Grant Writing a a Career: Salaries in Non-Euro Europe in 2020

In non-Euro Europe, in 2020, local professional Grant Writers generally earned strong salaries, particularly when considered in light of purchasing power and international differences in costs of living.

 

This post examines data about salaries of Grant Writers in non-Euro Europe. All data are in US dollars (US$). Other posts examine grant writing as a career in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, the Euro Zone, the United Kingdom, the Caribbean Sea islands, Latin America, Scandinavia, and other parts of the world.

 

Average Salaries

 

Based on salary data from Salaryexpert.com for the 16 of the 27 non-Euro Zone countries for which it reported data, the national average salaries for mid-career Grant Writers ranged from a low of $8,546 in Bosnia-Herzegovina to a high of $79,792 in Switzerland.

 

Early career national averages ranged from a low of $6,396 in Bosnia-Herzegovina to a high of $57,068 in Switzerland. And late career national averages ranged from a low of $11,005 also in Bosnia-Herzegovina, to a high of $98,175, also in Switzerland.

 

In addition, based on salary data from Salaryexpert.com for 32 non-Euro Zone cities for which it reported data, the mid-career city averages ranged from a low of $8,497 in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina to a high of $82,514 in Geneva, Switzerland.

 

 

For early career Grant Writers, the city averages ranged from a low of $6,075 in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina to a high of $59,015 in Geneva, Switzerland.

 

 

And for late career Grant Writers, the city averages ranged from a low of $10,453, also in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina, to a high of $101,542, also in Geneva, Switzerland.

 

By way of comparison, average salaries for mid-career Grant Writers were 5.7% more in Geneva, Switzerland, than in second-place Bern, Switzerland, and 875.8% more than in last-place Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

 

 

City and Country	Early Career	2020 Avg.	Late Career
Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina	$6,714	$9,391	$11,553
Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina	$6,075	$8,497	$10,453
Bosnia-Herzegovina	$6,396	$8,546	$11,005
Sofia, Bulgaria	$10,433	$14,285	$17,952
Varna, Bulgaria	$9,411	$12,885	$16,194
Bulgaria	$9,531	$13,049	$16,400
Dubrovnik, Croatia	$15,958	$22,314	$27,453
Zagreb, Croatia	$16,542	$23,137	$28,462
Croatia	$16,454	$23,015	$28,312
Copenhagen, Denmark	$55,593	$77,587	$95,692
Arhus, Denmark	$48,196	$67,258	$82,925
Denmark	$52,148	$72,774	$89,731
Budapest, Hungary	$15,805	$22,006	$27,193
Debrecen, Hungary	$14,149	$19,701	$24,345
Hungary	$15,196	$21,159	$26,146
Reykjavik, Iceland	$37,177	$51,699	$63,965
Keflavik, Iceland	$33,598	$46,722	$57,811
Iceland	$36,075	$50,167	$62,089
Almaty, Kazakhstan	$6,418	$8,846	$11,042
Nursultan, Kazakhstan	$6,172	$8,506	$10,619
Kazakhstan	$6,234	$8,592	$10,726
Oslo, Norway	$51,186	$71,380	$88,084
Bergen, Norway	$45,314	$63,180	$77,970
Norway	$47,621	$66,382	$81,923
Warsaw, Poland	$16,362	$22,807	$28,152
Poznan, Poland	$13,811	$19,249	$23,760
Poland	$14,826	$20,666	$25,509
Bucharest, Romania	$11,420	$15,855	$19,650
Constanta, Romania	$10,611	$14,732	$18,257
Romania	$10,224	$14,185	$17,592
Moscow, Russian Federation	$8,583	$11,840	$14,768
St. Petersburg, Russian Federation	$8,489	$11,709	$14,605
Russian Federation	$7,902	$10,901	$13,597
Stockholm, Sweden	$34,739	$48,464	$59,778
Uppsala, Sweden	$23,316	$43,487	$45,767
Sweden	$32,470	$45,299	$55,872
Bern, Switzerland	$55,811	$78,034	$96,024
Geneva, Switzerland	$59,015	$82,514	$101,542
Switzerland	$57,068	$79,792	$98,175
Ankara, Turkey	$8,006	$11,046	$13,776
Istanbul, Turkey	$9,577	$13,213	$16,477
Turkey	$7,835	$10,811	$13,482
Kiev, Ukraine	$8,228	$11,289	$14,158
Donetsk, Ukraine	$7,523	$10,320	$12,943
Ukraine	$7,840	$10,756	$13,489
London, England, UK	$45,923	$64,029	$79,014
Glasgow, Scotland, UK	$33,486	$46,690	$57,617
United Kingdom	$36,146	$50,398	$62,192

 

No salary data were available in mid 2020 for Albania, Andorra, Belarus, Georgia, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, San Marino, and Vatican City.

