How can a grant writing consultant help your business?

A grant writing consultant can help you win grant funding for your business, be that charity funding or government funding. Preparing grant proposals isn’t something that everyone has the time, resources or experience to do. Outsourcing this to grant writing consultants can help you get on the path to success. They are well versed in what’s needed in order to submit a winning application.

If you are unsure how a grant writing consultant can benefit your business, continue reading. This blog will explain their role, how they can benefit your business and the skills they possess. It will also contain some hot tips on how to prepare for your next grant proposal.

Who needs a grant writing consultant?

Businesses that are applying for grant funding should consider outsourcing their proposal to a grant writing consultant. Grant writing can benefit all businesses from charities and large corporations to small and medium-sized enterprises. Almost all businesses can benefit from grant writing consultants as they can help strengthen their grant proposals.

You may need to hire a grant writing consultant if you lack:

  • Time

You might have a lot on your plate at the time when the perfect grant funding opportunity goes live. It’s only natural and it happens all the time, you won’t always have the time to spare writing a proposal. If this is the case, hiring a consultant to help can be beneficial.

  • Skills

If your writing skills aren’t the best, then hiring someone to write your grant application can certainly be valuable. Grant writers can help you convey what you want to say in a way that’ll be attractive to the funder. Try and think of the core ingredients of what you are trying to say. Then, they can help convey it to the funder if you are lost for words.

They may also be able to help if you are a strong writer but are unfamiliar with the grant funding process. Grant writers often have a wealth of experience across a variety of industries. They have experience securing grants for businesses and these can vary from council business grants to start-up business grants. This knowledge can be beneficial in helping you understand what is needed and how to express it successfully.

  • Knowledge

Grant writers can help you if you’re lacking experience in the subject matter or don’t know the funder well. If you’re submitting a proposal of high value, hiring a grant writer with experience can carry a huge impact.

  • Resources

A grant writing consultant can help you if you don’t have the resources to write a response in-house. Your team is busy enough as it is day-to-day. Grant applications can take a lot of time, weeks or even months. You should ask yourself if you can afford for your team to take their focus away from their day jobs. If you think it will impact the running of your business, hiring a grant writer can help. This means they can write the application for you and your team can continue with their day jobs.

3 ways a grant writing consultant can benefit your business

  1. They are experts in grant writing

Grant writing consultants are specialists in grant writing. Winning funding for their clients is what they excel in, even if they aren’t an expert in your specific field. They know what works, what doesn’t and what the funder is looking for. They know how to craft a winning grant proposal and understand the specific needs of each funder and funding opportunity.

They can adjust their grant writing skills depending on the type of grant they’re writing. For example, a grant proposal for charity funding will have a very different style to that of business proposals. A grant writing consultant can switch between the two with ease. They truly are the masters of language.

The charity grant writing style is a lot more like storytelling. The grant writer will need to give heartfelt examples and emotive stories. This will (hopefully) pull on the heartstrings of the funder leading to more funding. Here, encompassing as much social value as possible is their aim. How are they helping the local community and so on.

On the other hand, business grant writing is more of a motive-style of writing. This style is more business-centric and focuses on measurable outcomes such as product research and implementation.

No matter the grant style you are applying for, a grant writing consultant can help. They are wordsmiths of language and know how to accommodate their writing to the funder.

  1. Grant writing consultants have a wealth of experience

You likely only have one chance to impress a grant funder. Risking it on chance alone can leave you out in the cold. A professional grant writer has a wealth of experience. That combined with a good track record of success can improve your odds greatly. Just think about it. Someone who’s writing their first application vs someone who does it for a living. Who do you think will write a better response and win the funding?

  1. They know how to plan and approach a proposal

Planning efficiently is essential when submitting any proposal. It’s best to be prepared as some grant funding opportunities may only open once a year. If this is the case, you want to make sure you’re readily prepared. Planning is key to any winning response.

