How to Become a Freelance Grant Writer with No Experience

When an organization needs funding for a project, they sometimes get some or all of it from grants. These are a bit like loans, except they aren’t expected to be paid back, making them a kind of financial award.

The word grantor is used to refer to whoever’s providing the grant (which, in many cases, is a foundation or government). Grantee refers to whoever receives it—often a charity or nonprofit.

Grant proposals

The key is that grants don’t just drop out of the sky. Most of the time, it’s necessary to apply for them by submitting a grant proposal, which describes the needs and goals of the project.

That’s where grant writing comes in. A grant writer is someone who drafts these proposals, laying out the grantee’s case for funding. This is called grantsmanship—the art of procuring financial aid via grant writing.

Grant writing can be an excellent way to make extra money, particularly if you have a way with words and you like the idea of doing your part to help charities and nonprofits make a difference.

Pros of grant writing as a side hustle

In more detail, here’s why it can be worth becoming a grant writer. This side hustle is:

• Flexible: This is perhaps the number one pro of working as a freelancer (of any kind). You can make your own schedule; as long as you meet your client’s needs, your research and writing process are largely up to you.
• Remote-friendly: Similarly, as a grant writer, you can work from essentially anywhere. All you need is a laptop and an internet connection.
• In demand: The job market for freelance writers isn’t particularly strong (AI has damaged it a lot), but grant writing is still in demand. Charities and nonprofits always need funding, and most of them aren’t comfortable outsourcing this job to bots like ChatGPT—at least, not yet.
• Fairly lucrative: Even beginning grant writers can charge $20 per hour. This isn’t a bad rate when you’re breaking into a new industry, and with experience, you can raise it.
• Fulfilling: Lastly, when you practice grantsmanship, you’ll often be working for good causes. This is in contrast to other types of freelance writing, where realistically, you’ll probably sometimes have to work on projects you don’t particularly care about on a personal level.

The bottom line is that if you’re someone who enjoys the craft of freelance writing—with all of the research it entails—and you’re passionate about making the world a better place, then grant writing is probably a solid niche to get into.

Cons of grant writing as a side hustle

That said, no side hustle is perfect. Grant writing is also:

• Painstaking: With some writing-related side hustles, it’s possible to produce reams of text very quickly (and, in fact, it’s often necessary to do so to earn a decent wage). Grant writing isn’t like that; each assignment requires meticulous research, and in the beginning, the time commitment required may be steep.
• Competitive: As a freelance grant writer, you’ll have to go out of your way to find clients and convince them why you’re the writer for the job. This obviously takes a lot of get-up-and-go, and the competition will be stiff. It won’t be uncommon for you to pitch to clients who are considering a dozen or more other freelancers who you’ll have to beat out.
• Unreliable: Working as a freelance grant writer just isn’t as secure as having a traditional job at a company. If you’re looking to make freelance grant writing a part-time side gig, that probably isn’t a deal-breaker, but if you’re hoping to eventually turn grant writing into your new full-time career, it’s a downside.

AI’s future impact on freelance grant writing

To briefly expand on those last two points, it’s also worth mentioning that although AI hasn’t taken over grant writing just yet, that day might be on the way.

As large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT get more sophisticated, they’ll become more and more capable of taking on jobs like this.

Put another way, it’s still possible to earn money through freelance grant writing, but this isn’t a particularly stable time to be getting into any type of writing-focused job, including this one. That’s a reality you’ll just have to live with if you want to make a go of it as a grant writer.

In contrast to many freelance writers, who often opt to be paid by the word, grant writers are usually paid on an hourly basis.

Rates vary widely. Novice grant writers often make around $20–$30 per hour, whereas intermediate writers typically earn rates that are closer to $50–$70 per hour.

Experienced, in-demand writers set their prices much higher, at $100–$150 per hour or even more.

How to set your rates

The rates you can get away with charging largely depend on your experience, as well as your reputation. If you establish yourself as a rising star whose grant proposals are usually successful, you’ll be able to hike your prices more quickly.

Your best bet when it comes to setting your initial rates is to conduct a little competitor research. Register on freelance websites like Upwork and have a look at their roster of freelance grant writers.

Try to hone in on ones with comparable experience to you and see what they charge.

It might surprise you to learn that there aren’t any special criteria you have to meet to become a freelance grant writer. Full-time, in-house positions may require you to have at least a bachelor’s degree, but generally speaking, freelance gigs don’t have any such requirements.

Instead, you’ll get hired based on your actual skills, as well as the strength of your writing portfolio. We’ll go over how you can brush up both of these further on in this article.