 

Cost of Living

 

As of 2020, Switzerland had the highest cost of living index among non-Euro countries of Europe, followed by Sweden; both were above that of the United States of America. All of the other non-Euro countries had lower cost of living indices than the United States of America. They ranged from 99.5% of the US index in the Netherlands to 41.7% of the US index in Kazakhstan.

 

Conversions

 

Currencies converted into USD for mid 2020 included: BAM, BGN, CHF, DKK, GBP, HRK, HUF, ISK, KZT, NOK, PLN, RON, RUB, SEK, TRY, UAH,

 

Grant Writing as a Career: Hourly Rates and Flat Rates in 2020

A fresh review of data sampled from websites in mid 2020 suggests that grant consultants’ hourly rates and flat rates (also called per proposal rates or per project rates), which they charge for services, have increased somewhat compared to 2019 and earlier years.

 

The review is one in an series, which also examines consultants’ rates for retainers, prospect research, proposal reviews, proposal editing, workshop tuition, and other ways that grant consultants earn income. The United States of America is the context for the ongoing series.

 

Hourly Rates

 

As in previous years, in mid 2020, grant consultants’ hourly rates tended to be higher than those of many salaried Grant Writers. Based on a review of sampled websites of consultants doing business across the United States, the standard rates billed to clients for grant writing and related consulting services stretched from $35 per hour to $300 per hour. The median for sampled rates was $100 per hour—$25 more than in 2019, and $15 more than in 2017. Most sampled hourly rates fell between $80 and $105, which amounted to $1,600 to $2,100 for every 20 billable hours.

 

Some grant writing consultants offered lower rates for non-profit clients versus other types of clients. They also may have offered lower rates for writing grant proposals versus other kinds of grant-related services (e.g., grants management or project evaluation). In addition, some consultants specified a minimum number of billable hours (e.g., 50 hours at $200/hour) or a minimum not-to-exceed amount (e.g., $7,500).

 

Proposals submitted to units of local, state, or federal government are often significantly more complex (and thus generally more costly for clients) than those submitted to corporations or foundations. Consequently, many grant writing consultants adjusted their rates based on the type of grant maker. Other consultants did not adjust their rates based on this factor.

 

Flat Rates

 

An alternative to charging by the hour is to charge a flat rate (also called a per proposal rate or a per project rate). Grant writing consultants often indicated that they will need to do a thorough analysis of the details of a grant opportunity before quoting a flat rate.

 

Many factors affected determining a flat rate. Among them were: the lead-time to prepare and turn around the proposal, the complexity of the project, the proposal’s length, the amount of the grant request, and the time needed to complete the assignment. Most consultants varied their rates by the type of grant source—foundation, corporation, state, or federal. Some consultants also varied their rates by the nature of the proposal document—a letter of inquiry, a letter of intent to apply, and a corporate solicitation letter tended to cost considerably less than a full-length grant proposal to be sent to a government agency.

 

 

As the table shows, some grant writing consultants quoted a rate floor for a basic proposal (usually for a private foundation) as low as $250. Other consultants may have quoted a floor at $1,500, $6,000, or $8,500. A flat-rate ceiling for a more advanced proposal may be quoted as $1,000 or $5,000; however, rates ascended to $10,000, $15,000, $25,000, or even $45, 000. Beyond having wide variations in flat-rate quotes, consultants at times imposed a premium for preparing a proposal with a very short lead-time before due—no matter the source—often as much as 50% more than their standard hourly rates.

