revisions as long as the main idea of the project stays the same.

How do I hire you? Do I have to sign a contract? Do you ask for money up front?
You can contact me by phone or email. Once we agree to work together on a project, we will sign a contract documenting the required work. A 50% deposit is required before I start any work.

We’re a small nonprofit. Can we pay your grantwriting fees out of the grant?
No. Most grant funders do not allow the grant writer’s fees to be taken out of their grants. I require half of my fees upfront before I start researching and writing and the other half when the grant is ready for submission.

How long will it take you to write the grant?
This question is hard to answer definitively because it depends on the type of grant we are submitting. Also, I will need information from the nonprofit itself, i.e. mission statement, type of program, etc., before I can begin writing the grant.

Do you guarantee we will receive the grant funds?
No, I can’t guarantee any results, there are too many variables when submitting a grant. The funder may decide your program isn’t one he wants to support, he received too many submissions and your grant didn’t make the cut or he doesn’t think your organization can sustain the project. These are all things out of the grant writer’s control. I will guarantee that I will do my very best on each and every grant I work on.

If you have any questions I haven’t answered yet, please contact me at sandy@aheartfornonprofits.com or at 760-684-0628.