Grant Writing
Grant writing is hard, and often one of the most overwhelming tasks for nonprofit teams. It takes time, structure, and a thoughtful approach to get it right.
IN Fundraising helps you create space for relationship building by managing the writing. Our team helps clarify your message, identify aligned funders, and keep everything organized so you can focus on what matters most. Using our clear, two-step system, we prepare your team to submit stronger proposals, stay focused, and pursue the grants that truly match your mission.
ABOUT THE PROCESS:
Step One: The Grant Seeking System
Month 1-2
Every new grant partnership begins with the Grant Seeking System, a strategic buildout designed to position your organization for long-term success. This process builds the core messaging, funder strategy, and internal systems you need to compete confidently in today’s funding landscape. It’s more than preparation, it’s your grant infrastructure.
You’ll walk away with an organized system for grant management including:
Persuasive Case for Support, your core fundraising message across all proposals
Curated list of 25+ aligned funders who support work like yours
Grant submission calendar to guide your strategy and keep you on track
Templates, tools, and a team that’s ready to support your momentum
Step Two: Choose Your Monthly Grant Writing Plan
Month 3-12
After we complete the Grant Seeking System, select the ongoing support level that matches your needs and internal capacity:
Grant Writing: All service levels include comprehensive grant writing support, from drafting to submission. The difference lies in the volume of grants and the level of personalized support provided in each tier. Grants can include preparation of grant applications, letters of inquiry or post-award reports.
Foundations (30 Grants/Year): Grant writing services are handled by a team of writers, offering shared resources to produce up to 30 proposals per year.
Explorer (60 Grants/Year): A dedicated writer will be assigned to ensure tailored service and a consistent approach for your 31-60 submissions annually.
Trailblazer (80 Grants/Year): Like Explorer, you'll have a dedicated writer, but your service is scaled to handle a larger volume of submissions with more complex needs.
Staffing: The staffing model scales with the volume of work. Foundations are provided by a team, meaning different team members may support work. Explorer and Trailblazer are assigned a dedicated grant writer, ensuring continuity, familiarity with your organization’s needs, and consistent proposal quality.
Quality Review: Each proposal undergoes an internal quality review, regardless of service tier. This ensures that all submissions are accurate, well-aligned with funder priorities, and have a competitive edge.
Schedule Management: We manage and monitor all grant timelines to ensure deadlines are met without any delays.
File Management: All service levels include structured file organization, making it easy for your team to access past proposals, attachments, and funder credentials. We ensure version control and offer support for your annual fundraising reset.
Fiscal Year Update: To keep your proposals fresh, we update your materials annually to align with current fundraising goals and campaigns.
Grant Technology: We leverage technology tools (Asana, Shared Drive, Instrumental) to streamline grant tracking and communication. Clients receive access to a shared dashboard for basic reporting and tracking. Explorer and Trailblazer tiers get additional customization upon request, including integration with internal systems.
Prospect Research: We provide targeted research to identify potential funders aligned with your work. The Foundations plan includes up to 10 funder profiles. Explorer up to 25 and Trailblazer plans include unlimited prospect research to ensure you’re exploring every possible funding opportunity.
Discovery Calls: We contact potential funders to confirm eligibility and assess alignment before dedicating time to full proposal development. This service is standard across all tiers, helping you focus on the most viable opportunities.
Service Meetings: Regular check-ins help ensure your team is on track and aligned with grant goals. Foundations receive coordination of monthly meetings and Explorer and Trailblazer receive semi-monthly meetings.
Reporting: Transparency is key, and all clients have access to a real-time dashboard to track submissions, deadlines, and award outcomes. Foundation level receives dashboard access only. Explorer and Trailblazer benefit from quarterly reports, giving you insights into trends and outcomes to guide future planning. All levels receive an annual report.
Technical Support: General customer support regarding our services is available via email. All clients can expect responses within two business days, ensuring issues are resolved quickly.
Ready to Strengthen Your Grant Program?
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:
More Time for Mission Work: Reduce the internal lift of grant writing so your team can focus on programs, people, and impact.
Quality Grant Writing: Submit more grants with stronger narratives, clearer alignment, and fewer errors, resulting in better funder responses over time.
Stronger, Clearer Messaging: Gain a persuasive Case for Support and sharpen your program framing to resonate with funders across multiple proposals.
Greater Strategic Focus: Work from a tailored grant calendar and prospect list so you’re always applying to the right funders at the right time.
Improved Internal Readiness: With organized files, proposal templates, and a shared tracking system, your organization will be ready to act fast on new opportunities.
Ongoing Insights for Leadership: Track your pipeline and progress with dashboards, reports, and quarterly strategy sessions that support leadership decisions
ELIGIBILITY:
To be a good fit for our grant writing program, your organization should meet the following:
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit working in education, health and human services, or arts and culture
Submitting at least 30 grant proposals or reports each year
Has board-approved budgets and uses cost allocation for financial planning
Actively connects with funders through email, calls, and in-person meetings
Tracks program results and impact stories
Meets state charitable registration requirements. Need help checking your state requirements? Find your state’s guidelines here.
BENEFITS:
Increase Funding Success: Benefit from expert guidance to improve funding success. Our team can help you retain, upgrade and secure new funding.
Time Savings: Save time. Spend more time on relationship building, knowing your grant writing needs are being taken care of by professionals.
Access to Opportunities: Gain access to more funding opportunities and networks and expand your reach and potential for funding.
Capacity Building: Improve the professionalism and consistency of your key messages, making a stronger impression on funders.
Avoid Turnover Hassles: By outsourcing your grant writing needs, you can avoid the hassles of turnover, ensuring continuity and consistency in grant writing efforts.
Error Reduction: Reduce errors and improve the quality of your grant applications, increasing the odds of an award.
Fundraising Boost: Boost your fundraising efforts and reach your goals, making a greater impact in your community.
PRICING:
Our pricing is based on the time, expertise, and strategy required to prepare strong, competitive grant proposals. We follow industry best practices and ethical fundraising principles and assess fees based on what it takes to do the work, not the size of your funding request.
Foundations Explorer Trailblazer
Up to 30/year 31-60/year 61-80/year
$45,000 $65,000 $80,800
12 months 12 months 12 months
$3,750 mo. $5,417 mo. $6,733 mo.
Short-Term Grant Writing
This 6-month engagement is designed for organizations preparing fewer than 30 grant proposals or reports. It’s a flexible option for those with short-term capacity needs, time-bound opportunities, or project-based goals. Short-Term Grant Writing includes:
Full proposal development and submission support
File organization and submission tracking
Internal quality review of all proposals
Access to IN Fundraising’s grant management tools and dashboard
Monthly coordination meetings and standard support response time
Please note: This tier does not include the Grant Seeking System, fiscal year updates, prospect research, or discovery calls. It is designed for focused, limited-scope engagements.
- Term: 6 months
- Service: Up to 30 grant applications
- Pricing: $5,000/month
