A: Hiring a competent grant writer can be one of the best investments your nonprofit or state agency can make. Few professional services have such a direct and measurable effect on your organization’s bottom line – and thus on its ability to sustain and expand its programs and services. A single successful grant application can bring in more revenue than the cost of a year-long contract with the consultant* while freeing your executive and program staff to focus on delivering services to your community, finding innovative solutions to today’s most pressing problems, and building new partnerships. Also, writing compelling grants is a skill that is separate from the ability to develop and run an effective program. If you are certain that your nonprofit does good work but you still struggle to attract support from institutional funders, you may benefit from hiring a grant writer** who can tell your story in the most effective way.

* Keep in mind that many funders prohibit their nonprofit beneficiaries from using grant funds for certain overhead costs, including grant writing services. In fact, securing unrestricted funding to cover any overhead costs is the bane of many a nonprofit executive director. So, winning a single grant award – even a large one – will likely not cover the expense of hiring a grant writer, unless the award allows grant funds to be used for general operating expenses.

** Grant writing can be an important part of your development strategy, but if your nonprofit relies solely on grants to fund its operations, you are neglecting key sources of revenue. Other types of fundraising, such as individual giving, should be included in your development portfolio.

A: Like most consultants, we have standard hourly rates for different kinds of services, but many clients find it more convenient and less stressful to know how much they will spend on a consulting engagement before they sign a contract. For those clients, we provide flat-fee quotes based on the nature of the project. For example, if you are interested in our grantwriting services, pricing will depend on a variety of factors: 

• Are you seeking a grant from a federal or state agency or from a private foundation?

• Does the funder require a detailed Letter of Intent (LOI) before you are invited to submit a full application? In the past, "letter of intent" actually meant a one-page letter. Nowadays, when funders ask for an LOI, more often than not they are requesting a detailed description of your proposed project, which may include a budget, fully-developed goals and objectives, an evaluation plan, etc.

• Do you have an existing relationship with the funder, or is this the first time you are asking them for support? 

• Are you seeking funding for a fully-developed program with a well-defined  – and clearly documented – needs assessment, theory of change and logic model, goals, objectives, performance measures, a sound evaluation plan, and a solid track record of achieving measurable outcomes, or are you still at a stage where you have a general idea for a new program but need help fleshing it out? 

In general, grant applications to private and public foundations tend to require less work (and thus cost less) than most federal grant applications. On the flat-fee basis, we normally charge between $3,000-$4,000 to prepare a new grant application to a foundation or a local or state government funder. A complex federal grant application and some funding requests to state and local government funders can cost twice as much. (The length of the Request for Proposals or Notice of Funding Availability will often give you an indication of how much work will go into assembling a grant application packet.) Per-project costs tend to be lower for longer-term contracts that include development of multiple grant applications and/or other services. (As we get to know your organization and programs, it takes less time to prepare subsequent grant applications.)

We also offer flat-fee contracts that cover an array of services for a specified period of time. For example, a contract may include development of personnel policies and procedures and a staff manual, implementation of a CRM system for managing donor data, preparation of 10 grant applications, and review of 15 progress reports before they are submitted to funders. Reach out to us at info@luciditaconsulting.com if you'd like to set up a free consultation to discuss your organization's needs or a specific project. And if you were referred to us by a current or past Lucidità Consulting client – please mention them in your email!

A: Some do, but we advise our clients to steer clear of any grant writer who proposes or agrees to work on commission. In fundraising circles, the practice is widely considered unethical. In fact, Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) will revoke the membership of any grant writer who works on commission. And yes, expulsions from AFP do happen!

A: Lucidità Consulting has the following Refunds and Contract Cancellation Policy:

Refunds

As a service-based consulting firm, Lucidità Consulting LLC is eligible to be compensated for its time, expertise, and services provided to its clients, as specified in the contracts between Lucidità Consulting and the clients. 

Unlike outputs (e.g., services provided by a consultant), most outcomes (e.g., a funder making an award on the basis of a grant application prepared by a consultant) are subject to variables outside of the direct control of the client or the consultant. Therefore, Lucidità Consulting can guarantee the quality of its work, but not the outcomes, unless explicitly stated otherwise in the contract between Lucidità Consulting LLC and the client.

Any amount earned for providing services that have been agreed upon by Lucidità Consulting and the client is generally not refundable. The only exception from this “no refunds” policy is if Lucidità Consulting LLC fails to perform work as defined in the contract and/or does not meet the agreed upon project objectives because of its own errors. In that case, a refund may be issued as specified in the contract between Lucidità Consulting LLC and the client. All refunds will be issued through the original mode of payment or via bank transfer or check when it is not possible to issue a refund via the original mode of payment. Any refund will be processed within 30 working days of approval by Lucidità Consulting LLC.

Cancellations

Once a contract is signed, consulting projects that are scheduled to last less than three months are non-cancelable.

Long-term contracts that are scheduled to last more than three months can be canceled by the client or Lucidità Consulting LLC with an advance notice of no less than three months. While a consulting agreement between Lucidità Consulting LLC and a client remains in force, all payments are due as specified in the contract.