A Note for Grant Professionals
Before we dive in: If you're reading this as a grant professional — and most of you are — this article wasn't written for you. It was written for your future clients. The executive directors, development directors, and board members who are Googling "how to hire a grant writer" at 11 p.m. because their fiscal year starts in three months and their funding pipeline is empty.
So bookmark this. Share it. Forward it to that Executive Director who keeps asking you to "just explain what you do." Send it to the board chair who wants to know why they can't just hire their nephew who "writes really well." This is your cheat sheet for educating the people who need to hire you — and helping them do it well.
Now, let's talk to the people who actually need to hire a grant writer.
Table of Contents
Why Hire a Grant Professional?
Here's the truth that most organization leaders figure out the hard way: grant writing isn't just writing. It's research, relationship management, project design, budgeting, compliance, and storytelling — all rolled into one very specific skill set. The person who writes your annual report or manages your social media is probably not the person who should be writing your federal grant applications.
A skilled grant professional doesn't just put words on paper. They help you identify the right funding opportunities, design programs that align with funder priorities, build relationships with program officers, and create a sustainable pipeline of support for your organization. They think strategically about how each proposal fits into your bigger funding picture.
And perhaps most importantly, they know how to tell your story in a way that resonates with reviewers — which is a very different audience than your donors, your board, or your community.
What to Look for in a Grant Writer
Not all grant writers are created equal, and a strong resume alone won't tell you everything you need to know. Here's what to look for:
Relevant Credentials
The grants field has several credentials that signal a professional has invested in their education and met recognized standards:
GPC (Grant Professional Certified): This is the gold standard credential from the Grant Professionals Certification Institute. A GPC has demonstrated knowledge across the full body of grant competencies through education, experience, professional development, community involvement, and a rigorous examination. If you see "GPC" after someone's name, that's a strong signal.
CFRE (Certified Fund Raising Executive): While broader than grants, the CFRE credential indicates a professional with verified fundraising expertise and ethical standards. Many grant professionals hold both the GPC and CFRE.
Certificate in Grant Writing from Spark the Fire Grant Writing: This certificate program covers the full grant writing process from prospect research through post-award management. Graduates have completed a rigorous curriculum with hands-on practice writing real proposals — not just watching videos. If you're hiring a freelance grant writer, also look for the Certification of Completion in The Business of Freelance Grant Writing, which means the writer has been specifically trained in managing client relationships, project timelines, and the business side of grant consulting.
Other certificates and training: Many grant professionals have completed additional training programs or hold degrees in related fields. Ask about their ongoing professional development — the best grant writers never stop learning.
Sector-Specific Experience
A grant writer who has spent ten years in education funding may not be the best fit for your environmental organization, and vice versa. While the fundamentals of grant writing transfer across sectors, funders in different fields have different expectations, different jargon, and different priorities. Ask about experience in your specific area — or at minimum, in a related field.
A Track Record You Can Verify
This doesn't mean a "success rate" — more on that later. It means they can speak specifically about the types of grants they've written, the size of awards they've worked on, the funders they've engaged with, and the kinds of organizations they've supported. Vague answers like "I've written lots of grants" should prompt follow-up questions.
How to Read Writing Samples (Even If You're Not a Writer)
This is where most hiring managers feel out of their depth. You're not a grant writer — how are you supposed to evaluate one? Here's what to look for in writing samples, even if the last thing you wrote was a grocery list:
Does the Project Focus on Community Conditions?
It's perfectly fine — and often expected — for a proposal to open with background on your organization: when you were founded, who you serve, your track record. That context matters. But when the proposal gets to the heart of the request — the statement of need, the project description, the "why should you fund this" — that's where you need to see a shift from the organization to the community.
A skilled grant writer frames the project around the conditions in the community that make the work necessary, not around what the organization needs. Even in a capacity-building grant — one that funds staff positions, training, or infrastructure — the ultimate argument should connect back to the organization's mission and the people it serves. The goal is never simply "make our organization better" or "pay our staff more." Those may be natural extensions of providing quality services, but they aren't the pitch. The pitch is: this investment in our capacity allows us to better serve the community in these specific ways.
