FAQs

Grants: We provide comprehensive grant writing services, including grant readiness planning, opportunity research, grant plan development, proposal writing & editing, award tracking, award management, and reporting. We also offer external grant review and consulting services to help organizations improve their chances of securing funding.

Technical Writing: We provide technical writing and editing support for researchers and businesses in need of an external reviewer with a scientific background.  Services include ongoing or one-time technical document editing as well as technical edit guide development.

Nonprofits, educational institutions, government agencies, industry, and other organizations seeking grant funding or technical editing support can benefit from our services. We work with both small and large organizations across various sectors.

We believe that each client is best served through customized service packages designed to meet their grant/technical writing needs and budget. Our pricing is based on the project complexity and the level of service required. Please contact us for a custom quote based on your organization’s needs.

Grant preparation timelines depend on the specific grant requirements and the complexity of the project. Preparation time is also dependent on an organization’s grant readiness and the duration of our working relationship – at CHC we work with clients year after year to build a grant seeking database that reduces grant preparation costs over time in support of a high return on investment. On average, however, it takes 4-6 weeks to complete a high-quality grant proposal from start to submission. You can find additional information on how long it takes to write a grant proposal in our online resources.

Grants: Our team at Clear Horizons Consulting LLC has years of grant and technical writing experience, securing 1.5+ Million dollars in funding for clients. We specialize in a wide range of industries, including but not limited to environment, arts, science, education, and social services. All team members are also members of the Grant Professional Association and abide by the GPA’s code of ethics.

Technical Writing: Dr. Harrold is a published academic in well-known peer-reviewed journals with years of technical writing experience as it applies to laboratory SOPs, journal articles, presentations, CPUC-managed policy proceedings, and grants.  Alicia Holland has a paralegal background and extensive experience drafting technical and legal content.

Absolutely! We offer grant research, alignment assessments, and plan development services to identify funding opportunities that are best suited to support your mission and goals. At CHC we are a subscriber to Instrumentl – the leading all-in-one grant seeking and management platform. Our services include grant seeking and management supported by Instrumental’s database of 400,000+ funders and 15,000+ live grant opportunities – a $3,000 annual benefit included in client services. We supplement Instrumental’s database with network-based lead development as well as national and state grant opportunity research depending on each client’s unique needs. Grant plans include a list of potential grants tailored to your organization based on funder 990 data and your organization’s unique needs.

While we cannot guarantee that a grant proposal will be successful, our experienced writers maximize your chances by supporting client grant readiness, carefully selecting grant opportunities, and by crafting compelling, well-researched applications that are tailored to tap into the intersection of the funder’s priorities and your program or project needs.

Yes! We believe strongly in the value of having a fresh perspective during grant preparation. CHC offers review and editing services to ensure your proposal includes the core elements of a strong proposal, is compliant with funder guidelines, and is polished for final submission.

We have experience with a wide variety of grants, including federal, state, and local government grants, foundation grants, corporate grants, and more. The types of grants we recommend will depend on your organization’s unique needs.

Grant writing is a collaborative process. We meet with clients and ask questions through a conversational format to gather all the required information. These Q&A listening sessions allow our team to shape client expertise, ideas, and needs into actionable grant seeking plans and robust fundable proposals that best suit each client’s goals. We also supplement client-provided qualitative and quantitative data with reputable research as needed to bolster applications. Clients are kept informed during every stage of the process and are typically afforded at least two application review opportunities prior to final submission.

All content developed on behalf of a client is the property of the client and is made available electronically.

You can start by reaching out through our website’s contact form or by phone. We’ll discuss your project, assess your needs, and provide a tailored proposal outlining the scope of work and pricing.

Our services primarily focus on nonprofit organizations, institutions, and industry. However, we occasionally work with individuals or small businesses if the project aligns with available funding opportunities.

Grant competitiveness is dependent on a wide range of factors including available funding, opportunity source (e.g. local foundation versus federal), and client-funder connections, to name a few.  We conduct thorough grant opportunity research and alignment assessments to improve funding likelihood.  We also provide the same high-quality service regardless of the funder source, opportunity competitiveness, request amount, and application complexity. Our track record shows consistent success in securing funding for a range of organizations and funding goals. Our clients have secured over 94 grants totaling $1.5+ Million in awards.

Yes, Dr. Harrold has experience reviewing and preparing federal grant applications.

In early Q&A listening sessions we’ll ask you to provide detailed information about your organization, including your mission, programs, financials, funding needs, and any past grants or funding you’ve received. We’ll also guide you through the process of providing our team with supporting documentation and funder-specific information requirements.

We start with opportunity and funder research via Instrumentl, but we don’t stop there.  Funder alignment includes thoroughly research the funder’s websites, grant guidelines, priorities, and previous giving history to ensure that our proposals align with their mission and objectives. Every application is tailored to meet specific funder requirements.

Grant writing is a service-based industry, we do not offer refunds for unsuccessful grant applications.  Grant award decisions are subjective to varying degrees and applications can be denied based on many factors such as available funds or unknowable review board preferences. However, we strive to provide the highest quality work, will seek funder feedback to build relationships and meet funder preferences, and can discuss strategy adjustments to improve future submissions.

Yes, our team regularly handles multiple grant applications concurrently. We manage all aspects of the process to ensure each proposal is submitted on time and with the highest level of quality.

We are open to offering grant writing training sessions tailored to your organization’s needs. This can help build internal capacity for future grant writing projects. However, we strongly recommend that any training occur concurrent with project-based grant seeking efforts that result in fundable applications.  We believe grant training is best completed using active, not hypothetical, programs and applications as case studies.

We maintain regular communication throughout the grant writing process and provide updates at each major milestone. Clients are also given at least two opportunities to review the complete grant application and must approve the final version prior to submission. Proof of submission is provided after each application is submitted along with a complete copy of the final submitted application for your records. After submission, we’ll also notify you of any follow-up communication from the funder.