Outsourced Full-Service Grants Department
Retainer-Based | Starts at $2,999/month
Ideal for organizations who need additional grants capacity and prefer a flexible, cost-effective strategy that grows with you.
Access a dedicated, outsourced grants team providing full-service grant support for a fraction of the cost of in-house staffing. Service packages are built to meet your needs - if you don’t see what you’re looking for, ask us!
Core Services
-
Monthly Meeting
for Planning & Strategy
-
Deadline Calendar
Tracking & Management of Grant Proposals and Other Deadlines
-
Prospect Pipeline
Research, Management, & Cultivation
-
Writing & Project Management
One or More Grant Proposals or Other Written Deliverables per Month
Additional Services:
Grants calendar build out (start up & yearly for the new fiscal year)
Budget support with tailored grant revenue projections (start up & yearly for the new fiscal year)
Boilerplate grant proposal, grant reporting, and grant-friendly budget format creation (start up & yearly for the new fiscal year)
Maintenance of & yearly updates to a shared folder of typical attachments for grant applications
And more - we are happy to tailor our service packages to your specific needs!
Benefits:
Our trusted grant writing and strategy team helps your organization:
Chart and follow a comprehensive grants strategy that aligns with your organization’s strategic plan
Follow grant writing best practices—without onboarding full-time staff
Scale your grants efforts as your funding needs grow or shift
Offload time-consuming grant writing and project management functions
Access data from Foundation Directory Online & GrantStation (valued at $2,000+ annually)
Access E&K’s proven grant application and process guidance templates
What to Expect
Our flexible monthly retainers are ideal for nonprofits that want high-impact grant support—without hiring full-time staff. Packages are built around best practices, tailored to your organization’s size and goals. Each full-service retainer includes:
-
Monthly Strategy Meeting
At the beginning of each month, we meet to align on high-level and targeted grants strategy, making adjustments each month to ensure that your team is on track with your goals. We will review upcoming deadlines, prospect pipeline actions, and detailed next steps. We will also share relevant information about the state of the grants field; applicable resources; and emergent opportunities, trends, and best practices.
-
Deadline Calendar Management
After each meeting, we update your grants calendar with any internal and external deadlines, and include agreed upon workplans with timelines and roles for each upcoming proposal or project.
-
Prospect Pipeline & Outreach Support
Based on your funding needs and goals, we work to identify ~3 new funders or opportunities for your prospect pipeline each month, bringing them for discussion in our next meeting to determine application and/or outreach strategy.
-
Grant Writing & Project Management:
Over the course of each month, we write and provide full-service project management for one or more average-sized grant proposals or other written deliverables, including:
• Foundation proposals
• Letters of Intent
• Grant reports
• Individual donor appeals
• Boilerplate language (e.g. for general operating proposal, program proposals, “grant friendly” agency & program budget formats, agency & program grant reports)
•RFP reviews and written briefs for complex opportunities
• Other customized fundraising content as needed
Why Hire Us?
E&K Grants Retainer Model
In-House Grants Department
In-House Grant Writer
Grant writing
X
X
X
Grants calendar & project management
X
X
X
Funder Outreach Support
X
X
?
Grants strategic planning & risk tracking
X
X
?
ID new funders monthly
X
?
?
Access to specialized expertise
X
-
-
Scalable in response to your needs
X
-
-
No overhead, HR, training, taxes, or benefits
X
-
-
Monthly Cost (1-4 Grant Proposals)
$2,999-$5,999
$23,281
$8,604
With an E&K Grants retainer, you capture significant added value and maintain flexibility for a fraction of the price of in-house support. This chart compares the costs associated with hiring full-time in-house grant writing staff with the E&K Grants retainer model.
Assuming a full-time grant writer can handle roughly four proposals per month and costs approximately $8,604/month (based on average salary data for the Bay Area, plus taxes/benefits, HR costs, training, and overhead costs), E&K’s retainer model, which scales based on number of proposals needed, reflects significant savings at $5,999 for four proposals per month. But because all levels of the E&K Grants’ full-service retainer model offer the services of a seasoned, expert Grants Department, including ongoing prospect pipeline development, grants calendar management, funder outreach support, and access to subject matter expertise, our model actually most closely approximates a full grant-writing team, which would cost approximately $23,281/month by comparison (including a Grant Manager role and portions of a Development Director role).