If a writing sample reads like the organization is the beneficiary of the grant rather than the community, that's a sign the writer is thinking about it from the wrong direction.
Does It Appeal to Both Head and Heart?
The best grant writing is persuasive writing, and persuasive writing operates on two tracks simultaneously. Look for:
The head: Data, statistics, research citations, and evidence that quantify the problem. "37% of families in the county lack access to affordable childcare" is the head talking.
The heart: Stories, examples, and descriptive language that make the data feel real. "For Maria, a single mother working two jobs, the nearest affordable childcare is a 45-minute bus ride away" is the heart talking.
A writing sample that's all data reads like a textbook. A writing sample that's all stories reads like a fundraising appeal. Neither is a grant proposal. You want both — woven together in a way that makes the reviewer both understand the problem and care about solving it.
Is It Clear and Organized?
Grant proposals are not the place for flowery prose or academic jargon. Look for clear topic sentences, logical flow from one paragraph to the next, and language that a smart person outside your field could follow. A few specific things to check:
Are headers used to guide the reader? A well-organized proposal uses clear headings and subheadings that let a reviewer navigate the document quickly and find what they're looking for.
Are bulleted lists used with bold lead-ins? When a proposal lists activities, outcomes, or qualifications, the best writers use bulleted lists with bold headers on each bullet so the reviewer can scan efficiently.
Can you visualize the project happening? After reading the project description, you should be able to picture the program in action — who's involved, what they're doing, when it happens, and what it looks like on the ground. If you finish reading and have more questions than answers, that's a problem.
If you can't understand what the proposed program does after reading the sample, imagine how a reviewer with 40 proposals on their desk will feel.
Questions to Ask Before You Hire
Think of this as your interview playbook. These questions will help you understand not just whether someone can write a grant, but whether they'll be a good fit for how your organization works.
About Their Process
"How do you manage timelines and work plans?" A strong grant writer has a system. They should be able to describe how they build a timeline backward from the deadline, how they set internal milestones, and how they keep everyone on track. If the answer is "I just make sure it gets done on time," that's not a system — that's a prayer.
"What's your plan when our team isn't getting you the information you need?" This is a big one. Every grant writer has been there — you need the budget from finance, the data from the program team, and the letter of support from the partner organization, and nobody is responding to your emails. A good grant writer has a follow-up protocol. They escalate appropriately, they send reminders without being antagonistic, and they have a plan for what happens when the clock is ticking and the inbox is quiet.
"What is your average time before the deadline for submission?" The answer you want to hear is something like "at least two weeks before the deadline" or "I aim for a minimum of one week, with a hard personal deadline that gives the organization's leadership time to review." A grant writer who is regularly submitting at 11:55 p.m. on the due date is putting your organization at risk — both from technical glitches and from the fact that last-minute proposals tend to show it.
About Relationship Building
"Do you follow up with grantmakers after submission?" This question reveals whether your grant writer sees their role as transactional (write, submit, done) or relational. A strong grant writer builds relationships with program officers on behalf of your organization. They'll send a thank-you after submission, follow up on review timelines, and — when appropriate — schedule a call or site visit. They may also prompt your Executive Director to send a personal note or make a call, because ultimately the relationship belongs to the organization, not the consultant.
"How do you handle it if we don't receive the award?" Look for someone who sees a decline as data, not defeat. They should talk about requesting reviewer feedback, analyzing what could be strengthened, and determining whether a resubmission makes sense. The best grant writers learn as much from the "no" as from the "yes."
About Their Business Practices
"How do you charge for your services?" Grant professionals who are members of the Grant Professionals Association never work on commission or take a percentage of the grant received. This is an ethical standard in the field, and it protects your organization. Expect to see either a project-based fee or an hourly rate. Both are normal; what matters is that the arrangement is transparent and agreed upon in writing before work begins.
