Grant Writing Jobs

by guest author Jackie Masloff

Grant writing jobs are great for someone who is investigating the possibility of freelance writing. But, first, one needs to know what grant writing entails.

Many non-profit organizations do not have regular sources of income and so rely on people to write proposals for funds to private organizations and government entities to obtain funding for their programs or projects. Grant writing is a specialty type of writing that is considered part of the profession known more often as fund raising.

A person who is successful in grant writing should have some experience in marketing, public relations, or fund raising but even more so, experience in social services, health education or other professions is also helpful. You also need to be organized, articulate, conscientious and passionate about the organization and its mission for which you are writing the grant.

You need to be more than just a good writer to be successful at grant writing jobs. Grant writers who are successful must locate sources of funds that best match an organization through conscientious online and telephone research.

Quite often, an organization will look to its grant writer to help guide them through the process of submitting grants from start to finish.

To find grant writing jobs, one option is join an organization and become a staff grant writer. Another is to work freelance from your home. In either situation, you will need to search online for grant writing jobs that require travel or are in your local community.

In order to secure grant writing jobs, you need to market yourself. If you have experience in grant writing, then you are a step ahead of the game. If not, then concentrate on your “transferable skills”.

Perhaps you were a teacher, experience that would be helpful to a school looking for funds. Or, if you have done volunteer work, chances are it was for a non-profit organization, experience that would be helpful for the organizations for which you are looking for funds. If you have volunteered to write a grant, so much the better. Mention any experience you think would be helpful.

Larger organizations tend to have grant writers on staff who work full-time on site. You should start working with small organizations. In this case, working out of your home could save the organization the expense of desk space and a computer.

You can either work for an hourly rate or on a per grant basis. If you are just starting out, grant writing jobs average about $15 to $20 an hour; as your experience grows, you can make upwards of $50 an hour. Working on a per grant basis means that you are paid for working on the grant from beginning to end, apart from the number of hours spent.

Be willing to start at a lower rate when lacking experience. Yet, on the other hand, do not be afraid to discuss getting a higher rate once a solid funding stream has been achieved for the organization.

Furthermore, be cautious of organizations that offer to pay a commission once is a grant is received. You should be paid for the time you spent researching and writing the grant, whether or not the grant is ultimately funded. If an organization really cannot afford to pay you, then volunteer to write the grant—the experience would be very valuable.

There are many grant writing jobs available if you do your research and learn how to look for them. It is worth the effort and can be most rewarding if you are passionate, articulate and organized, as well as a good writer.

Jackie Masloff is a freelance writer who specializes in writing original articles, web content and editing. When she is not writing, she teaches computer technology courses at several colleges in the Boston area. She previously was a public school teacher, teaching computer technology to middle and high school students. She holds degrees in architecture, computer science and instructional technology.

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