Should You Get Expert Help for a Grant Application?

Hello, grant seekers and project champions! If you’re involved with a non-profit organization, a research team, a community group, or even a small business pursuing specific initiatives, you know that grants can be an incredible source of funding. They offer the chance to bring impactful projects to life without taking on debt. However, you also know that applying for grants, especially federal or large foundation grants, can be a complex, time-consuming, and often intimidating process. Reading through lengthy guidelines, crafting a compelling narrative, developing a detailed budget, and navigating online submission portals requires a specific skill set and significant dedication. As you face the challenge of writing a grant proposal, a question might naturally arise: “Should I get expert help for this?” You might wonder if bringing in a professional grant writer or consultant is worth the investment, or if it’s something your team should handle entirely in-house. You’re asking a very practical and important question! The purpose of this article is to help you think through whether seeking expert assistance for your grant application is the right decision for you or your organization. We’ll explore the benefits, drawbacks, and key considerations to help you make an informed choice. Let’s explore when and why bringing in a grant expert might be a smart move.

The Challenges of Writing a Winning Grant Proposal

Before we discuss getting help, let’s acknowledge why grant writing can be so challenging in the first place. It’s far more than just filling out forms or writing a persuasive essay. A successful grant proposal requires a unique blend of skills and knowledge:

• Understanding Funder Priorities: You need to deeply understand what the grant-making organization (whether it’s a government agency or a foundation) is trying to achieve with their funding. Your project must clearly align with their mission and specific program goals. This requires careful research and analysis of the funding opportunity announcement.
• Following Complex Guidelines Precisely: Grant applications often come with incredibly detailed instructions regarding formatting, page limits, required sections, supporting documents, and submission procedures. Missing even one small instruction can lead to your application being disqualified before it’s even reviewed for merit.
• Crafting a Compelling Narrative: You need to clearly articulate the problem your project addresses, explain your proposed solution, demonstrate why your approach is effective, and convey the potential impact of your work in a clear, concise, and persuasive manner. This requires strong writing skills and the ability to tell a compelling story about your project’s importance.
• Developing a Realistic and Justified Budget: The budget needs to be detailed, accurate, and directly tied to the activities described in your proposal. You must justify every expense and ensure it meets the funder’s requirements for allowable costs.
• Demonstrating Organizational Capacity: You need to convince the funder that your organization has the experience, expertise, staff, and resources to successfully carry out the proposed project and manage the grant funds responsibly.
• Managing the Process and Deadlines: Grant applications involve multiple steps – research, writing, gathering documents, getting approvals, and submitting. Keeping track of everything and meeting strict deadlines requires excellent project management skills.
• Staying Updated on Best Practices: The world of grant writing evolves. Understanding current best practices in proposal writing, evaluation planning, and demonstrating impact is important.

For organizations or individuals who are new to grant seeking, have limited staff capacity, or are pursuing particularly large or complex grants, these challenges can feel overwhelming. This is where the idea of seeking expert help often arises.

Types of Expert Help Available

When you consider getting expert help for a grant application, you typically have a few options:

• Freelance Grant Writer: This is an individual professional who specializes in writing grant proposals. They are often hired on a project basis to research, write, and sometimes submit grant applications for clients. They bring writing expertise and knowledge of grant proposal structure and language.
• Grant Consultant: A grant consultant might offer a broader range of services than just writing. They can help with grant strategy (identifying potential funders), program development (shaping your project to fit funding opportunities), prospect research (finding grants that match your needs), proposal review and editing, and sometimes even grant management after an award. They often bring strategic insights into what funders are looking for.
• Grant Writing Firm/Agency: These are companies that employ multiple grant writers and consultants. They can offer a range of services and may have expertise in different sectors or types of grants.

The type of expert you might consider depends on the specific help you need – whether it’s primarily writing, strategic guidance, or a combination.

When Should You Seriously Consider Hiring an Expert?

