Hiring guide
How to Hire a Grant Writer
Hire a grant writer who can research funders, follow guidelines and write fundable proposals: sourcing, GPC credential, writing test and FAQs.
The short answer
Hiring a Grant Writer comes down to verifying funder research using tools such as candid's foundation directory and grants.gov, and judgement about fit, persuasive, plain writing for needs statements, programme descriptions and logic models or theories of change and close reading of guidelines and scoring criteria, with compliance on format, page limits and attachments before you commit interview time. The process below runs 4 stages, screens on evidence rather than résumé claims, and scores every candidate against the same criteria.
- Watch for: Promises of a guaranteed success rate or fees as a percentage of the grant awarded, which the Grant Professionals Association Code of Ethics bars its members from accepting
- Watch for: Samples that are generic and could be about any organisation
- Score on: Fit between proposal content and the funder's stated priorities and scoring
- Score on: Compliance with guidelines in the test
Paste your Grant Writer job description; Cohesyve finds, contacts and tests candidates on the real work and ranks them. Ten candidates free, no card.
Applying for a role like this? Practise the assessment free →When you hire a grant writer, you are hiring someone to win funding by matching your work to what a funder wants to pay for, then proving it in a proposal that follows every rule in the guidelines. Nonprofits, universities, health organisations, local government and some businesses hire grant writers in-house, on retainer or per proposal. The right one understands foundations, government funders or both, depending on where your money comes from.
Why this role matters
Grants can fund programmes, research, capital projects and core costs. A good grant writer builds a pipeline of fitting funders, writes proposals that answer the scoring criteria, keeps budgets and narratives consistent and meets every reporting obligation so you stay fundable. A weak one sends generic proposals to poor-fit funders, misses eligibility rules or deadlines, or overpromises outcomes your programme team then cannot deliver.
Where to find candidates
- The Grant Professionals Association, including its consultant directory and chapter networks
- Holders of the Grant Professional Certified (GPC) credential from the Grant Professionals Certification Institute
- Nonprofit job boards such as Idealist and the Chronicle of Philanthropy's job listings
- The Association of Fundraising Professionals and state or regional nonprofit associations
- University research offices and development teams, where sponsored-programmes staff build grant experience
Skills to look for
Red flags
- Promises of a guaranteed success rate or fees as a percentage of the grant awarded, which the Grant Professionals Association Code of Ethics bars its members from accepting
- Samples that are generic and could be about any organisation
- Cannot describe how they decide a funder is not a fit
- Weak or no budget skills, or narratives that do not match the numbers
- No experience with post-award reporting
The interview process
- 1
Screening Call and Samples
Ask about the funders they have written for (foundation, corporate, federal, state), the size and type of proposals and their role in each. Request redacted samples, including at least one funded and one declined proposal with what they learned.
- 2
Funder Research Exercise
Describe one of your programmes and ask for a short list of potential funders with a sentence on fit and any eligibility concerns.
- 3
Proposal Writing Test
Give a real funder's guidelines and your programme notes. Ask for a needs statement, outcomes section and a budget narrative within the funder's limits. A job simulation built around a real funding call is one way to compare candidates on the same material.
- 4
Interview with Programme and Finance Leads
Explore how they gather information from busy colleagues, handle conflicting deadlines and keep reporting on track. Check references with organisations they have written for.
Start the Grant Writer interviews from a ranked shortlist
Cohesyve takes your Grant Writer job description, finds and contacts candidates and tests each one on an AI job simulation of the job, so the stages above start with people who have already done the work. Ten candidates free, no card.
How to evaluate
- Fit between proposal content and the funder's stated priorities and scoring
- Compliance with guidelines in the test
- Clarity and persuasiveness of the needs statement
- Consistency between outcomes, budget and narrative
- Quality of funder research and fit judgement
- Organisation and stakeholder management
Onboarding
- 1Share past proposals, funder reports, the grants calendar and current funder relationships
- 2Give access to programme data, audited accounts and the standard attachments funders request
- 3Introduce programme and finance leads and agree an internal timeline for every proposal
- 4Set up a grants tracker covering prospects, deadlines, decisions and reporting dates
- 5Agree who approves submissions and who owns funder relationships
Common questions
Is the GPC credential worth requiring for a grant writer?
The Grant Professional Certified (GPC) credential shows tested competency across the grant process, so it is a useful signal. Many strong grant writers do not hold it, so treat it as a plus rather than a requirement and rely on samples and a writing test.
Should I pay a grant writer a percentage of the grant?
No. The Grant Professionals Association and Association of Fundraising Professionals codes of ethics both bar members from percentage-based pay, and many funders do not allow grant funds to pay for proposal writing. Paying a salary, retainer or fixed project fee is the common approach. Check each funder's rules.
Do I need a grant writer with federal grant experience?
If you apply for federal grants, yes. Federal applications involve registrations, systems and compliance rules that foundation writing does not, and mistakes can disqualify an application.
Should I hire an in-house grant writer or a consultant?
In-house suits organisations with a steady grant calendar and reporting load. Consultants suit occasional large proposals or teams testing whether grants are worth pursuing.
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