"Can you provide references from current or recent clients?" Any established grant professional should be able to connect you with at least two to three organizations they've worked with. Ask those references not just "were they good?" but "were they responsive? Did they meet deadlines? Did they help us understand the process?"
How to Measure a Grant Writer's Performance (Hint: It's Not Win Rate)
Let's get this out of the way: if you judge your grant writer solely by whether they "win" grants, you're going to have a bad time. Grant funding decisions are influenced by dozens of factors outside your grant writer's control — funder priorities shifting mid-cycle, political changes, a competitor organization with a longer relationship with the funder, or simply more qualified applicants than available dollars.
That doesn't mean you can't evaluate performance. It means you need to evaluate the right things. Here's what actually measures whether your grant writer is doing excellent work:
Time-Before-Deadline Rate
How far in advance of the deadline does your grant writer consistently submit? Track this across multiple submissions. A writer who routinely submits two weeks early is doing something very different — and much better — than one who routinely submits the day of. Early submission means time for leadership review, fewer errors, and zero risk of technical failures at the portal.
New Viable Prospects Discovered
Is your grant writer actively growing your funding pipeline, or just writing the same five grants every year? A strong grant writer should regularly bring you new, well-researched funding prospects — not just any open grant they found on a database, but opportunities they've vetted for alignment with your mission, programs, and capacity. Track how many new viable prospects they identify per quarter.
Reusable Boilerplate Developed
A great grant writer builds organizational assets as they go. After a year of working together, you should have a library of polished, ready-to-use content: organization descriptions, program narratives, data sections, evaluation plans, capacity statements, and leadership bios. This boilerplate saves time on every future proposal and ensures consistency across submissions. If your grant writer has been with you for a year and you're still starting from scratch on every application, something isn't working.
Relationship Building Touchpoints
Track the number and quality of contacts your grant writer initiates with funders — before and after submission. This includes introductory calls with program officers, pre-submission inquiries, thank-you communications post-submission, follow-up on pending decisions, and relationship maintenance with current funders. These touchpoints are the invisible infrastructure of a healthy grants program, and a good grant writer should be either making them or coaching your leadership team to make them.
Quality of Submissions
This one is qualitative, but it matters. Are the proposals well-organized, free of errors, and responsive to every element of the RFP? Do they tell a compelling story grounded in community conditions? Has the quality of your proposals improved over time? If you're not sure, ask a colleague in the field or a trusted mentor to review a recent submission and give you honest feedback.
Where to Find a Grant Professional
Now that you know what to look for, here's where to look:
Spark the Fire Grant Writing
Post on our Job Board — for free. Whether you're looking for a full-time grant writer or a freelance consultant, you can post your opening on the Spark the Fire Job Board at no cost. Your posting will be seen by trained, qualified grant professionals who are actively seeking opportunities.
Browse our Freelance Grant Writers for Hire. If you're looking for a consultant and want to start reaching out today, check out our list of freelance grant writers for hire. These are professionals who have completed our training programs and are ready to work with organizations like yours.
Grant Professionals Association (GPA)
The GPA maintains two directories that can help you connect with qualified professionals:
GPA Job Center: Post a job opening and search through resumes of grant professionals.
Find a Consultant Directory: Search for grant consultants by industry type and location.
Visit grantprofessionals.org to access both.
Professional Networks and Referrals
Don't underestimate the power of asking around. Reach out to peer organizations in your community or sector and ask who they use. A personal referral from a satisfied client is worth more than any directory listing.
Freelance vs. Full-Time: Which Do You Need?
This depends on your organization's size, budget, and grant volume. A few guidelines:
Consider a freelance grant writer if:
You pursue fewer than ten to fifteen grants per year
Your grants are primarily foundation or corporate (shorter applications)
You need specialized expertise for specific funders or proposal types
Your budget doesn't support a full-time salary and benefits package
Consider a full-time grant writer if:
You pursue a high volume of grants across multiple funders
You regularly apply for complex federal or state grants
Grants represent a significant portion of your annual revenue
You need someone deeply embedded in your programs and partnerships
Many organizations start with a freelance consultant and transition to a full-time hire as their grants program grows. There's no shame in starting where you are.
