ABOUT US
Professional Grant Writers is a full-service grant writing agency made up of a team of talented consultants.
Founded by Megan Hill in 2009, Professional Grant Writers works with a variety of organizations to identify and apply for grants to fund their programs. To date, we’ve helped more than 250 organizations to apply for thousands of grants to foundations, corporations, and state and federal government entities.
Megan Hill
CEO and Founder
Megan Hill has written grants as both an in-house grant writer and as a consultant. A writer by trade, Megan draws on her passion for service and nonprofit work.
Megan has a background in journalism and nonprofit work, which she puts to good use interviewing development staff, executive directors, and program staff before writing a grant. Megan is a Certified Grant Writer and a member of the Puget Sound Grant Writers Association and the Northwest Development Officers Association. She founded Professional Grant Writers as a solo venture in 2008 and has built a business that works with nonprofits around the world.
Marian Chambers
Grants Consultant
Marian Chambers has an undergraduate in political science and a master’s degree in public administration. She has written grant applications which secured over $180,000,000 for projects.
Her specialties include environmental stewardship, watershed remediation, infrastructure development, housing rehabilitation, blight removal, economic development, education, and non-profit initiatives. She was a grant administrator for an R1 university and she currently works as the foundation and corporate relation officer for one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the nation. Marian has applied for grants from the Rural Utilities Service, Army Corp of Engineers, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Defense, Department of Education, National Science Foundation, National Institute of Health, National Endowment for the Humanities, and others. She has experience working with foundations including Andrew Mellon Foundation, Richard King Mellon Foundation, Hillman Foundation, Eberly Foundation, Snee-Reinhardt Charitable Foundation, and others.
Marsha Marshall
Grants Consultant
Marsha Marshall has more than a decade of nonprofit and grants experience. Marsha’s educational background, MPH and PhD in Public Health, has allowed her to create narrative and use compelling story telling through a public health lens.
Her professional experience with grants began in 2010 when she served as a Grant Reviewer for the Susan G. Komen Foundation Greater Atlanta Affiliate. Marsha continued her career in nonprofits serving as the Director of Development for a charitable clinic and the Grants Manager for the largest homeless shelter program in the southeastern United States. As Director of Development, Marsha tripled the organization’s revenue by securing more than $350,000 in first time grants and managed a $750,000 two-year capital campaign which met 93% of its goal in the first year. More recently, Marsha has contributed to a 209% increase in grant funding for a faith-based nonprofit organization providing services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
As an independent grant consultant, Marsha has been successful with identifying and securing private foundation and federal funding for organizations focusing on agriculture, environmental sustainability, faith-based initiatives, disabilities, health and human services, workforce development, and youth mentoring. She has submitted grant proposals for organizations throughout the United States totaling more than 4 million dollars. Additionally, she has facilitated workshops on How to Start Nonprofits, Getting Grants Ready, The Do’s and Don’ts of Grant Writing, and Strategic Planning. Marsha also serves on an objective review committee for federal grants.
With a wealth of knowledge and experience in nonprofit development, Marsha aims to help nonprofits become and remain financially sustainable and make long lasting impacts in their communities.
Hannah Stewart
Grants Consultant
Hannah Stewart brings over a decade of non-profit experience to her grant writing. As a grant consultant, Hannah works with a variety of clients, including nonprofit organizations, small businesses, filmmakers, and fashion designers.
After completing her bachelor’s degree from Kenyon College and a master’s degree from The Ohio State University, Hannah began work with an international exchange organization. She supported thousands of students studying critical languages abroad. She also worked for an organization that provides math tutoring to middle school students. These roles provided key insight into how non-profits operate, including programming and budgeting. Hannah also wrote and edited grant applications and reports in these positions. In her writing, she seeks to convey the voice and strengths of each of her clients.
Stephanie D’Souza
Grants Consultant
Stephanie D’Souza is a New Jersey-based writer and editor. She has served as the grant writer for the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, where she successfully secured several $100K+ awards from the Institute of Museum and Library Services,
National Endowment for the Arts, and New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Stephanie has extensive experience in nonprofit management and also worked for seven years in the publishing industry. She holds a grant writing certificate from the University of South Carolina and a BA in English from the University of Delaware and a Master of Communication and Information Studies from Rutgers University.
Rebecca Brodka
Grants Consultant
Rebecca (Beck) has more than 30 years of experience writing and managing grants in the nonprofit and small business sectors. Beck has been a Certified Grant Specialist (CGS) since 2000.
