Grant writing company & consultants
Federal grant writing services for US startups and growing companies
SBIR grant writing for NSF, NIH and DoD proposals, led by PhD-level grant writing consultants. We write to the scoring criteria, manage compliance and charge a fixed fee agreed before we start.
Specialist support for federal R&D proposals
- GrantUp provides federal R&D grant writing services for US startups and growing companies seeking SBIR, STTR and agency-specific funding.
- A grant writing consultant adds scientific depth and reviewer perspective, so the technical narrative and the commercial story both land.
- SBIR grant writing is our core work: Phase I and Phase II proposals for NSF, NIH, DoD and other agencies, plus STTR university partnerships.
- Our team's $240M+ funding track record is supported by funded project examples you can explore in our case studies.
Is your company ready for grant writing support?
Our service centers on companies developing an innovation with a research question, technical uncertainty and a credible commercial or mission application. Eligible projects span software, advanced manufacturing, energy, agriculture, life sciences and other sectors. We assess the specific solicitation alongside your company structure, team and project stage before recommending an application.
Start with a Project Pitch for NSF positioning, a Phase I proposal for feasibility research, or Phase II support for a more developed R&D plan. University collaborations can follow the STTR pathway.
What you bring, and what we deliver
You provide the technical evidence, team details, market insight and cost assumptions; your team validates the science and approves the final application. We shape the research objectives, work plan, commercialization narrative and supporting documents around the agency's instructions.
The agreed scope identifies each document, the review rounds, responsibilities and submission schedule. For a draft already in progress, choose the proposal review service below. Explore funded project examples and meet our grant writing team before your consultation.
Discuss your proposal scopeWhat 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.
Commercialization planning
A market and adoption narrative grounded in your customer evidence, competitive position and route from research to a commercial product.
Independent proposal review
An internal review against the solicitation's evaluation criteria, followed by prioritized revisions and a final consistency check across documents.
Resubmission support
A structured response to reviewer feedback, with revised research aims, clearer evidence and an updated narrative for the next eligible submission.
SBIR grant writing for every major agency
Each agency scores proposals differently. We match your technology to the program's research priorities, evaluation criteria and submission requirements.
NSF SBIR
Project Pitch, Phase I feasibility research and Phase II development.
NIH SBIR/STTR
Study sections, CSR format, Resubmission and A0/A1 rules.
DoD SBIR/STTR
Topic-based bidding, direct-to-Phase II and mission fit.
DOE SBIR/STTR
Letter of Intent cycles, program areas and Phase II releases.
NASA SBIR/STTR
Subtopics, mission directorates and infusion planning.
ARPA-H & CDMRP
Open BAAs, program-manager pitch model and two-tier review.
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
Scope-based quote
confirm the deliverables with the writer
- Confirm experience with your target agency
- Agree availability around your deadline
- Check scientific and commercial expertise
- Specify compliance and submission support
Hourly consultants
Hourly engagement
agree the rate and estimated hours
- Define the sections requiring support
- Agree an hours budget before work begins
- Useful for targeted edits or reviews
- Confirm who owns the final submission
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.
Project-specific writing
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.
What does a grant writing company do?
A grant writing company runs the whole submission: it selects the solicitation, assigns a writer with the right scientific background, drafts the narrative and budget, reviews internally against the scoring criteria, and manages compliance and submission. Working with a company rather than one freelancer means cover across agencies and an independent review before the deadline.
When should I hire a grant writing consultant?
Hire a grant writing consultant when the deadline is inside eight weeks, when your team has never submitted to the target agency, or when the science is strong but the commercialization and compliance work is unfamiliar. A consultant is also useful for resubmissions, where reviewer feedback needs translating into structural changes.
How much do grant writers charge?
GrantUp agrees a fixed engagement fee and any success-fee terms after a free eligibility call. The quote reflects the agency, proposal stage, documents required and level of review. Ask for a written scope covering the narrative, budget, supporting documents, revisions and submission support so you can compare offers on the same basis.
What percentage do grant writers get paid?
GrantUp sets out any success fee in your engagement quote rather than publishing a universal percentage. Confirm the amount, payment trigger and funding source before signing, and check the target program's rules on allowable costs when planning how to pay for proposal support.
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?
Specialist support can be valuable when you have a credible research project and need help translating it into the agency's evaluation framework. Compare the writing fee with your internal capacity, project readiness and the work needed before submission. Funding decisions remain with the agency; a consultant supports a stronger, compliant application.
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.
What does my company need to provide to a grant writer?
Bring a technology overview, the research question, available feasibility evidence, team biographies, customer or market evidence and a first view of project costs. Your team confirms the scientific claims, supplies company and registration details, and reviews the draft. GrantUp organizes that material into the required proposal documents.
Can you help with an NSF Project Pitch or an existing proposal draft?
Yes. Support can begin with NSF Project Pitch positioning, a full SBIR or STTR proposal, or a proposal review and red-team audit of an existing draft. We agree the deliverables and schedule on the eligibility call based on your program, submission stage and deadline.
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.
Deadline inside four weeks
Proposal review and red-team audit
For teams who have already written the proposal and want it pressure-tested before submission. We score the draft against the agency review criteria, audit it line by line against the solicitation, and hand back prioritized rewrite guidance. Turnaround starts at five business days, with a fixed fee agreed on the free call.
- Compliance audit against every instruction in the solicitation
- Written scoring verdict against the agency review criteria
- Prioritized rewrite guidance on the weakest sections
- Budget, biosketch and letter-of-support checks
Free starter pack
Get the federal proposal starter pack
The readiness checklist and federal deadline calendar, plus a short note from a consultant on the programs and submission windows that fit your company.
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.