5 skills a grant writing consultant possesses

  1. Time management

Time management is essential for any funding writer. Grant applications can take a lot of time depending on the amount of funding you’re going for. If it’s a large amount, exceptional time management is crucial. Deadlines for a grant application is final and the funder won’t be accepting any late submissions. Therefore, it’s vital that you get all your ducks in a row accordingly.

Strict deadlines need to be met in the run-up to submitting a proposal application. Writing a proposal can be months in the making, particularly if an opportunity is only open once a year. Therefore, you often need to work together to ensure everything is ready in time. You should be wanting to submit your application before the submission deadline. You don’t want to be leaving it until the last minute. Particularly if the funding is dealt on a first-come, first-served basis.

Adequate time management should take into account:

  • Internal deadlines
  • Rewrites
  • Proofreads
  • Secondary read
  • Technology malfunctions (portals and technology, in general, are notoriously temperamental when it counts)
  • Any unexpected delays or setbacks.

Grant funding writers usually have multiple applications on the go at any one time for their clients. As they often have inflexible deadlines, their organisational skills have to be flawless. They will ensure you have everything ready in plenty of time. This can help ensure that you aren’t submitting it with 23 seconds to spare.

  1. Research Abilities

Funding writers are exceptional at researching. Working with a vast array of clients, they know how to research the field you’re in. They’ll then take all the knowledge you’ve told them, and what they’ve researched, to accurately convey it on paper.

Their day-to-day work schedule is never the same. Whether it’s working on start-up businesses grantscouncil business grants or grants for charities – it’s versatile to say the least! Being able to research different projects to a winning standard is certainly a skill that can be hard to come by.

However, it’s not just your industry grant funding writers research. They also need to do some research on the funder. Particularly if you’re applying for grants at a higher price point. Funders will be expecting you to do your research on them. This enables them to understand them a bit more, reading up on their background. It can help them to understand a bit more of what they’re going to be requiring outside of the specification. If you’re not exactly what they’re looking for, it may not be worth the time and resources to write the application.

  1. Attention to detail

The saying goes ‘the devil is in the detail’ and they’re not wrong, particularly when it comes to grant applications. Funding writers will be meticulous with the level of detail they will go into. If a specific process needs explaining they will break it down into steps and cover all aspects. Even those you don’t think are worth mentioning. This attention to detail will enable them to separate your bid from your competitors.

Funders are always looking for a detailed explanation. This will be especially relevant if the funder is not a specialist in your area. In this case, a lot of writers will make the assumption they will know what they’re talking about. However, this may not be the case, particularly in innovation grants. Therefore, being detail-orientated will pay off. Your application should be conveyed in Laymen’s terms to cover all bases. They will make sure that your proposal will be understood by the contracting awarding body.

Their attention to detail isn’t just in the writing aspect. A business may employ a grant funding writer to simply proofread their pre-written proposal. Your application won’t look professional if you have spelling and grammar mistakes throughout. Great attention to detail enables a writer to demonstrate why their client deserves funding. After all, it’s hard to argue with a flawless grant funding application.

  1. Excellent communication

Any funding writer could tell you that along with time management, excellent communication skills are key. They need to be able to convey and explain your business/project in the most effective way to a funder. This means they also need to know how to communicate this information to the funder in the best way possible. They know how to best present this ensuring that you go above and beyond what they require.

Grant writers are storytellers and what goes hand in hand with communication is persuasion. They must be able to persuade a funder that you’re the best option. Moreover, they’re able to communicate with you. They need to get the information they need from you to make your bid for funding the best it can be. Therefore, you must work together and give them the information they require by their agreed deadlines. They obviously want your proposal to be the best it can be, they’re not experts in your area, you are. So, they will need your input to help them get the job done if you really want to excel.

