Grant Engine How To's

The Why

Finding the Right Match

You’ve decided to work with a grant writing partner to help secure funding — it’s a great idea, and one that equals financing success for many organizations! But to make that success happen, you need to make the right choice in who your partner will be. There are dos and don’ts when it comes to choosing a grant writing partner, which can make all the difference in securing that funding or watching an opportunity pass you by.

By understanding what best practices are for a grant writing partner, and what a qualified partner looks like, you can identify the organization that will meet your needs and help you progress through the grant application process, instead of holding you back.

Here’s what to look for — and what to run away from!

The What

Good Signs in a Grant Writing Partner

– A data-driven approach: Your ideal grant writing partner should understand why data is important in securing a grant, and how to present that data in a winning way. This isn’t just the data that you already have on hand, but the data that would come about through the grant funding, and how that data fulfills the grant topic.

– Process is everything: Your grant writing partner needs to understand the process of the grant, from the topic announcement to the documentation at the end of the grant period if it’s a winning proposal.

– A candidate with experience and a strong success rate: This should be a given! Your ideal grant writing partner is one that has succeeded in this area many times in the past. Recent, funded proposals are also a good sign.

– Excellent reviews or references: Take it from past clients, who know exactly how the partner worked in securing their grants.

A Word of Caution

Red Flags for a Writing Partner

A grant writing partner without experience, with poor references, or with a success rate that is lacking is not worth your time, even if they are offering services at a lower cost than other options. This is an area where skill and ethics matter, and it’s worth budgeting for a partner that will help you rather than set you back

The When

Getting Started

The sooner you can identify your best writing partner, the better off you will be! Please feel free to contact Grant Engine to answer any further questions you may have about picking a grant writing partner and how we can assist as your writer. Please call (650) 937-9164, email greatscience@grantengine.com, or click here.