Would you know what to do?
You’ve been working for your awesome new non-profit or small business client for a few months. You’re delivering great copy, and they’re super happy with your work. Then, they tell you about the new project they want you to work on:
“Hey, we’ve decided to apply for a grant! You’re our writer – can you write the grant application for us?”
What do you say?
If you’re like most copywriters, content writers, virtual assistants, technical writers, ghost writers and content strategists, you probably know enough to realise that grant writing is a whole thing – it’s a particular type of writing, with its own structures and conventions, and it needs a particular skillset.
You’ve probably got most of those skills – after all, you ARE a great writer. But how do you actually apply those skills and pull together a winning grant application?
On top of that, how does the grant process even work? What if the client has questions about it that you have no idea how to answer? And how do you even charge for grant writing work?
Most writers reluctantly say “no” at this point. They decline the project. They forgo the income. They miss out on the opportunity to work on something creative, strategic and meaningful.
But there’s a better option!
What if, instead of saying no, you had the skillset to say “YES!!!”
Grant Writing For Freelance Writers is the self-paced online grant writing course designed specifically for freelance writers.
This course takes you through the ins and outs of grant-world from the freelance perspective. It builds your knowledge, confidence and skills so that you can take on grant writing projects and land great results for your clients.
This course is seriously practical. We’ll cover the context that you need, and then get stuck into the practical strategies that will let you actually work as a successful freelance grant writer – whether you want to do it full time, as an add-on service for your business, or just have the skillset in your back pocket.
We look at real grant guidelines and work through practical examples – by the end of this course, you’ll feel prepared, confident and capable, and ready to take on any grant application!
You'll be able to:
Confidently write successful grant writing projects with your clients
Make and follow a clear plan to take you through the project from start to finish
Stop staring at a blank page and know exactly how to start and how to keep going
Understand your audience to deliver copy that sparkles
Know what to charge, how to quote and when to invoice
Add a lucrative new skill to your freelance business
Do important, interesting work that makes a real, tangible difference in the world.
Or 4x monthly payments of $220 inc. GST.
Hi, I’m Martina, and I’ll be your guide to the world of freelance grant writing.
I’ve been immersed in grant world since 2012, and I’ve been a freelance grant writer since 2016. In that time, I’ve gone from helping my mum apply for grants for the small rural disability non-profit she led, to winning 6-, 7- and 8-figure grants for national service transformation projects for some of Australia’s leading non-profits.
Grant writing has changed my life. It’s let me do interesting, creative, strategic work that really helps people, getting projects funded that genuinely transform lives.
And it’s let me do that work completely on my own terms – whether that’s living out of a backpack as I made my way through Europe, Asia and South America, road-tripping across the Nullarbor and Outback Queensland, or relaxing from the balcony of my harbour-view apartment in Sydney.
I want to help you have this too. Why?
Because I genuinely think that the freelance model of grant writing is the one that makes sense. I think the world needs more freelance grant writers. And I think you’ve got the skills to be one.
Think about it.
The people who lead the epic non-profits, small businesses and social impact start-ups that change our world are seriously cool people. They’re brilliantly capable, amazing at connecting people, they just somehow get stuff done, and come up with big ideas that make a real difference.
But their skillset doesn’t always include writing.
To win a grant, you need two things: a brilliant idea, and a clear, written explanation of that brilliant idea.
And that means that the change-makers in our world who aren’t great writers are at a disadvantage. It kinda sucks, right? Why should a brilliant idea not get funded, just because the person driving it isn’t that great at writing? They might be brilliant at connecting with disengaged young people, amazing at organising services and strategies, fantastic at getting the right people together – but without being able to write about it, they don’t get funded.
That’s not fair.
But that’s where freelance grant writers come in.
Freelance grant writers take brilliant ideas and explain them so that they fit the criteria for funding. They work with dozens of clients, so they’re always growing and learning – but no one client has to have enough work to sustain them. They’re a shared resource – and one that’s becoming even more important.
The demand for freelance grant writers is growing.
More and more clients are coming to understand this way of working. Government is giving out more and more grants. And the standard and the level of competition is going up and up. There’s never been more need for freelance grant writers.
And I can’t do it alone!!
Honestly, one of my motivations for making this course is selfish. I get too many enquiries! I’ve got too much work! I can’t help all the people who want and need my help with grant writing.
So, I want to train more freelance grant writers.
I want to know that there are capable, skilled people out there who I can pass work to. And I want more clients to be able to find those writers who can help them.
You get:
52 short, easy to digest video lessons covering the ins and outs of grant writing in DETAIL:
How the grant process actually works
How to respond to selection criteria
Understanding and interpreting the grant guidelines
The number one mistake made by grant seekers – and how to avoid it
Tips and tricks that make your writing more persuasive
How to do a budget
The client’s role in freelance grant writing
How to estimate the workload
How to quote for a project
What to do about supporting documents
Submission risk management
Getting paid
And more!!
5 ‘Check Your Understanding’ quizzes to make sure you’re on top of the key issues
Worksheets, checklists, diagrams, worked examples, email templates and more!