  1. Create a strong narrative and be flexible

Being able to create a written narrative is often a skill a grant consultant possesses. They need to be able to strongly convey an organisation’s plans in how they’ll delegate the funding appropriately. Flexibility allows you to adapt to changes that may occur at any given time. Funding agencies have a habit of changing the template for grant applications. Being flexible allows a grant writing consultant to stay on top of the game.

They know what not to do

Funding writers know what not to do when it comes to grant proposals, for example:

  • Apply last minute: temperamental technology can result in all your hard work going to waste.
  • Submit in the wrong format: grant awarding bodies won’t consider any applications that are to the specifications they detailed. If you emailed your application over a portal submission, they won’t consider it.
  • Miss out any questions: Missing out questions because you can’t answer them will automatically look bad. It just looks lazy. If you can’t answer a question, the funding opportunity probably isn’t a good fit for your business/project.
  • Use overly technical jargon: A funder may not be a specialist in your area. Unexplained overly technical jargon might make them confused. This won’t gain you any points for showing off, if anything it will do the opposite. Funding writers know this and explain any technical details your proposal requires.

The role of the client

  • Understand the proposal requirements. Reading the proposal requirements and deciding if the opportunity is right for your business is your decision. Make sure you’re eligible in the first place to apply for the funding. Read the guidance and eligibility criteria thoroughly and carefully. There’s no point in appointing a grant writer if your organisation is ineligible. We don’t want anyone to be wasting their time applying for an inappropriate scheme.
  • Assemble background materials in advance. It’s your job to know your organisation inside and out. We never claim to be an expert in any industry, only in grant writing proposals. What we do claim, is that we do our best to win funding. Prepare the materials that a writer will need in advance if possible. Building a base and bank of materials that will be required can save everyone time and stress.
  • Provide technical input. As you are experts in your industry, we hope that you can explain the technical details and concepts of your business. Detailing why you need the finding, how this supports longevity and a funder’s goals are essential.
  • Work with the grant writing consultant. Make sure they have everything they need to write a winning proposal for you. If they ask for any additional information from you, ensure that you give it punctually. They often work to a strict deadline, so punctuality from the client’s end is key. Try your best to stick to agreed deadlines. Whether it’s providing materials, additional documents or a review of their response. If you miss a deadline, they may not be able to overcompensate.

The role of the grant writing consultant

  • Do their best to write you a successful and winning proposal for grant funding.
  • A grant writing consultant’s goal should be to clearly communicate ideas. Moreover, they should be tailoring the proposal to the guidelines and priorities of each funder.
  • Work collaboratively with the client giving clear advice and guidance on what they need from you.
  • Plan their time accordingly, writing a high-quality proposal that accurately conveys your organisation’s project. They should be persuading the funder that you are the best organisation for the job.

5 tips on submitting a grant proposal

  1. Demonstrate sustainability

Grant-makers want to see how your solution and their money will have a lasting impact. They don’t want to keep pumping money into short-term solutions. They are looking to give it to an organisation that is finding a solution to the source of the problem. In your bid response, you want to show how the grant will be sustainable and long-lasting. They are looking to award funding to organisations that will help get to the root of an issue.

No matter the sector, you must include the social, economic and environmentally beneficial factors of your bid. Proposals that demonstrate value for money will also be critical in any application for grant funding. Social value is of high priority in any form of grant or procurement process – particularly in the public sector. In order to combat this, your proposal should include the beneficial social, economic and environmental factors of your proposal. You must include the positive outcomes and how these will continue after the funding has come to an end. If you do this, your chances of a successful bid for funding will increase. This is something in which grant writing consultants are experts.

  1. Show innovation

A winning bid will have innovative solutions. Commissioners love to see innovation and that’s true for any sector and any type of tendering. Ground-breaking and exclusive solutions that lead the way are what funders are looking for. Think outside the box and ask yourself if your organisation has a truly unique solution to an issue. Working with a grant writing consultant can help you convey your innovative solutions. They can help increase your chances of success, being well versed in accurately conveying the information funders are looking for.

