Grant writing services
Grant writers who win federal R&D funding for startups
PhD-level grant writers for NSF, NIH and DoD proposals. We write to the scoring criteria, manage compliance and charge a fixed fee agreed before we start.
The short answer
- Grant writing services take your technology and turn it into a fundable federal proposal, written to the agency's scoring criteria.
- The best grant writers combine scientific depth with reviewer experience, so the technical narrative and commercial story both land.
- GrantUp focuses on non-dilutive R&D funding for US startups: SBIR, STTR and related programs across NSF, NIH, DoD and other agencies.
- Our team has won SBIR competitions and secured over $240M in grant funding for deep tech and life sciences companies.
What our grant writing services cover
Federal proposals are scored against published criteria. Every section below is written and reviewed with those criteria in front of us.
Proposal writing
Full technical narrative, significance, innovation and commercialization plan, written from scratch for your technology.
Program strategy
We match your stage and technology readiness level to the right agency, program and funding window before a word is written.
Budget and compliance
Budgets, justifications, biosketches, facilities descriptions and letters of support, checked against agency formatting rules.
Grant writing pricing, compared
The most common question founders ask is what a grant writer costs. Here is how the main options compare on a typical federal R&D proposal.
Freelance grant writers
$5,000 to $25,000
per proposal
- Quality varies widely between writers
- Limited availability around deadlines
- Usually a single discipline or agency focus
- Compliance and submission QA often excluded
Hourly consultants
$75 to $250
per hour
- Costs grow quickly on complex proposals
- Hard to predict the final invoice
- Best for small edits or reviews
- Rarely accountable for the outcome
GrantUp full service
Fixed fee + success fee
quoted after your eligibility call
- PhD-level writers and former reviewers
- End to end: narrative, budget, letters, QA
- 3 to 5 hours of your time per application
- Success fee aligns us with your award
Every engagement starts with a free 30-minute eligibility call. If your project is a poor fit for federal funding, we will tell you before you spend anything.
How a GrantUp engagement works
You bring the technology and the ambition. We bring the writers, the reviewer perspective and the process that turns both into a fundable application.
- Free eligibility call to confirm program fit
- Fixed quote before any work begins
- Structured interview so our writers capture your science
- Full proposal draft, internal review and your feedback round
- Budget, letters of support and compliance QA
- Submission support and resubmission strategy if needed
Why founders choose GrantUp
$240M+ won
Grant funding secured by our team across hundreds of successful federal applications.
PhDs and ex-reviewers
Scientific writers who know how panels score proposals in your field.
Every major agency
NSF, NIH, DoD, DOE, NASA, USDA, DHS, NIST, ARPA-H and BARDA, monitored continuously.
No templates, no AI drafts
Every proposal is written for your technology, your market and the agency's criteria.
Common grant writing questions
What do grant writing services include?
A full-service engagement covers program selection, the technical narrative, commercialization plan, budget and justification, supporting documents such as biosketches and letters of support, and compliance checks before submission. GrantUp handles all of this end to end.
How much do grant writers charge?
Freelance grant writers typically charge $5,000 to $25,000 per federal proposal, and hourly consultants charge $75 to $250 per hour. Full-service consultancies usually quote a fixed engagement fee plus a success fee on award. GrantUp quotes a fixed fee after a free eligibility call, so you know the cost before committing.
What percentage do grant writers get paid?
Success fees for federal grant consultancies typically range from 5% to 15% of the award, depending on the program and scope. Some agencies restrict contingency fees charged to the grant itself, so reputable firms bill success fees separately rather than from award funds.
How do I choose between grant writers?
Look for evidence of wins at your target agency, writers with relevant scientific backgrounds, and a clear pricing structure. Ask who writes the proposal, who reviews it, and what happens if the application is declined. A credible firm will show funded examples in your sector.
Is it worth hiring a grant writer for SBIR?
For most startups, yes. SBIR success rates sit around 15% to 20%, and the strongest applications come from teams that write to the scoring criteria rather than describe their product. A specialist writer typically pays for itself across one or two submissions.
How long does a grant proposal take to write?
A competitive SBIR or STTR Phase I proposal usually takes four to eight weeks of calendar time. With GrantUp, founders typically invest 3 to 5 hours in interviews and reviews while we do the writing, budgeting and compliance work.
Looking for partnership-based proposals? Read about our STTR grant writers for university and industry teams or compare SBIR and STTR eligibility side by side.
Ready to find out if your project is fundable?
Book a free 30-minute eligibility call. We will tell you which programs fit your technology and give you a fixed quote before any work begins.