Letter of inquiry · about 7 business days
the letter of inquiry
Two pages, one funder, one argument for why they should invite you to apply. Short form, long consequences.
$640fixed
Quote this one
01 · The model
Pay by the proposal, or buy the whole map.
- per proposalOne fixed fee, quoted in writing after a 20-minute call. We write, you approve, and nobody watches a clock.
- funding strategyOne flat $3,975: twelve vetted funders, a twelve-month deadline calendar, two letters of inquiry and a 90-minute working session.
03 · Who it's for
Small teams. Big missions. No development director.
for
Executive directors who also answer the phones, unjam the printer, and somehow write the annual appeal.
$0
per hour. We bill by the proposal, never by the minute.
not for
Organizations with a full grants department that wants a ghost. We'll say so on the call. We'd rather lose a sale than your Tuesday.
- Food pantries
- Youth programs
- Land trusts
- Community clinics
- Arts organizations
- Animal rescues
04 · How we think
Opinions, briefly. We have a deadline.
01
we read the guidelines so you can read your mail
Every funder has a type. We study the guidelines, the past awards and the program officer's favorite verbs, then tell you honestly when a door isn't yours to knock on.
02
your voice, with better punctuation
We interview first, then write. The proposal sounds like the person who runs the program, minus the run-on sentences.
03
numbers that hold hands with the story
The budget narrative is built alongside the prose, so the $42,000 on line three is explained by the sentence in paragraph four.
04
you keep the parts
Mission, history, outcomes: every proposal ends with a tidy boilerplate file, so the next application starts at page two instead of page zero.
05 · The route
From “hello” to “submit”, with five stops.
Day 0
the call
Twenty minutes. You tell us the mission and what happened to the last application. We take notes and mild offense on your behalf.
Day 2
fit & fee
We shortlist funders worth chasing and send one fixed fee in writing. Nothing starts until you say yes.
Week 1
the interview
A working conversation with whoever knows the program best. We write in your voice, not in “grantese.”
Weeks 2–3
draft & two rounds
A full draft, a budget narrative that agrees with it, and two rounds of revisions with you and your board.
Deadline minus 2 days
submit
Final proof, an attachments checklist, and a portal login that actually works. Then we both exhale.
Rush job? Tell us the deadline on the call and we'll say yes or no that same day.
06 · Say hello
Write to us. We reply within one business day.
$640letter of inquiry, fixed
$2,380full proposal, up to 15 pages
$3,975funding strategy, flat rate
10–5Mon–Fri, evenings by appointment
straight answers
Can you promise we'll win the grant?
No, and anyone who does is selling something else. We promise a proposal that answers the funder's actual question, on time, with a budget that matches the story.
We already have a draft. Is that too late?
It's the ideal moment. The edit & polish is $780 and keeps the draft yours, with fewer adjectives.
What if you're not the right fit for us?
We'll tell you on the call. If a funder or a project isn't worth the effort, we say so before any money changes hands.
How do we pay?
You're invoiced once per proposal or package, payable by check, ACH transfer or card.
- Call
- (203) 226-8097
- Hours
- Mon–Fri 10am–5pm · evenings by appointment
47 Charcoal Hill Rd
Westport, CT 06880 Find the front door
Westport, CT 06880 Find the front door
- Check
- ACH
- Visa
- Mastercard