 

Grant Writing Flat Rates	Minimum	Maximum
Consultant/Firm 1	$250	$1,000
Consultant/Firm 2	$250	$2,000
Consultant/Firm 3	$400	$800
Consultant/Firm 4	$500	$1,500
Consultant/Firm 5	$500	$2,000
Consultant/Firm 6	$500	$10,000
Consultant/Firm 7	$600	$2,000
Consultant/Firm 8	$750	$5,000
Consultant/Firm 9	$750	$7,500
Consultant/Firm 10	$1,000	$3,000
Consultant/Firm 11	$1,000	$3,000
Consultant/Firm 12	$1,000	$3,500
Consultant/Firm 13	$1,500	$3,000
Consultant/Firm 14	$1,500	$3,000
Consultant/Firm 15	$1,500	$3,500
Consultant/Firm 16	$1,500	$6,000
Consultant/Firm 17	$1,500	$7,500
Consultant/Firm 18	$2,000	$2,600
Consultant/Firm 19	$2,500	$12,000
Consultant/Firm 20	$2,500	$45,000
Consultant/Firm 21	$3,000	$6,000
Consultant/Firm 22	$3,000	$8,000
Consultant/Firm 23	$3,500	$4,500
Consultant/Firm 24	$3,500	$7,500
Consultant/Firm 25	$4,000	$20,000
Consultant/Firm 26	$5,000	$8,500
Consultant/Firm 27	$5,000	$15,000
Consultant/Firm 28	$6,000	$9,000
Consultant/Firm 29	$6,000	$15,000
Consultant/Firm 30	$6,000	$15,000
Consultant/Firm 31	$6,000	$15,000
Consultant/Firm 32	$7,500	$15,000
Consultant/Firm 33	$8,000	$9,000
Consultant/Firm 34	$8,500	$25,000
Consultant/Firm 35	$550	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 36	$840	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 37	$2,250	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 38	$2,500	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 39	$2,500	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 40	$3,000	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 41	$3,000	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 42	$3,300	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 43	$3,500	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 44	$5,500	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 45	$6,400	Unstated

 

In mid 2020, grant writing consultants often required advance payment in full if the contracted flat rate falls below a predefined threshold. The year’s most frequently stated threshold—$4,000 plus or minus $500—was a rise of $500 over earlier years. If the flat rate exceeded a given threshold, consultants generally required 50% of the total contract to be paid in advance. They made the balances due either upon delivery of the completed proposal or within either 15 days or 30 days after delivery.

 

Many consultants provided hourly rates, either instead of flat rates or in addition to them. Such hourly rates may be a single flat amount or they may span a range, where which rate will apply will depend upon the nature of services to be performed. In mid 2020, most sampled hourly rates found online were $80 to $105, with a median rate of $100.

 

 

Grant Writing Hourly Rates	Minimum	Maximum
Consultant/Firm 1	$50	$100
Consultant/Firm 2	$80	$100
Consultant/Firm 3	$85	$110
Consultant/Firm 4	$90	$135
Consultant/Firm 5	$120	$150
Consultant/Firm 6	$150	$175
Consultant/Firm 7	$200	$300
Consultant/Firm 8	$45	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 9	$50	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 10	$50	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 11	$65	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 12	$75	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 13	$75	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 14	$75	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 15	$75	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 16	$80	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 17	$80	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 18	$85	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 19	$90	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 20	$95	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 21	$100	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 22	$100	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 23	$100	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 24	$105	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 25	$110	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 26	$120	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 27	$125	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 28	$125	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 29	$125	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 30	$150	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 31	$150	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 32	$200	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 33	$200	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 34	$250	Unstated
Consultant/Firm 35	$300	Unstated

 

 

The next post in this series examines consultants’ prospect research fees in mid 2020.

Grant Writing as a Career: Median Salaries in 51 Cities in 2020

This post explores what Grants/Proposal Writers earned as compensation in 2020 in terms of median salaries in major cities in all 50 states and in Washington DC. Other posts for mid 2020 examine hourly rates and flat rates, retainer fees, review and revision fees, workshop tuition, and other aspects of compensation for writers of grant proposals. All data here were for the United States of America as of mid 2020.

 

Median Salaries for Grants/Proposal Writers

 

What on-staff (or in-house) Grants/Proposal Writers earned in 2020 reflected many factors. Among the factors impacting median salaries were years of experience, level of educational attainment, geographic location, and the nature of the employer.

