“It’s Your Summer of Money” Challenge Opportunity #5
Become a Grant Writer
By Rebecca Matter

We’re coming into the home stretch with the “It’s Your Summer of Money” Challenge.

Have you picked your business yet?

If not, don’t worry – you have until Friday, and we still have two more opportunities to go!

Today’s is hands-down the most rewarding opportunity …

And what’s interesting to me is that this isn’t the kind of opportunity you typically find out about, unless you know someone who’s already doing it.

Before I met AWAI Member Toni Rockis, I personally had no idea this home-based business even existed. Yet she’s been doing it in her spare time for the past 30 years and earning a full-time income.

One of my marketers said, “It’s almost like getting paid to be Santa Claus.”

Only instead of delivering toys once a year – you’re helping needy kids and families get the food and clothes they wouldn’t otherwise have …

You’re helping preserve the wildlife and the environment …

You’re helping the unemployed factory worker whose job has been shipped overseas learn new skills he can use here at home to support his family …

You’re helping schools and hospitals get the upgraded tools and equipment they need to do their important work even more effectively. You’re helping single mothers have day care so they can get off welfare and go out and work to make a better life for themselves and their children.

Oh, and the money isn’t bad either. :)

(It’s actually great, but we’ll get to that in a minute!)

With this opportunity, I almost feel like I’ve uncovered a secret way to make money writing AND live a rewarding life at the same time. And that’s why grant writing is my fifth pick for the “It’s Your Summer of Money” Challenge.

So, what the heck is grant writing?

Don’t worry, it’s a lot easier then it sounds …

As a grant writer, you help craft a grant proposal for an organization or group of people that need money.

For instance, let’s say your local school board needs money for new computers.

You’d write a proposal and send it in to the appropriate government organization or foundation that’s offering grants for schools that want to upgrade their technology.

And, here’s the thing …

Doing this is as easy as filling in some paper work, making sure your “i’s are dotted” and your “t’s are crossed” – then sitting back and waiting.

The real “trick” if you will, is in knowing whom to send the proposal to.

That is, matching up the right organizations that need money to the corresponding government agencies and foundations that are looking to grant money for that organization’s specific need.

And, it’s not like copywriting where you have to come up with a new Big Idea, letter after letter.

Your job is simply to craft a well-written proposal (there’s a method to it!) and send it off to the right people.

Literally hundreds of billions are up for grabs every year …

In fact, according to the U.S. Government and The Foundation Center, there are over $544 billion up for grabs each and every year from thousands of sources (to put that number into perspective, it’s about what the U.S. Government spends on Social Security in a year – and about $40 billion more than what’s spent on Medicare and Medicaid!)

Plus, there are more than 75,000 foundations that give away billions more every year – large organizations you may have heard of, like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (with over $35 billion earmarked for giving – and upwards of $2 billion handed out each and every year).

All the way down to lesser-known family foundations and smaller community funds set up to help places like local food banks and animal shelters with a few thousand dollars at a time.

It’s money that’s available for such diverse things as cancer research to putting computers in schools … from fighting childhood obesity … to more obscure things like funding public skateboard parks in low-income communities (It’s true – and you have skateboarder Tony Hawk’s Foundation to thank!).

In other words, if a worthwhile organization needs money for a mission – there’s very likely an agency or foundation ready to give it.

And all they’re looking for are structured proposals from serious and skilled grant writers who know how to follow the procedures necessary to get the money.

Which leads me to another reason this opportunity is so hot …

There is a huge shortage of skilled grant writers!

It’s really unfortunate if you think about it …

All that grant money up for grabs, and yet there aren’t enough skilled grant writers to help organizations go after it.

But that’s what makes grant writing a perfect business to start this summer.

You have a large pool of potential clients who NEED your services in order to stay in business.

And because of the nature of service you’re providing, there’s no reason in the world why any client would ever turn down the opportunity to work with you.

Which makes getting clients a “non-issue” with this business opportunity.

Huge Demand + Small Supply = Easy Money (for you AND your client!)

How do you get paid as a grant writer?

Grant writing is very much a choose-your-own-income opportunity. How much you make is really a matter of how much you need to make to have the lifestyle you want.

That said, there are three ways to get paid as a grant writer:

1. Go freelance and work with as many organizations as you want, and take on new grant-writing projects whenever you want. For example, you partner with an organization that needs money for a specific project. You determine they need a state government grant of say $350,000. A fair market freelance fee for an experienced grant writer would be in the $10,000 range for a grant of that size.
2. Offer your services on an hourly basis. Typical hourly rates for a professional grant writer? As a complete “newbie” you can charge between $25 – $50 an hour, and between $75 and $100 an hour after you get a few winning grant proposals “under your belt.”
3. Go on retainer. This is where an organization pays you to be “on the lookout” for funding opportunities. And when you do find ones that fit, you also get paid for writing the proposals for them. Depending on the size of the grant you request, you can earn anywhere from $2,000 – $20,000.

How easy is it to get started?

Actually, very easy.

As a grant writer, the real secret is to be on top of what government organizations and foundations have money to give away in the form of grants — and create a good match between those and the groups and organizations who need that money.

Combine this with the knowledge of how to write a winning grant proposal and you could be in business by next week.

At that point, it’s just a matter of choosing the organizations who share causes you believe in.

Whether it’s helping protect endangered species … encourage science and innovation among young people … construct a new playground at the grade school … it’s up to you.

And if grant writing sounds like a good fit for you and your goals, there is no better resource out there than AWAI’s Grant Writing Success: Opening the Door to Financial Opportunity.

It’s written by the person I mentioned earlier, Toni Rockis.

What’s truly extraordinary about Toni is that in all her 30 years of writing literally hundreds of grant proposals, she has only been turned down six times.

In an industry where there are certain to be disappointments, and where a successful grant writer can proudly boast about a 70% success rate, Toni’s record is extraordinary … a better than 93% history of success.

It’s no wonder she’s helped her clients win over $65 million in funding!

Grant Writing Success is designed to take you from where you are now – someone who may have never known about grant writing as a potential career before today – to having everything you need to open up your own business – and be ready to submit a successful grant proposal on behalf of any organization you choose.

And during the “It’s Your Summer of Money” Challenge special, you can save over 40% on Grant Writing Success: Opening the Door to Financial Opportunity if you order right now.

Toni is also including winning proposal samples and templates you can use freely as your own – proposals that have won millions upon millions in grants from government agencies and foundations year after year!

Learn more about the grant writing program here.

No doubt, grant writing is the most rewarding path to a six-figure income.

As a grant writer, you’ll have the skill and knowledge to submit a wonderfully-crafted grant proposal that brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars – money that can help a child get a better education, put an unemployed man back to work, help a single mother and her child have a better life.

Talk about glicken!

Check out the other “It’s Your Summer of Money” Challenge opportunities.

Or learn about the Challenge.