This post updates data posted early in 2013. It discusses grant-writing consultants’ retainer fees. It is part of an ongoing series. Other updated posts will discuss hourly rates and flat rates (also called per-proposal rates or per-project rates), prospect research fees, proposal review fees, and other topics related to the compensation of grant writers and to consulting.
Consultant Retainer Fees:
Many grant-writing consultants are willing to work under a retainer agreement for a small subset of select clients. Retainers work well when there is a steady flow of work and when the client and the consultant have a long-term relationship.
The client and the consultant both benefit from the predictability of the retainer arrangement. A typical retainer commits both parties to a specified minimum number of hours of service per month and to a specified number of months the agreement is to be in effect. Often the minimum number of hours is 10 hours per month and the minimum number of months is either 3 or 6. Often the retainer is paid monthly.
Services agreed upon in the retainer will depend upon the specific contract. Among such services may be one or more of:
- Providing advisory and consulting services
- Participating in planning sessions with client staff
- Making presentations to client staff
- Doing grant prospect research
- Providing grant opportunity alerts
- Preparing a set number of letters of inquiry per month
- Providing assistance in proposal development
- Developing a set number of proposals per month
Sample Retainers:
As the table below indicates, a retainer fee may cost as little as $1,250 per month or as much as $7,500 per month. Calculated on a quarterly basis, these extremes equate to a fee range of $3,750 to $22,500; on a yearly basis, they equate to a fee range of $15,000 to $90,000.
| Retainers | Minimum | Maximum |
| Consultant/Firm A | $1,000/month | $3,000/month |
| Consultant/Firm B | $1,250/month | $7,500/month |
| Consultant/Firm C | $1,500/month | $3,000/month |
| Consultant/Firm D | $2,000/month | $4,000/month |
| Consultant/Firm E | $3,000/month | $5,000/month |
| Consultant/Firm F | $850/month | Unstated |
| Consultant/Firm G | $3,000/month | Unstated |
| Consultant/Firm H | $3,000/month | Unstated |
| Consultant/Firm I | $100/hour | Unstated |
| Consultant/Firm J | $150/hour | Unstated |