She has held different roles over her career including Grant Writer, Grants Administrator, Director of Development, and Community Relations Manager. She began her career writing multi-million-dollar grants for a large housing authority in Cleveland, Ohio where she was lead grant writer of a $21 million dollar Hope VI grant proposal that was awarded fully. Her career successes continued in diverse areas such as drug elimination, health, low-income housing, energy, technology, K-12 education improvement, and a plethora of social service programs. Representing a success rate of approximately 85%, at least 159 of the applications she has written have been awarded at a combined $421,510,000. These grants have been awarded by federal, state, and local governments as well as foundations and corporate funders.
Beck has provided startup, business planning and writing, budget analysis, grant-writing training and grants administration services to nonprofits and small businesses. Her post-award work includes writing standard operating procedures, administrative handbooks, and board manuals for both nonprofits and small businesses to establish structure, improvement, and accountability processes. She is a pre- and post-award compliance expert. She loves the challenge of “getting it right”, being compliant, and helping clients get grant awards for their hard work in different communities across our country. She lives in Lorain County, Ohio with her husband where they enjoy walking in parks and going for long rides in the surrounding countryside.
Amanda Jackson Mott
Grants Consultant
Amanda Jackson Mott, an accomplished Grant Writer and Grants Specialist, has leveraged her talents to produce an impressive nationwide track record impacting philanthropic communities.
In her position at Professional Grant Writers, she merges her experience in community-centered philanthropy and nonprofit leadership to deliver transformative and consistent results for our clients.
Amanda has more than 25 years’ experience in the nonprofit sector working with clients to research, manage, and acquire grants, enhance programs and impact, and strengthen organizational missions through innovative approaches to donor development. Her nonprofit experience includes various sectors including Social Services, Educational Programs in public schools and higher education, Health and Human Services, Youth Services, Creative Vitality & the Arts, and Food Insecurity.
Amanda holds a Master’s degree from the University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice and a Bachelor’s degree from The Colorado College. She resides in Eastern Washington State with her husband and 10-year-old daughter where she enjoys gardening, fishing, kayaking, and cooking.
Rosemary Loshin
Grants Consultant
Rosemary has dedicated the past decade of her life to nonprofit work, to both national and international organizations. Her nonprofit experience includes grant writing, fundraising, campaign coordination, and volunteer management.
A lifelong love of persuasive writing coupled with her background in nonprofit management lead her to grant writing, where she has worked on various causes including environmental sustainability, refugee services, disabilities, child abuse, and human trafficking.
She draws on this knowledge to proactively answer the questions funders want to know before they have to ask. Rosemary has a degree in Global Studies and is a Certified Grant Writer.
Mary Yearwood
Grants Consultant
Mary Yearwood is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and has over a decade of experience in nonprofit fundraising and grant writing. She has a bachelor’s degree in business and sociology and a master’s degree in community development.
Over the past two years, Mary has raised more than $12 million in grant funds for nonprofit and public agencies and has experience with grants for the Department of Justice (DOJ), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Education (Ed), Veterans Affairs (VA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Health and Human Services (HHS), and National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). She has also written grants for many private and corporate foundations including the Kronkosky, Newman’s Own, Lowe’s, Cohen, and Kellogg foundations. She is a member of the Grant Professionals Association and the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Testimonials
Frequently Asked Questions
The cost of hiring a grant writer depends on the scope and complexity of the work. Some organizations hire a grant writer for a single proposal, while others work with a consultant on an ongoing basis to manage grant research, writing, and reporting. Fees may vary based on factors such as the type of grant (foundation, corporate, or government), the amount of background research required, and the level of collaboration with the organization. Many nonprofits choose to work with a grant writer as part of a broader grant strategy designed to build sustainable funding over time. When you contact us, we’ll discuss your organization’s grant history as well as your current needs. From there, we can offer a price estimate for the project.
A professional grant writer does much more than write grant proposals. Grant writers research funding opportunities, assess whether an organization and its programs are a good fit for a funder, develop proposal strategies, gather information from program staff, write and edit applications, and help organizations communicate their impact effectively.
At Professional Grant Writers, our work can include grant prospect research, proposal development, editing and consulting, funder communications, grant reporting, and grants management. Our goal is not simply to produce a well-written application, but to help organizations develop a strategic approach to grant funding.
Grant writers can be a worthwhile investment for nonprofits that have strong programs but lack the time or specialized expertise to pursue grant funding effectively. A professional grant writer can help identify appropriate funding opportunities, develop a stronger proposal strategy, and ensure that applications address a funder’s priorities and requirements.
