How to hire a grant writer

How to hire a grant writer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step grant writer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a grant writer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new grant writer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a grant writer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a grant writer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A grant writer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, grant writers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of grant writer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Grant Writer	Description	Hourly rate
   Grant Writer	Technical writers, also called technical communicators, prepare instruction manuals, how-to guides, journal articles, and other supporting documents to communicate complex and technical information more easily. They also develop, gather, and disseminate technical information through an organization’s communications channels.	$18-35
   Publisher	A publisher manages the design, editing, and production process with the help of proofreaders, printers, and editors. Publishers make schedules for every stage of the process and work backward from the planned date for publication... Show more	$20-57
   Editor	An editor is the one responsible for polishing and refining a story, article, and any material for publication in newspapers, magazines, books, or websites. Editors have the power to either accept or reject a material as they need to ensure that every manuscript which will be offered for publishing is at the best version as it can be... Show more	$16-37

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Grants Management
   • Financial Reports
   • Proposal Development
   • PI
   • Customer Service
   • Project Management
   • Technical Assistance
   • PowerPoint
   • NIH
   • Federal Government
   • Public Health
   • OMB
   • Cooperative Agreements
   • Federal Regulations

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage accounting of fix assets, perform monthly bank and account reconciliations, and manage the annual and grant-cycle budget processes.
   • Organize and manage PowerPoint presentations used for business development and site visits.
   • Manage SharePoint file organization system and wiki cooperation sites to facilitate cooperation among internal and external proposal response participants.
   • Monitor recipients for compliance with the FCMP, CFR and OMB guidelines.
   • Monitor grants that need additional attention or follow up when an institution is not in compliance with the NIH GPS.
   • Prepare and proofread work for publication.

   More grant writer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your grant writer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A grant writer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a grant writer in South Carolina may be lower than in California, and an entry-level grant writer usually earns less than a senior-level grant writer. Additionally, a grant writer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average grant writer salary

   $52,719yearly

   $25.35 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level grant writer salary

   $38,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average grant writer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$74,937	$36
   2	California	$69,006	$33
   3	Massachusetts	$65,388	$31
   4	Maryland	$64,836	$31
   5	New York	$63,202	$30
   6	Pennsylvania	$60,887	$29
   7	Virginia	$58,222	$28
   8	Connecticut	$57,513	$28
   9	Washington	$57,330	$28
   10	Colorado	$55,401	$27
   11	Georgia	$50,934	$24
   12	Minnesota	$50,549	$24
   13	Wisconsin	$49,491	$24
   14	Missouri	$48,768	$23
   15	North Carolina	$48,490	$23
   16	Illinois	$47,977	$23
   17	Kansas	$46,943	$23
   18	Texas	$45,695	$22
   19	Nebraska	$44,914	$22
   20	Idaho	$42,642	$21

   Average grant writer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$104,763	$50.37	5
   2	University of Southern California	$64,055	$30.80	2
   3	Deloitte	$63,294	$30.43
   4	Department of Homeland Security	$63,167	$30.37
   5	Grant Thornton	$61,219	$29.43
   6	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	$60,361	$29.02	1
   7	Southwest Key Programs	$60,162	$28.92
   8	Klamath Health Partnership	$60,014	$28.85
   9	University of California	$59,901	$28.80	4
   10	Moses Lake Clinic	$59,676	$28.69
   11	RWJBarnabas Health	$59,659	$28.68
   12	Sherpa	$59,416	$28.57
   13	New York University	$59,170	$28.45	3
   14	The New York Foundling	$59,032	$28.38
   15	Cedars-Sinai	$58,781	$28.26	8
   16	Boulder County	$58,696	$28.22
   17	Mount Sinai Health System	$58,041	$27.90	1
   18	Lincoln University	$57,753	$27.77
   19	Medical Billing	$57,727	$27.75
   20	Brown University	$57,596	$27.69

4. Writing a grant writer job description

   A grant writer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a grant writer job description:

   Grant writer job description example

   Founded in 1962 as the world's first outpatient dialysis provider, Northwest Kidney Centers operates 20 dialysis clinics across the Puget Sound region in addition to hospital-based services and a large home-based dialysis program. We are a not-for-profit, community-based organization and consistently rank among the top dialysis providers in the United States in quality of care, patient outcomes and transplant rates.
   
   At Northwest Kidney Centers, teamwork, integrity, respect, excellence and stewardship guide our approach to how we work. We differentiate ourselves by our patient centered approach and active commitment to advancing kidney research and dialysis innovation. Key to our success is the compassion and expertise of our dedicated team of staff that care for those we serve.
   
   Northwest Kidney Centers seeks an experienced, driven and detail-orientated Grant Writer to help achieve aggressive fundraising goals in our efforts to fight kidney disease. Come join a great team!
   Responsibilities
   
   The Grant Writer is responsible for proactively seeking funding opportunities from community and private foundations as well as government. This role is part relationship-based and part storytelling, with an eye for details. This position requires managing multiple priorities and having strong follow through. This role requires an independent and strategic thinker who manages time effectively and works with a high degree of autonomy and discretion to prioritize funding opportunities based on likelihood of success, as well as award amount. This is an opportunity to actively participate in laying the foundation for a thriving grants program that will benefit the organization for years to come. Initially, a high volume of outgoing proposal submissions will be expected. With time, the goal is that the work will evolve to include a higher percentage of renewals. a successful candidate will be able to take ownership and initiative to ensure high-quality and timely results are achieved.
   
   Requirements
   Bachelor's degree preferred, with 3-5 years of related work experience Experience in grant writing for healthcare, education, or other nonprofit cause, with documented evidence of previous grant writing success Preferred Qualifications
   Strong writing and storytelling skills, and ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing Knowledge of fund development best practices preferred Shift Full time, Days, 40 hours, Mon-Fri. Northwest Kidney Centers is an equal opportunity employer. We don't discriminate on the basis of race, gender, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, disability, genetics or veteran status.
   
   Please note: Northwest Kidney Centers is obligated to adhere to Proclamation 24- 14.1 requiring healthcare workers in the State of Washington to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in order to work in a healthcare facility. Northwest Kidney Centers fully supports this requirement in order to prevent and reduce the spread of Covid-19 to patients and employees. All new staff will need to provide proof of Covid-19 vaccination to NKC Employee Health prior to their first day. Medical or Religious exemptions may be accommodated depending on the role. For exemption information, please contact Human Resources prior to your start date.
   
   PI194529694

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5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find grant writers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your grant writer job on Zippia to find and attract quality grant writer candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as problogger, media bistro, journalismjobs.com, content writing jobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit grant writers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new grant writer

   Once you've decided on a perfect grant writer candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new grant writer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a grant writer?