Freelance work · idea 22 of 52
Grant writing for small nonprofits
Small charities know the grants exist and don't have anyone who can write the application. The first win pays for you many times over.
- Who pays you
- Nonprofits pay you a fixed fee per application or a monthly retainer, by invoice, to research funders, draft proposals, assemble budgets and manage deadlines. Ethical practice and most funders' rules mean you're paid for the work, not a percentage of the grant.
- Outcomes
- 0 receipts. Nobody's reported back on this one yet. Receipts open when accounts launch.
How it works
Foundations, councils and government programmes give money to nonprofits that apply well. Thousands of small organisations with two staff and a board of volunteers never apply because nobody has the time or the skill to write a 20-page proposal with a logic model and a budget. You do. You start with one local organisation, write one application, and when it lands, you have a case study that gets you a retainer with three more.
What it actually takes
- Writing that is clear, structured and persuasive under a word limit. Grant reviewers read fifty of these.
- The ability to read funder guidelines and hit every required point in the order they asked.
- Budget literacy: matching numbers to narrative.
- Knowledge of the funding landscape where you live, which is why this is country-specific.
Where it goes wrong
- Commission-based fees. Most funders forbid paying grant writers from grant money, and professional bodies consider percentage fees unethical. Charge for the work.
- Writing for organisations that aren't fundable yet: no financials, no track record, no clear programme. Say so.
- Deadline pile-ups. Every funder has the same deadline. Cap clients per cycle.
- Expecting wins on every application. A good writer improves the odds; they don't control the funder.
Published 19 Aug 2026