The Average Salary for Grant Writing Proposals

Grant writing proposals, which is soliciting money for certain projects, has become more and more popular. A grant writer must use his creative writing abilities to produce a proposal that will effectively outline the project in question and its need for funding by the foundation to which he is applying. Foundations with the ability to grant financial assistance to programs, endeavors and organizations must understand fully the reason for the grant request and must identify with the proposed use of the requested funds before it will agree to release any funds. A creative grant writer is needed to get this message across professionally and proficiently.

  1. What Services Does a Grant Writer Provide?

    • Grant writing is mostly done for nonprofit organizations. A grant proposal writer is usually required to cover all areas of fundraising for the organization. She usually works closely with the president or director of development of the company. She will be responsible for coordinating all fundraising efforts, especially in contacting past, as well as new donors, and solidifying their relationship with the organization. The written grant proposal is a big part of a grant writer’s fundraising efforts and often includes a suggested future budget for the organization. Communication via voice or email with supporters and donors is an ongoing function of a professional fundraiser. Follow up and relevant updates regarding the project are of equally importance.

    What Salaries Can Be Expected?

    • As with most jobs, past experience is an important factor in the level of salary a grant writer receives. Newcomers to the industry can expect to receive a lower salary than writers with many years in the field. Mature content writers or even website writers can transfer their experience to grant writing without too much difficulty. Salaries for a grant writer vary from state to state and industry to industry. However, industries that pay the highest salaries in the private sector include high-tech, health care and education. Salaries from nonprofit organizations pay close to the top of the scale.

    Salary Scales

    • The latest national survey in the United States, taken in April 2011, indicates that the average salary for a grant proposal writer is $49,000 including bonuses, with senior writers leading the chart. A “Director of Grants” may top out at close to $77,000. The majority of grant writers have been in the business for between one and four years. It is interesting to note that according to recent statistics, 80 percent of grant writers are female and only 20 percent male.

    The Median Salary

    • According to the Certified Compensation Professionals’ Analysis, the median salary for grant writers in the United States stands at $56,418. The data was collected from thousands of human resource departments of organizations of various sizes, locations and industries throughout the country.