Exciting, ground-breaking and exclusive solutions that lead the way are likely to catch a funders eye. Question if your organisation has a truly unique solution to an issue.

  1. Include facts and stats

Evidence is key. If you make a statement, you should be backing up such facts with evidence. This can strengthen your result as funders are looking for statistics that can speak for you. Funders enjoy measurable outcomes and statistics can be a great way to demonstrate this. You should use a credible source where possible to drive your point home.

A useful way to do this to keep you on track is by using the P.E.E method:

  • Point
  • Evidence
  • Explain

This helps create a strong point that’s then backed up with evidence. The evidence could include stats and facts to drive your point home.

  1. Realistically evaluate the running costs and price your project right

Funders want to know that you aren’t going to spend money on unnecessary things. They will be expecting you to demonstrate that you have a sound methodology for financial management. You should realistically evaluate the running costs.

Including past examples of projects where you have managed cash flow successfully can demonstrate your capabilities. This can help reassure funders that their money is going to be in safe hands.

Running costs to consider:

  • A business plan for the implementation of the project
  • A cash flow analysis for the use of money
  • A fully costed project
  • The financial controls and safeguards you have in place.
  • The degree of financial skills and knowledge within your organisation.
  • Previous annual report
  • Your organisation’s annual income and expenditure.
  1. Be clear and concise 

Try not to use technical jargon and aim to be as clear and concise as possible. Remember that the funder has a lot of responses to get through. If you make your bid clear and concise, they’ll thank you for it.

Try and stay away from using four words when one will suffice. For example, instead of writing ‘for the purpose of’ simply use ‘for’. Another example is instead of saying ‘in order to’, ‘to’ will be enough.

A funder wants to see a well-articulated response that is comprehensively thought through. Before you submit, you should double-check for any errors. It’s best to also get someone else to do a proofread of your proposal. A fresh set of eyes can help see if it’s coherent and flows well. Reading aloud is another great way to ensure it makes sense.

Looking at it from a funder’s perspective

Imagine it from a grant reviewer’s perspective. You’ve got 50 applications to review, you’re tired and you’re hungry. You ideally want to have an easy to read, nicely laid out document in front of you. You would rather have that to review, than pages of a solid block of text.

Funding writers understand this, and some have even been on that side of the fence. The following can help make proposals easier to read:

  • White space
  • Headings
  • Subheadings
  • Bullet points
  • Illustrations
  • Graphs.

If you’ve never written a proposal before, it can be hard to find the balance. Obviously, you want to get all the information you can into the document. However, you should never go over the word count. They are there for a reason and funding writers know this. This is a major faux pax and will likely put you in the reviewers’ bad books. Not only is it giving them more to read, but it makes it unfair for other applicants.

The word counts are there for a reason. If a funder thinks a question deserves a 400-word response, write a 400-word response. Simply writing 100 words won’t do. Similarly, 800-words won’t do either. Try and hit as close to the word/page/character counts as possible.

How to identify the right opportunities

Before submitting any proposal to a funder, you should consider if the funding opportunity is right for your organisation.

Identify the need for your service and how your solution meets the need. How will you engage with the intended audience? You should never try to tailor your organisation’s project to fit a funder. You should look for one that aligns with your own aims and proposed outcomes.

Every funder will require something different and have different needs and pre-requisites that should be met. There may be a certain qualification that you need to provide evidence of on page 30 that you don’t see. You don’t want to waste time and resources writing a response if you aren’t eligible to apply.

A good way to decide if the funding opportunity is right for you is by making a checklist. This checklist could include:

  • Is this opportunity right for me?
  • Can my organisation deliver the funder’s objectives?
  • Are there any minimum eligibility criterion?
  • Can I meet the specification documents?
  • What format is the submission?
  • Deadline of final submission – date and time.
  • What additional documents need to be submitted – Are there any additional accreditations or qualifications required?
  • Case studies – do they need to be provided? If so, how many are needed, and through what format?
  • Hit as close to the word count as possible on every question
  • Proof everything again.