Red Flags to Watch For
Not every grant writer is a good grant writer. Watch for these warning signs:
They guarantee a win. No one can guarantee a grant award. If someone promises you funding, they either don't understand the process or they're not being honest.
They want to work on commission. Ethical grant professionals do not charge a percentage of the grant. This creates conflicts of interest and is prohibited by every major professional association in the field.
They can't provide writing samples. A professional grant writer should have samples available, even if they've been redacted or anonymized to protect client confidentiality.
They don't ask you questions. If a grant writer is ready to start writing before they've spent time learning about your organization, your programs, and your community — that's a problem. Good grant writing requires deep understanding, not just good sentences.
They have no professional development history. The field evolves. Funder priorities shift. Technology changes. A grant writer who hasn't invested in any training, conference attendance, or professional development in years may not be current on best practices.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to hire a grant writer? Rates vary widely based on experience, location, and the complexity of the work. Freelance grant writers may charge anywhere from $50 to $250 or more per hour depending on their experience, or offer project-based fees ranging from a few hundred dollars for a simple letter of inquiry to several thousand for a complex federal proposal. Full-time salaries depend on your region and the position's scope. Whatever the arrangement, make sure the terms are documented in a written agreement before work begins.
Should I hire a grant writer who specializes in my sector? Sector experience is helpful but not always essential. A skilled grant writer with strong fundamentals can learn a new sector relatively quickly, especially with support from your program team. That said, if you're pursuing highly specialized federal funding (NIH, NSF, DOE), you'll want someone who has navigated those specific systems before.
What's a reasonable timeline for writing a grant proposal? This depends on the complexity of the proposal and whether your organization has existing materials to work from. A simple foundation application might take two to four weeks. A complex federal proposal could require two to three months of preparation. Build in extra time if this is your first time working with a grant writer — there will be a learning curve on both sides.
Can a grant writer help with more than just writing? Absolutely. Many grant professionals offer services that include prospect research, funder cultivation strategy, grant calendar management, budget development, and post-award reporting. Some also provide organizational assessments to help you determine whether you're "grant ready." Ask about the full scope of services when you're interviewing candidates. One word of caution: your grant writer's expertise is in strategy, storytelling, and funder engagement — having them do word processing, formatting, or data entry is probably not the best use of their time or your money. Save their hours for the work that actually requires their specialized skill set.
What if we've never had a grant before — can we still hire a grant writer? Yes, and in fact, a good grant writer can help you build the infrastructure you need to be competitive. They can assess your programs, help you develop measurable outcomes, identify appropriate funding sources, and create a realistic grants strategy. Just be upfront about where you're starting from — a professional who understands your current capacity will help you target the right opportunities rather than setting you up for applications you're not ready for.
What if a grant writer says we're not ready to submit yet? Listen to them. It's very common for a grant professional to assess an organization and determine that some groundwork needs to happen before a competitive proposal can be written. Maybe your outcomes aren't clearly defined, your data collection is inconsistent, or your financial systems need strengthening. This organizational readiness work is time and money well spent. A good grant professional will approach it in a way that builds your organization's capacity — not just checks a box so they can start writing. Think of it as an investment in every proposal you'll submit from that point forward, not a delay in getting to the first one.
How do we know if our organization is ready for grants? If you have a registered organization with tax-exempt status (for most grants), established programs with clear goals, some track record of impact, and the organizational capacity to manage a grant if you receive one, you're likely ready to start exploring grant funding. A grant professional can help you assess your readiness and identify any gaps to address.
Looking for a grant professional? Post on the Spark the Fire Job Board for free or browse our freelance grant writers for hire. Need to build your own grant writing skills? Learn about the Spark the Fire Certificate in Grant Writing.