In keeping with the common practice and ethics of development and grant proposal writing established by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, I do not work on a contingency or commission basis, and my fees are never built into the grant request. Instead, I work in one of three ways: by the hour, on flat fee per-project basis, or on a monthly retainer.

Hourly Rate
Negotiable.

Flat Fee
Flat per-project fees are based on a formula that takes into account the approximate number of pages in the finished document, the complexity of the project and/or application process, and the timeline. As an example, a five-to-eight page foundation or corporate grant proposal with a moderate amount of research and a 30-to-60 day deadline will cost approximately $2,500. A higher page count, more complexity and/or a tighter deadline will increase the cost. Federal grant proposals, with their high level of complexity and tight deadlines, generally begin at $7,000. All flat fee estimates assume content support from the client and timely input from all relevant parties.

Retainer
Monthly retainer agreements guarantee a client a specified number of hours per month of development and grant writing services at a 10% to 20% discount from my hourly fee, depending on the number of hours required per month. This retainer entitles the client to my full range of development and grant writing services, including grant source searches, grant proposals, letters, reports, case statements, etc. Typical retainer agreements run between $1,500 to $2,500 per month, with a three-month minimum.

Expenses
If required, expenses such as copying, postage, long distance calls, and travel are billed at cost.