Remember, funders will be expecting you to:

  • Demonstrate you meet the criteria
  • Have clear aims
  • Deliver on time
  • Show measurable long-term impact and sustainability.

Start planning as soon as possible

Successful applications for company grants are the ones that have clearly managed their time effectively. Grant awarding bodies will be able to tell if your bid for funding is rushed. Grant applications can range from a couple of weeks to a few months depending on the opportunity. Some company grants are first come, first served. So, you will want to plan as soon as possible and well in advance.

Set yourself realistic internal deadlines for you and those working on the bid. Ensure plenty of time for unexpected delays, factoring in proofreading and final edits. This can reduce the stress when it comes up to the submission deadline. It’s better to be over-prepared than under-prepared.

A checklist can help you keep on top of the requirements for the application. For example:

  • Submission deadline (date and time)
  • Number of questions
  • Word/character count for each question
  • Any supporting documents needed
  • The number of copies (if any) required and their format
  • Note how to submit the bid (hard copy, portal, email, etc.).

Proofread your response before submission

Proofreading your company grants response is a crucial step you should do before you submit. You want to be assured that you are submitting a flawless proposal. One with grammatical and spelling mistakes will not go down well with the evaluator. It can look sloppy and un-bothered. If you aren’t willing to proofread your response, why would they give you their money?

This is what you need to think about when writing your response. You should be checking it over at least twice before your final submission. A good idea is to have someone else read over it. A fresh pair of eyes can help spot any missed errors, unfinished sentences or incorrect spellings. You have to remember that your competitors will be putting theirs all into their responses. You want to show that you are the best option. Having a flawless application can help persuade the funder that you deserve the funding.

Always ask for feedback if unsuccessful

Feedback can be a great tool to help you improve so don’t be disheartened if you didn’t succeed this time. Asking for feedback can help highlight your shortcomings or mistakes that you can learn from and avoid in future. It can help you increase your chances of your funding application being awarded next time around. Whether it’s a grant for charities, cash grants for small businesses, council business grants, or start-up business grants. The funder will be happy to give you feedback.

When writing your bid for funding, you need to show how you have identified:

  • The need for your service.
  • How your solution meets the need.
  • How you will engage with the intended audience.
  • The measurable outcomes that you’re aiming to achieve.
  • The benefits.
  • How it will have a lasting impact.
  • The running costs.

You must state how you’re going to achieve these outcomes. If you set measurable outcomes that you can actually achieve, you’ll be more likely to succeed and win funding.

Example layout of a bid for funding

An example of a typical layout for a bid for funding may look like this:

  • Project summary
  • Public description
  • Describe how your project fits the scope.

The following are some examples of the type of application questions you may need to answer, depending on your bid.

  • What is the problem you want to solve?
  • Who is it a problem for?
  • What is innovative about the approach or technology?
  • Who is the project team?
  • Are you capable to deliver the solution?
  • Do you need additional support?
  • What will you do with the funding?
  • How will you manage the project and risks effectively?
  • Finances.

Hopefully, you now have a better idea of what a grant writing consultant can offer your business. They can help strengthen your grant application or take care of the whole thing for you. Whether you’re low on time or resources, outsourcing can be greatly beneficial. What are you waiting for? Work with a grant writing consultant and get on the path to winning your next grant.

Need help with writing your grant application?

Our Grant Writing Service is for businesses who want to start applying for grants, but don’t know where to begin. If you don’t have the resources or the time in-house to write a winning grant – we can help. Our Grant Consultants have over 60 years of experience in bidding for funding and grants. They can take care of the whole thing for you – they’ll even submit it on your behalf.

Get in touch to find out how we can help your business grow!

You can access our  Grant Tracker service now. It hosts all the latest grant opportunities in the UK from 1,500 data points. Opportunities are manually tracked, enabling for accurate keyword labelling, optimising your search for the perfect grant.

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