 

 

As of mid 2020, Salary.com  reported that the national median annual salary for “Grants/Proposal Writers” was $73,120. The middle 20 cities selected for exploration here earned medians of $67,712 to $73,853; the bottom 10 selected cities earned medians of $67,040 or less; and the top 10 selected cities earned medians of $75,777 or more. These base salaries represented about 70% of total compensation; the other 30% of total compensation were fringe benefits and bonuses.

 

 

Calculated on a full 52-week work-year, the same national median annual salary equated to $1,408.15 per week, and the range for the cities’ medians became $1,137.29 to $1,657.98 per week. Calculated over a 2,080-hour work-year, the same national median annual salary equated to $35.15 per hour, and the range for the cities became $28.43 per hour to $41.45 per hour.

 

 

Median Salaries By Selected Cities

 

As of mid 2020, “median annual salaries” in 51 selected cities searched on Salary.com ranged from $59,139 in Pierre, SD to $86,215 in New York City, NY. Most of the medians for the 51 cities fell in the range of $67,000 to $73,000.

 

Median Annual Salaries — 2020 Data Comparisons
	Salary.com Data	% National Median
USA	$73,120	100.0%
New England States
Hartford CT	$76,991	105.3%
Portland, ME	$71,300	97.5%
Boston, MA	$80,442	110.0%
Manchester, NH	$71,252	97.4%
Providence, RI	$75,456	103.2%
Burlington, VT	$70,161	96.0%
Mid-Atlantic States
Dover, DE	$75,840	103.7%
Washington, DC	$78,855	107.8%
Baltimore, MD	$73,247	100.2%
Newark, NJ	$81,370	111.3%
New York, NY	$86,215	117.9%
Philadelphia, PA	$76,539	104.7%
Charleston, WV	$64,904	88.8%
Midwestern States
Chicago, IL	$75,527	103.3%
Indianapolis, IN	$69,604	95.2%
Louisville, KY	$67,191	91.9%
Detroit, MI	$73,005	99.8%
Columbus, OH	$70,077	95.8%
Great Plains States
Des Moines, IA	$68,929	94.3%
Kansas City, KS	$69,948	95.7%
Minneapolis, MN	$75,777	103.6%
St. Louis, MO	$71,252	97.4%
Lincoln, NE	$67,040	91.7%
Bismarck, ND	$66,414	90.8%
Pierre, SD	$59,139	80.9%
Milwaukee, WI	$70,518	96.4%
Northwestern States
Anchorage, AK	$79,318	108.5%
Boise, ID	$67,604	92.5%
Great Falls, MT	$61,776	84.5%
Portland, OR	$74,473	101.9%
Seattle, WA	$77,950	106.6%
Casper, WY	$66,379	90.8%
Southeastern States
Birmingham, AL	$67,462	92.3%
Little Rock, AR	$66,223	90.6%
Jacksonville, FL	$67,248	92.0%
Atlanta, GA	$70,481	96.4%
New Orleans, LA	$70,735	96.7%
Jackson, MS	$63,723	87.1%
Charlotte, NC	$69,797	95.5%
Charleston, SC	$67,664	92.5%
Nashville, TN	$66,075	90.4%
Richmond, VA	$71,410	97.7%
Southwestern States
Phoenix, AZ	$70,603	96.6%
Los Angeles, CA	$80,209	109.7%
Denver, CO	$72,057	98.5%
Honolulu, HI	$74,288	101.6%
Las Vegas, NV	$73,853	101.0%
Albuquerque, NM	$66,994	91.6%
Oklahoma City, OK	$67,569	92.4%
Houston, TX	$73,034	99.9%
Salt Lake City, UT	$67,712	92.6%

 

One should bear in mind that median annual salaries in mid 2020 were no more uniform within most states than they were among states across the country. Out of the 51 cities presented here, 34 cities fell below the national median and another city was less than $200 above the national median.

Grant Writing as a Career: Median Salaries in 51 Cities in 2018

This post explores what Grants/Proposal Writers are paid as compensation in terms of median salaries in major cities in all 50 states and in the nation’s capital. It presents data for mid-2018. Other posts later in 2018 will explore hourly rates and flat fees, retainer fees, review and revision fees, and other aspects of the compensation of writers of grant proposals. All data will be for the United States of America.

 

Median Salaries for Grants/Proposal Writers

 

What Grants/Proposal Writers earn reflects many factors. Among them are years of experience, level of educational attainment, geographic location, and the nature of the employer.

