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Who Can Write My Grant Application? 6 Options and What Each Costs
By Michael Fleming, Founder
You can write it yourself, with free advising from your local Small Business Development Center or a SCORE mentor. You can also hire a freelance grant writer or a firm ($1,500–$5,000 for a foundation proposal), ask a volunteer or board member if you run a nonprofit, or use a general AI chat tool like ChatGPT or an AI grant writer like WinAGrant ($25 per application, or $97 for 10). The rule of thumb: match what you spend on the writing to the award you could win.
Key takeaways
- Of the programs we track that publish a maximum award, half are $30,000 or more. That award is the point; the writer is how you go after it.
- A freelance grant writer charges $30–$150 an hour, or $1,500–$5,000 for a foundation proposal and $5,000–$15,000+ for a federal application, as of September 2026.
- SBDCs and SCORE mentors offer free business advising. They help you plan; the writing is still yours.
- Avoid anyone who charges a percentage of the award. The Grant Professionals Association Code of Ethics prohibits commission-based pay.
- WinAGrant's AI writes the full application for $25 per application, or $97 for 10. You review, edit, and submit it yourself.
Who can write your grant application
Six real options, side by side. Writer rates are from our grant writer cost guide, verified September 2026.
| Option | Typical cost | Best for | What you still do yourself |
|---|---|---|---|
| You, with help from your local SBDC or a SCORE mentor | Your time. The advising is free. | Short foundation, state, and local grants when cash is tight | All of it: the writing, the budget, the documents, the submission |
| Freelance grant writer | $30–$150 an hour, or $1,500–$5,000 per foundation proposal | One large grant, or a federal application ($5,000–$15,000+) | Supply the facts, numbers, and documents; review and approve the draft |
| Grant writing firm or agency | $2,000–$6,000 a month on retainer, roughly 1 to 3 proposals | Organizations that apply to a grant or more every month | Same as a freelancer, plus managing the engagement |
| A volunteer or board member (nonprofits) | Unpaid, but it costs someone's time | A nonprofit with a board member who has written grants before | Coordinate, gather documents, and check the work |
| A general AI chat tool (ChatGPT, Claude) | Free, or about $20 a month | Drafting sections, tightening language, brainstorming | Supply the funder's rules and your facts; check every fact and number |
| An AI grant writer (WinAGrant) | $25 per application, or $97 for 10 | Small businesses and nonprofits that want a full draft without a writer's fee | Answer a guided interview; review, edit, and submit |
Match the writing cost to the money on the table
The grant money is the point. Of the programs we track that publish a maximum award, half are $30,000 or more.
Against an award that size, a $1,500–$5,000 proposal fee is a real slice of the money, and you pay it whether you win or not. The math changes on a big grant. On a federal award of, say, $500,000, a $5,000–$15,000+ fee for a specialist who knows that agency is a small share of what you could win.
So size the help to the prize. A large or federal grant can justify a pro. For the many grants in the tens of thousands, keep the writing cost small so you can apply to more of the ones you fit. At $97 for 10 AI-written applications, you pay less than the $1,500 low end of one proposal fee.
Writing it yourself, with SBDC or SCORE help
Small Business Development Centers and SCORE mentors offer free business advising. The SBA's local assistance page lists the offices near you. Use them to talk through your plan, your budget, and whether a grant fits. Plan on writing the application yourself.
This fits short foundation, state, and local grants. It costs time, not cash.
Hiring a freelance grant writer
A freelancer charges $30–$150 an hour, or $1,500–$5,000 for a foundation proposal and $5,000–$15,000+ for a federal application. A good one brings judgment and, sometimes, a history with the funder you are applying to.
It fits best when the award is large, the application is complex, or you simply do not have the hours. Ask for samples of funded proposals and what they need from you. You will still hand over your numbers, documents, and story.
Hiring a grant writing firm
Firms usually work on retainer, $2,000–$6,000 a month for roughly one to three proposals. You get a team, a calendar of deadlines, and someone tracking what is due. It makes sense for an organization that applies every month. For one grant a year, a freelancer or an AI writer is usually the better fit.
A volunteer or board member (nonprofits)
Some nonprofits lean on a board member or volunteer who has written grants before. It costs no fee, but it does cost their time, and deadlines slip when the work is a favor. Agree on who owns the draft and the due date up front.
A general AI chat tool like ChatGPT or Claude
ChatGPT and Claude are free to start, or about $20 a month. They draft fast and tighten clumsy sentences. They do not know the funder's rules or your facts unless you give them both.
Give them the guidelines, the scoring criteria, and your own numbers. Our guide to using ChatGPT on a grant proposal without sounding generic walks through the prompts. In our blind test of WinAGrant vs ChatGPT, the AI judges docked ChatGPT's drafts for adding facts the owner never gave.
An AI grant writer like WinAGrant
WinAGrant's AI writes the full application from a guided interview. It follows 28 grant-writing rules drawn from federal reviewer guidance and published grant-writing advice, works from the funder's own guidelines, and asks you for the facts it needs. Every draft is sent to an in-house AI review, which flags claims it can't trace back to your answers, so you can confirm or cut them. You review, edit, and submit it yourself.
One application costs $25; the 10-pack is $97. Seeing which grants you qualify for is free, and you can see how many grants fit your business and what each pays. Already found a grant? Paste its link or upload the guidelines and our AI drafts it for the same $25. Here is how the AI grant writer works.
It is not a veteran federal grant writer with years of agency relationships. If you are still deciding whether to hire out the writing at all, read should I hire a grant writer or do it myself.
Red flags, whoever you pick
A percentage of the award. The Grant Professionals Association Code of Ethics prohibits commission and percentage-based pay. Legitimate writers charge for the work, not a cut of your grant.
A guaranteed award. Funders decide, not writers or software. Anyone who promises a win is misleading you. An honest writer says you could win and shows you why.
Facts you never gave. Read the final draft against your own records, line by line, whoever wrote it. Your name goes on what gets submitted.
Straight answers
Can someone write a grant for me?
Yes. You can hire a freelance grant writer ($30–$150 an hour, or $1,500–$5,000 per foundation proposal, as of September 2026) or a grant writing firm, ask a volunteer or board member if you run a nonprofit, or use an AI grant writer like WinAGrant for $25 per application, or $97 for 10. Whoever writes it, you supply the facts and you sign what gets submitted.
Is there free help writing a grant application?
Yes, in the form of advising. Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) and SCORE mentors offer free business advising, and the SBA's local assistance page lists the offices near you. They can help you plan and think through your application, but plan on doing the writing yourself.
Can ChatGPT write my grant application?
It can draft one, and it is good at tightening language. You have to give it the funder's rules, the scoring criteria, and your real facts, then check every fact and number before you submit. In our blind test, the AI judges docked ChatGPT's drafts for adding facts the owner never gave.
How much does it cost to have a grant written?
A freelance grant writer charges $30–$150 an hour. A foundation proposal runs $1,500–$5,000, and a federal application runs $5,000–$15,000+, as of September 2026. WinAGrant's AI writes one application for $25, or 10 for $97.
Do grant writers work for a percentage of the grant?
Legitimate ones do not. The Grant Professionals Association Code of Ethics prohibits commission and percentage-based pay tied to the award. Expect to pay by the hour, by the project, or on a monthly retainer.
Related reading
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