Freelance grant Writing: Who Should Not Try This at Home

There are people who should not even think about writing grants for a living. If you do not like reading, writing, details or deadlines, then this is not the business for you. If you have small children at home who need to be fed or watered regularly, I would also think twice about freelance grant writing. Grants are filled with details and deadlines which can get in the way of everything else for short, intense, bursts of time. Time when children and plants wither and the pets go unfed, while you get those last few paragraphs just right before you run, literally, over to your client’s office, get a signature and head for the nearest UPS office.



If you do not like the idea of new projects, if you have no tolerance for change, if you do not rise to a challenge, then you will not want to be a freelance grant writer. Every grant application is unique. Grant makers can change their priorities without any warning. Federal grants that were never available before can show up out of the blue and be due in thirty days. These activities are not for the faint of heart.



Freelance grant writing jobs are for those who embrace challenges and are not afraid to wade out into the deep end. They are for those, in fact, who thrive on tackling new ventures and wrestling the project into an award-winning grant proposal.



Again, if you do not like to read, run away from this business idea. Grant applications, grant makers’ websites, press releases about grant awards and inspiring project stories are just a few of the documents that professional grant writers read on a regular basis. If you have been looking for a way to make a living while spending hours reading, this could be it. With an enquiring mind and a love of words, you can start a home-based business that may become a life-long career or simply a part-time gig. It’s your choice because, honestly, someone is always looking for a grant writer.



Others who should not try this at home are those who do not like people. If you only like to read and write, you need to know that grant project proposals are all about people. They are about real people who have needs—everything from pipes for drinking water to food for children. A grant writer’s work is with people. People in organizations who have dreams for the future of their clients. It is about people in communities who share the same vision and will become a partner in the project through volunteering or donating and making an application more likely to be funded. It is working with volunteers, directors, police officers, school teachers, city council members, case managers, nurses or artists. It is a wonderful career for some of us, but definitely not for all of us.



The fact is that every grant dollar available will be given to somebody’s favorite cause. If you are detailed-oriented and persistent, it can be your clients that are awarded this funding. When that happens, you will be a hero for ten minutes and make some very nice fees.