 

As of mid-2018, Salary.com has reported that the median annual salary for “Grants/Proposal Writers” in 51 cities was $67,439. The middle 20 cities selected for exploration here earned medians from $64,180 to $68,828; the bottom 10 selected cities earned medians of $64,030 or less; and the top 10 selected cities earned medians of $72,517 or more. These base salaries represented about 70% of total compensation; the other 30% of total compensation were fringe benefits and bonuses.

 

 

Calculated on a full 52-week year, the same median annual salary worked out to $1,276.90 per week, and the range for the cities’ medians was $1,086.32 to $1,583.69 per week. Calculated over a 2,080-hour work-year, the same national median annual salary worked out to $32.42 per hour, and the range for the cities became from $27.16 per hour to $39.59 per hour. The highest median salary was 145.7% of the lowest median salary.

 

The middle 20 cities selected for exploration here earned medians from $64,180 to $68,828; the bottom 10 selected cities earned medians of $64,030 or less; and the top 10 selected cities earned medians of $72,517.

 

Median Salaries By Selected Cities

 

As of mid 2018, the “median annual salaries” in 51 selected cities searched on Salary.com ranged from $56,489 in Pierre, SD to $82,352 in New York City, NY. In mid-2018, most of the medians for these cities fell in the range of $64,000 to $69,000.

 

Median Annual Salaries — 2018 Data Comparisons
	Salary.com Data	As % of 2018 Median for 51 Cities
USA	$67,439	100.0%
New England States
Hartford CT	$73,609	109.1%
Portland, ME	$67,991	100.8%
Boston, MA	$77,418	114.8%
Manchester, NH	$71,871	106.6%
Providence, RI	$72,075	106.9%
Burlington, VT	$67,175	99.6%
Mid-Atlantic States
Dover, DE	$72,517	107.5%
Washington, DC	$75,702	112.3%
Baltimore, MD	$69,965	103.7%
Newark, NJ	$77,724	115.3%
New York, NY	$82,352	122.1%
Philadelphia, PA	$73,232	108.6%
Charleston, WV	$61,995	91.9%
Midwestern States
Chicago, IL	$72,498	107.5%
Indianapolis, IN	$66,174	98.1%
Louisville, KY	$64,180	95.2%
Detroit, MI	$69,734	103.4%
Columbus, OH	$67,141	99.6%
Great Plains States
Des Moines, IA	$65,405	97.0%
Kansas City, KS	$66,898	99.2%
Minneapolis, MN	$72,483	107.5%
St. Louis, MO	$67,011	99.4%
Lincoln, NE	$63,915	94.8%
Bismarck, ND	$63,438	94.1%
Pierre, SD	$56,489	83.8%
Milwaukee, WI	$67,474	100.1%
Northwestern States
Anchorage, AK	$76,595	113.6%
Boise, ID	$64,575	95.8%
Great Falls, MT	$59,008	87.5%
Portland, OR	$71,136	105.5%
Seattle, WA	$74,685	110.7%
Casper, WY	$63,404	94.0%
Southeastern States
Birmingham, AL	$64,030	94.9%
Little Rock, AR	$63,256	93.8%
Jacksonville, FL	$65,306	96.8%
Atlanta, GA	$67,031	99.4%
New Orleans, LA	$67,565	100.2%
Jackson, MS	$60,566	89.8%
Charlotte, NC	$66,670	98.9%
Charleston, SC	$64,237	95.3%
Nashville, TN	$63,071	93.5%
Richmond, VA	$68,230	101.2%
Southwestern States
Phoenix, AZ	$67,439	100.0%
Los Angeles, CA	$76,974	114.1%
Denver, CO	$68,828	102.1%
Honolulu, HI	$70,959	105.2%
Las Vegas, NV	$70,782	105.0%
Albuquerque, NM	$63,567	94.3%
Okla. City, OK	$64,541	95.7%
Houston, TX	$69,761	103.4%
Salt Lake City, UT	$64,552	95.7%

 

It may be worth noting that median annual salaries in mid-2018 were no more uniform within most states than they were across the country. Out of the 51 selected cities presented in the table, 10 cities were within $1,000 (plus or minus) of the national median for the selected cities.