AND TWO full-hour calls with me to discuss ANY PART of your freelance grant writing work, such as:
Getting into more detail about parts of the course that interest you
Talking through how the ideas apply to you and your own work
Getting feedback on your quote emails
Planning a grant application that you’re currently working on
Problem-solving a client issue that you’re working through
Getting me to review and give feedback on your responses to selection criteria
Any combination of the above
Anything else you want help with!
You get one call at any time – you can choose to schedule it right at the start, part-way-through the materials, or right at the end. The second call is for after you’ve completed the course – once you’ve marked all the modules complete, you can book it in. This makes sure the calls are the best use of your time.
Grant writing is a fantastic skill to have in your freelance arsenal – even if you’re not looking to be a freelance grant writer full-time.
Taking on some grant writing projects amongst your other work is a great way to add variety, stretch your creative and strategic thinking muscles, and work on something a bit different. Not only that, there’s a whole lot of benefits to the projects themselves:
Grant writing projects are typically larger than other freelance writing projects. That means less admin. What would it be like to replace 10x $500 projects with a single $5000 project? Think of all the non-billable and administration hours you’d save!
Grant writing projects are collaborative – you need to actively work with the client to do them well. Many freelance writers sometimes feel isolated in their work when it’s just you and your internet research – grant projects give you the collaboration and teamwork that might be missing from your work life.
Grant writing delivers real, tangible results. Sometimes we’re left wondering if our blog posts, newsletter articles and web copy really make a difference. But when you’ve just won a $300,000 grant for your client? You REALLY feel like you’ve done something super valuable and helpful.
Grant writing is interesting!! You get to get really stuck into different ideas and what makes a project or an idea really work. It requires creativity and strategic thinking – and no two projects are ever the same.
Grant writing projects finish on time! Grant applications have hard deadlines – that means you never get caught in endless revisions, not hearing back from the client for weeks at a time. These projects are very important to your clients, and you’ll be at the top of the priority list. That usually means you get paid on time, too!
The first ever real freelance grant writing project that I did? The first one with a real client who was paying me, who wasn’t just my mum? (Let’s be honest – my mum didn’t pay me!)
I charged $850 for that project.
I agonised over what to charge. I wanted it to be fair for the amount of work I needed to put in but still good value for the client. I didn’t want to charge the client too much – but I didn’t want to under-charge for my skills either!
I worked so hard on that quote. And I finally landed on $850. It felt fair. It felt right.
Yeah, I MASSIVELY under-charged. Whoops!
But here’s the thing.
I didn’t have anyone else guiding me. I didn’t know any other freelance grant writers. I wasn’t even totally sure it was a real job! And I didn’t have anything to base my rate off. I just had to guess.
But you won’t have to.
Included in my course is a whole lesson on how to break down the workload of a freelance grant writing project, examples of rates and different project fee structures, and even template emails with the exact words that I use to explain the value of freelance grant writing and send a quote to a client.
So why am I charging $850 for this course?
Because I know that $850 for a grant writing project is seriously undercharging, even for a newbie.
And I KNOW that, with my help, you’ll definitely charge more than $850 for your first grant writing project.
So this way, I know FOR SURE that you will more than make your money back from this course on your very first client. And every client after that will be 100% profit for you!
Your investment in this course will be more than covered on your very first client.
And that’s a win for you, AND a massive win for all your future clients!
(And yes, that’s Australian dollars. You don’t need to check the USD exchange rate!)
YES.
If you're Australian, this course was written for you. Everything applies exactly to the Australian grant landscape.
If you're not Australian, almost all of the course applies for you. However, the examples that I use are Australian, and there will be some differences in the way grants operate in your country. You definitely can still apply what you learn in this course, and it will definitely still help you work as a freelance grant writer.
“Martina is great at clearly explaining everything you need to know to write great grant applications. The course is very comprehensive and covers all sections of a typical grant application, workflow, communicating with clients, how selection criteria are marked and so much more. If you have been sitting on plans to learn more about grant writing, this course will give you the answers you need!” – Joyce V.
- Anne Stephens, PhD, MBA, Ethos of Engagement Consulting
"Watching some of your videos now, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the way your brain works! Loving your categorisation of things." - Miriam F.
Freelance writers who want to add grant writing as a new skillset
Copywriters, content writers, virtual assistants, journalists, ghost writers, website writers, marketers, and anyone else who writes for clients for a living
Anyone who has been asked by their client to write a grant application
New freelancer writers who want to get into grant writing
People who want detailed, actionable and practical support to actually write a full grant application
Managers and leadership staff who aren’t doing the grunt work of grant writing (you need something more strategic)
People seeking disaster relief grants (you’re seeking a different type of grant)
People who have just started their first charity and are looking for grant funding to get it off the ground (you need a grant strategy not a grant writer)
People just looking for a high level overview of grants (this course is DETAILED!)
(If any of these are you, reach out and I’ll point you at a better resource more suited for what you need!)
Standard Terms and Conditions apply. Basically, you get your rights under the Australian Consumer Law. 1:1 calls must be completed within 6 months of signing up.
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