Grant writers may be paid
employees, compensated on an hourly rate or paid a flat or project fee. To be
able to know the potential grant writer salary, we must first understand the
specific amount of work that needs to be done. Many companies choose to hire a freelance grant writer to create high
quality business grants that have a good chance to be accepted by donors. They
usually charge an hourly income and they practically always earn more than full
timers.
Grantwriter fees vary because of a lot of factors: the
writer’s level of expertise, specialization, types of donors sought, clients,
area of operation, and whether the writer is a full time employee or a
freelancer. It depends on the number of his accepted projects each year, on his
type of writing whether he is a specialist or a generalist and of course the
geographic location. Here are the payment methods commonly accepted by the
marketplace:
1. Hourly
Rate: An average rate for a competent grant writer is between $40 and $80.
Though the experience and track record of each grant writer is connected to their
grant writing fees, some charge $100
per hour or more while some less established writers charge between $25 and $50
per hour.
2. By
project: This method depends on the length and complexity of the grant document.
Fees can range from $1,000 to $10,000 after a thorough assessment of the full
range and scope of the job. However, it still depends on the grant writer to
decide on the rates based on sourced grants.
3. Per
Diem/per day: Full time writers employed in a grant consulting firm offer their
services per day. They charge a standard daily rate from $500 to $2,000.
Typical rates in the US are $1,250 per diem.
4. By
commission: In this arrangement, the salary is based on a certain percentage
agreed from the grant that is awarded. So the potential income is tied to the
success of securing the grant and may be between 1% and 5% of the total grant
given.
The last item draws us
from our next question and the most debatable topic around the grant writing
business industry. Should a grant
writer be paid a percentage of the approved grant? This is called the
contingency pay. The American Fundraising Associations have a policy against
it, and similarly some feel it is unethical and declared it as an unacceptable
practice. They even revoke memberships if they found out that their members
accepted pay from grants received.
Grant writers are
professionals whose expertise you seek to increase grants for your
organization’s profit, to increase the number of strong relationships with
donors and increase the potential success of your projects and programs so do
them a favor: pay them for their work. The grant donor expects you to use their
donation for what they pay for which does not include your overhead charges. As
for both parties, it is always wise to have a written or contract so that both of
you have evidence of the agreement, whatever type of payment is agreed upon.
Conversely, bear in mind
that there is a significant relationship between the grant writer’s skills and
the organization. The funder wants to see if you are really worthy of their
donations or funds. So if the company mismanages its assets, it’s not the fault
of the writer but of the organization and not because the writer fails to
execute what he was paid to do.
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