Deciding whether to hire a grant expert is a significant decision, as it involves a financial investment. Here are several scenarios where bringing in professional help might be particularly beneficial:

• You Have Limited Internal Capacity: Your staff might be stretched thin with existing programs and operations. Grant writing is time-intensive, and if you don’t have dedicated staff time available, outsourcing the writing can be a practical solution.
• The Grant Opportunity is Large or Complex: Applying for major federal grants (like those from NIH, NSF, or large government programs) or significant foundation grants often involves lengthy applications, highly specific requirements, and intense competition. Experts who specialize in these types of grants have experience navigating their complexities.
• You Lack Experience with Grant Writing: If your organization is new to grant seeking or has a limited track record of success, an experienced grant writer can bring the necessary skills and knowledge to craft a professional and competitive proposal. They know the language and structure that funders expect.
• The Stakes Are High: If securing a particular grant is critical for your organization’s survival, a major new initiative, or significant growth, investing in expert help to maximize your chances of success might be a wise decision.
• You Need Strategic Guidance: A grant consultant can help you not just write a single proposal but also develop a broader grant seeking strategy, identify the best potential funders for your mission, and refine your project ideas to align with funding opportunities.
• You Need an Objective Review: Even if you write the proposal internally, hiring an expert for a thorough review and edit can significantly improve its quality and catch errors or weaknesses you might have missed.
• You Are Pursuing Highly Specialized Funding: Some grants are for very specific areas (e.g., cutting-edge scientific research, complex international development projects). Experts with experience in those niche areas can be invaluable.

If one or more of these situations apply to you, it’s definitely worth exploring the possibility of hiring a grant expert.

The Potential Benefits of Expert Assistance

Bringing in a professional grant writer or consultant can offer several significant advantages that can increase your likelihood of success and streamline the application process:

• Increased Chances of Success: Experienced grant professionals know what funders are looking for. They understand how to structure a proposal, articulate the project’s impact, develop a strong budget justification, and adhere to all guidelines. Their expertise can make your application more competitive.
• Saves Valuable Time: Grant writing is incredibly time-consuming. By outsourcing the writing, your staff can focus on their core responsibilities, which can be more efficient overall.
• Access to Specialized Expertise: Grant writers and consultants have honed their skills through experience. They bring knowledge of best practices, common funder expectations, and effective persuasive writing techniques that your internal team might not possess.
• Higher Quality Proposal: A professional can help ensure your proposal is well-written, clear, compelling, and free of errors. They can help translate complex project details into language that resonates with reviewers.
• Strategic Insights: Consultants can offer valuable perspectives on your grant seeking strategy, helping you identify the most promising opportunities and position your organization effectively. They can help you think about your project from the funder’s point of view.
• Objective Perspective: An external expert can provide an objective view of your project and proposal, identifying areas that might be unclear or need strengthening.
• Navigating Complex Systems: Experienced professionals are often familiar with the intricacies of online submission portals like Grants.gov, reducing the risk of technical errors during submission.

These benefits can translate into a higher return on investment if securing the grant is critical for your organization’s mission and financial health.

Potential Downsides and Considerations

While the benefits are clear, hiring a grant expert also comes with potential downsides that you need to consider:

• Cost: Professional grant writers and consultants charge for their services. Fees can vary widely depending on their experience, the complexity of the grant, and the scope of work (hourly rates, project fees, or sometimes a percentage of the grant amount, though percentage-based fees are often discouraged or prohibited by professional ethics and some funders). You need to have a budget for this expense.
• Finding the Right Fit: Not all grant writers or consultants are created equal. Finding someone with experience relevant to your sector, project type, and the specific funder you are targeting is crucial. A poor fit can lead to wasted time and money.
• Requires Your Time and Input: Hiring an expert doesn’t mean you hand over the project and walk away. You will need to invest time in communicating with the expert, providing them with detailed information about your project, your organization, and your budget, and reviewing drafts of the proposal. You are the expert on your project; they are the expert on grant writing. Collaboration is key.
• Potential for Less Internal Learning: If you completely outsource the writing, your internal team may miss out on the valuable learning experience of going through the grant writing process themselves. Building internal capacity is important for long-term grant seeking success.
• No Guarantee of Funding: Even the best grant writer cannot guarantee that you will receive funding. Grant decisions are competitive and depend on many factors beyond the quality of the proposal, including the funder’s priorities, the pool of applicants, and the amount of available funding. You are paying for their expertise and effort in preparing a strong application, not for the grant award itself.

Weighing these costs and considerations against the potential benefits and the importance of the grant opportunity is essential for making the right decision.

