Before you hire a professional grant writer, you’re probably wondering: How should I account for grant writer fees?

Considering grant writer payments are an important part of any nonprofit’s budget. Here’s how the pricing usually breaks down:

Most grant writer fees are hourly

Most grant writers charge by the hour for their work, and the rate depends on their level of expertise. Grant writer fees start around $40 per hour for grant writers with less experience. Rates may go as high as $125 per hour or more.

Some grant writers may offer flat rate, project-based fee structures. This is less common than hourly fees, but it just depends on the grant writer. You can find out this information early on in the process of talking with a possible grant writer hire.

Don’t be afraid to ask

This may sound like a lot of money. But you may feel better about the fees once you know how much time a particular project will take. Don’t be afraid to ask a grant writer for a price estimate before they get started on the work. Then, you’ll have a better sense of what you may be spending on grant writer fees. And you can compare apples to apples if you’re collecting price estimates from other grant writers.

Grant writers do not work on commission

Some organizations may be hoping to hire a grant writer on commission. That is, they want to pay a percentage of the grants awarded. If the grantmaker does not award the grant, the organization does not pay the grant writer.

There’s a lot wrong with that scenario. In short, it’s considered unethical to pay a grant writer a commission rather than their regular grant writer fees. And it’s also principally unfair to the grant writer, whose work is only one part of the equation of why a funder does or does not award a grant. You can learn more about why grant writers do not work on commission.

Learn more about our grant writing services here.