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!
Package Includes:
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Strategy Consultation
Monthly Strategy & Planning Meeting at start of each month
Email & Phone Strategy Support
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Project Management
Asana project management for all deliverables
Mid-month status update & task reminders
End-of-month status review & planning for new month
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Prospect Pipeline Cultivation
Prospect Research & Vetting
Outreach Support & Guidance
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Written Deliverables
Each month we write and provide full-service project management for one or more average-length grant proposals or other written deliverables
Benefits of Hiring an Outsourced Grants Department on Retainer:
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:
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Strategy Consultation
We align on grants strategy and deliverables, making adjustments each month to ensure that your team is on track with your goals. We review upcoming deadlines and prospect pipeline actions, and assign next steps. We share relevant information about the state of the grants field; applicable resources; and emergent opportunities, trends, and best practices. We provide guidance upon request about grant opportunities or other relevant topics.
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Project Management
We provide detailed project management for all deliverables in Asana, designing workplans that ensure all deadlines are met. We assign action steps after each meeting, and follow up mid-month with a status check and task reminder.
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Prospect Pipeline Cultivation
Based on your funding needs and goals, we identify a shortlist of funders or opportunities to add to your prospect pipeline each month. At meetings, we will align on a strategy for each applicable prospective funder, and track tasks related to outreach, proposal writing, and other funder stewardship activities.
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Written Deliverables
Each month we complete one or more average-length grant proposal or other written deliverables, including:
• Grant Proposals (Foundation & Government)
• Letters of Intent
• Grant Reports
• Grant proposal template boilerplate materials
• Individual donor appeals
•Pitch materials for outreach or presentations
• Annual report content, website content, etc.
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
-
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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).