How to Find and Choose the Right Grant Expert

If you decide that hiring a grant expert is the right path, how do you find a qualified professional? Here are some tips:

• Ask for Referrals: Talk to other non-profits or organizations in your sector or community who have successfully received grants. Ask them who they worked with and if they would recommend them.
• Search Online Directories: Professional organizations for grant writers and non-profit professionals may have directories of members offering consulting services.
• Look for Relevant Experience: Seek out experts who have experience writing grants in your specific sector (e.g., education, healthcare, arts, environmental) and ideally experience with the type of funder you are targeting (e.g., federal agencies, specific foundations).
• Check Credentials and References: Ask for their resume or CV, samples of successful proposals (they may need to redact sensitive information), and contact information for past clients you can speak with. Ask references about their communication style, reliability, and success rate (while remembering success isn’t guaranteed).
• Discuss Their Process: Understand how they work. How do they gather information? What is their timeline? How will they communicate with you?
• Clarify Fees and Scope of Work: Get a clear written agreement outlining the services they will provide, the specific grant(s) they will work on, the fee structure (hourly or project-based), payment schedule, and what is expected of you. Be wary of anyone who guarantees funding or charges a percentage of the grant award.
• Assess Communication and Fit: You’ll be working closely with this person. Choose someone you feel comfortable communicating with and who seems to understand your organization’s mission and project vision.

Taking the time to find the right expert is crucial for a successful collaboration.

Working Effectively with a Grant Expert

Once you’ve hired an expert, remember that it’s a collaborative process. Your active participation is still required. Be prepared to:

• Provide Information Promptly: The expert will need detailed information about your project, budget, staff, and organization. Respond to their requests for information and documentation quickly.
• Be Available for Meetings and Questions: Schedule regular check-ins to discuss progress, answer questions, and provide feedback.
• Review Drafts Carefully: Read through drafts of the proposal thoroughly. You are the expert on your project, so ensure the expert has accurately captured your vision, plans, and capacity. Provide constructive feedback.
• Manage Internal Coordination: You may need to coordinate with other staff members or stakeholders within your organization to gather information or get approvals for the proposal content and budget.
• Handle Submission Logistics (Often): While some experts may assist, the final submission often needs to be done by an authorized representative of your organization through the official portal. Ensure you understand this process and have the necessary registrations (like SAM.gov and Grants.gov) in place well in advance.

A strong partnership between your organization and the grant expert is key to producing a high-quality application.

Alternatives and Supplements to Full Outsourcing

If hiring a full-service grant writer or consultant isn’t feasible or necessary, there are other ways to get expert help or improve your grant writing skills:

• Hire for Specific Tasks: Instead of hiring someone to write the entire proposal, you could hire an editor to review and polish your draft, a budget expert to help develop the budget and justification, or a consultant to help with prospect research or strategy.
• Attend Grant Writing Workshops or Training: Invest in building your internal team’s skills through professional development.
• Use Grant Writing Resources and Templates: Many online resources, books, and templates can provide guidance on structuring and writing proposals.
• Seek Peer Review: Ask colleagues from other organizations to review your proposal and provide feedback.
• Connect with SBA Resource Partners: Organizations like SBDCs or SCORE can offer general business counseling that might indirectly help with aspects of grant readiness, though they typically don’t provide in-depth grant writing services for complex federal grants.

These options can be more cost-effective and help build internal capacity over time.

Making Your Decision: Evaluate Your Needs

Ultimately, the decision of whether to hire expert help for a grant application depends on a careful evaluation of your specific situation. Consider the complexity and importance of the grant opportunity, your internal staff capacity and expertise, your budget for professional services, and your timeline. For high-stakes, complex grants where you lack internal experience or capacity, investing in expert help can significantly increase your chances of success. For smaller, less competitive grants, or if you have staff with time and a willingness to learn, handling it internally might be more appropriate for building long-term capacity. There’s no single right answer; it’s about finding the approach that best positions you to achieve your funding goals.

Expert Help: A Tool for Achieving Your Mission

In conclusion, applying for grants is a challenging but potentially rewarding process. While it requires significant effort, you don’t always have to go it alone. Hiring a professional grant writer or consultant can provide valuable expertise, save time, and increase the competitiveness of your application, particularly for large or complex funding opportunities where internal capacity or experience is limited. However, it involves a financial investment and requires active collaboration. By carefully evaluating your needs, researching potential experts, and understanding the benefits and drawbacks, you can make an informed decision about whether seeking expert help is the right strategy for your organization or project. Remember, whether you write it yourself or get help, the goal is to clearly communicate the value and potential impact of your work to funders who can help you make a difference. Wishing you clarity in your decision and success in your grant seeking endeavors! 😊