Do you need to get certified to be a grant writer?

No, you don’t need any professional certifications to be a freelance grant writer, either. Some grant writers do obtain the Grant Professionals Certified (GPC) credential from the Grant Professionals Certification Institute (GPCI), but it’s rare for clients to require it. You’ll probably find that most don’t even ask about it.

Grant writing courses

There are plenty of grant writing courses you can take, such as the ones offered by LearnGrantWriting.org. (Note that we haven’t interviewed anyone who’s taken this course and we can’t vouch for its quality, but it’s reportedly fairly popular among novice grant writers.)

Quite a few universities also offer courses in this field. You may be able to find affordable in-person courses at a college (or community college) near you.

Again, these courses are optional. In fact, we recommend holding off on taking them (and on getting the GPC certification) until you’ve actually landed and completed a few jobs.

After that, you’ll have a better sense for whether grant writing is actually a side hustle you’re passionate about. If you decide you want to make this a long-term gig, it might be time to pursue certification.

If grant writing sounds like something you’d like to try your hand at, follow these steps to find work:

1. Practice grant writing and build your portfolio

If you’re new to this side hustle, you should test the waters before trying to land paid work. This will give you a chance to round out your skills and create a decent portfolio, which is absolutely key to landing writing gigs.

Spend a while on grants.gov (one of the best resources for people studying grantsmanship), and pay particular attention to their page on finding grant programs. Search around for grant funding opportunities and write example proposals for them, then create an online portfolio page to host your work.

Popular portfolio websites for writers include:

• Authory
• JournoPortfolio

Alternatively, you can create a personal website using a service like WordPress.com and host your portfolio there.

Don’t neglect this step; it’s understandable if you’re fired up and you want to cut to the chase and start applying for jobs right away, but if you have a body of work you can show to clients, you’ll have a much easier time of it, even if it consists entirely of sample pieces.

2. Update your LinkedIn

When you create your portfolio or website, it’s also worth creating or updating your LinkedIn profile.

This is worth doing even if you’re generally not a big fan of social media. LinkedIn is one of the most popular professional networking sites out there, and many of your clients’ first moves will be to look you up on it when they receive your pitch.

The more info you can provide about yourself, the more confident your potential clients will feel. Remember, grant writing is a big deal to the charities and nonprofits who rely on it, and when you’re just starting out, you’re a completely unknown quantity. It’s important to do everything you can to set their minds at ease.

3. Create an account on popular freelancing marketplaces

There are many platforms you can use to find freelance work. The biggest names include:

• Upwork
• Fiverr
• Freelancer.com
• Guru
• Toptal

Create an account on at least three of these sites (on all of them, if you have the time for it). Describe your background and your services and include a prominent link to your portfolio and LinkedIn in each of your profiles.

4. Spend at least 30 minutes per day applying to jobs

Now that you’ve established a strong web presence and built up a portfolio, the only thing left is for you to actually put yourself out there and pitch to potential clients.

All of the freelance marketplaces linked above have search functions. Just type in variations on “grant writing”, “grant funding proposal,” etc., and see what turns up. When you see something that interests you and that you think you’d be qualified to do, write up a pitch and send it.

You probably won’t strike gold the first time you try this, so it’s important to keep at it. Again, spend at least half an hour per day looking for work. Consistency is the key when it comes to getting your start as a freelancer.

Other places to find work

Many freelancers begin on websites like Upwork, but some companies post openings for freelance grant writers elsewhere. You should keep tabs on these job boards:

• Indeed
• Glassdoor
• Monster

You can also try cold pitching (i.e., sending unsolicited pitches via email) to companies on USAspending.gov, which lists organizations that have received grant funding in the past.

Some of these might be in the market for writers for their next projects. As mentioned, you’ll probably get more traction with smaller organizations—larger ones are more likely to already have a roster of writers that they prefer to work with.

Lastly, consider joining a professional association such as the American Grant Writers’ Association (AGWA). This can help you get established and stay connected. Organizations like AGWA provide their members with resources for improving their skills and finding jobs.

5. Put everything you have into doing a great job

Once you land your first few clients, you’ll want to put a good deal of focus and energy into maintaining your relationships with them.

It goes without saying that you should always turn in your best work, but make sure you’re also acing the less obvious aspects of maintaining a client-freelancer relationship, such as always responding to your messages promptly (and politely) and doing your best to anticipate their concerns before they have to ask.

If a client likes you and your work, there’s a good chance they’ll keep coming back to you, and they may even recommend you to their friends or affiliates, which is exactly what you need to get your grant writing side hustle off the ground.