Whether hiring a grant writer makes financial sense depends on your organization’s goals, the opportunities you are pursuing, and the resources required to pursue them. A good grant writer should help you focus your time and resources on opportunities where your organization has a realistic chance of success.
AI can assist with parts of the grant-writing process, but it should not replace the strategy, judgment, research, and subject-matter expertise of an experienced grant professional. AI can be useful for brainstorming, organizing information, summarizing research, and improving drafts. However, a competitive grant proposal requires more than well-written text.
A professional grant writer evaluates funding opportunities, develops a strategy, interprets funder requirements, aligns an organization’s programs and outcomes with the funder’s priorities, and helps ensure that the application is accurate, persuasive, and compliant. AI can be a useful tool in that process, but human expertise remains essential.
The grant writing process typically begins by identifying funding opportunities that align with an organization’s programs, goals, and eligibility. The next steps may include researching the funder, developing a proposal strategy, gathering organizational and program information, preparing the narrative and budget, and completing required application materials.
After a proposal is submitted, the process may continue with responding to funder questions, tracking the application, and completing required reporting if funding is awarded. At Professional Grant Writers, we tailor our process to the organization, funder, and type of grant.
The time required to write a grant proposal depends on the type of grant, the complexity of the application, the amount of research required, and how quickly the organization can provide information and feedback. A straightforward foundation proposal may take considerably less time than a complex federal application.
The time between submitting a proposal and receiving a funding decision also varies. Some funders make decisions within a few weeks, while government and larger foundation grants may take several months. Grant funding should therefore be viewed as part of a longer-term fundraising strategy rather than a source of immediate cash.
Professional Grant Writers works with a wide range of funding opportunities, including foundation grants, corporate grants, and state and federal government grants. Our team has experience with both small and large grant applications across areas including health and human services, education, housing, environmental sustainability, arts and culture, community development, research, and more.
We evaluate each opportunity based on your organization’s eligibility, programs, goals, and the funder’s priorities. This helps ensure that you are pursuing opportunities that are genuinely aligned with your organization.
Professional Grant Writers works with nonprofits, universities, municipalities and government agencies, researchers, schools, and eligible for-profit businesses. Our clients represent a wide range of fields, including health and human services, education, housing, economic development, environmental sustainability, arts and culture, scientific research, and community development.
Our team has experience working with organizations at different stages of development, from established organizations with extensive grant histories to organizations that are building their grant capacity. We help clients identify funding opportunities that align with both their missions and their eligibility.
Professional grant writers should not charge a percentage of the grant award. Percentage-based compensation creates a conflict of interest and is contrary to accepted professional fundraising ethics.
Professional Grant Writers charges project-based fees for our services rather than taking a percentage of the funding an organization receives. Our fee is based on the scope and complexity of the work, and we are paid for the professional services we provide regardless of whether a proposal is ultimately funded.
Consider hiring a professional grant writer when your organization needs funding expertise, does not have the internal capacity to pursue grants effectively, or wants to develop a more strategic approach to grant funding. A professional grant writer can help identify appropriate opportunities, assess whether they are a good fit, develop proposal strategies, and prepare competitive applications.
Professional grant writers can also provide valuable support when you are pursuing a particularly complex or high-value grant, managing multiple applications, or need help developing and maintaining a funding pipeline. The right time to bring in a grant writer is before a deadline becomes urgent, so there is enough time for research, strategy, writing, and review.
Grant readiness depends on the type of organization, the funding opportunity, and the requirements established by the funder. In general, a grant-ready organization should have clearly defined programs or projects, established goals and outcomes, sound financial management, the documentation required by funders, and the staff or infrastructure needed to manage a grant if awarded.
Not every organization is ready for every funding opportunity. Before investing time in a grant application, it is important to determine whether your organization meets the funder’s eligibility requirements and has the track record, financial information, infrastructure, and capacity necessary to be competitive.
In most cases, we recommend that organizations be established for at least three years before pursuing grant funding. Many funders require several years of financial statements, and organizations need sufficient financial and administrative infrastructure to demonstrate that they can responsibly manage grant funds.
For this reason, Professional Grant Writers generally does not work with organizations that have been established for less than three years. Newer organizations typically need to focus first on building their financial history, programs, governance, administrative systems, and organizational track record. Once that foundation is established, grant funding may become a much more realistic and productive fundraising strategy.
There can be exceptions depending on the organization and funding opportunity, but organizations under three years old should not expect to be competitive for most grant opportunities.