Grant Writing & Funding

The Freelance Grant Writer Academy is OPEN for the last time in 2026!

You’re ready to quit your toxic job, retire with meaningful, part-time work, or work from home so you can pick up the kids. But how do you replace your paycheck?

Our 12-month group coaching program helps aspiring and seasoned grant writers replace your full-time income, on flexible hours, writing grants from home. You will build grant writing, marketing, and sales skills to find clients and create recurring income on flexible hours. 
Get weekly coaching, unlimited grant and business reviews, business and grant training, hundreds of templates,Grant Writer & Consultant Certification, a community, and listed on our Grant Hire for Hire Directory.

Our students have earned over $12.6 million in freelance business revenue. You don’t have to figure this out alone.

Join the Academy for $3,500 or 8 monthly payments of $475. Doors close October 23rd at 11:59 PM Eastern.

In this conversation, Holly Rustick interviews Gabrielle Perry, a successful grant writer who shares her journey of transitioning from a 9-5 job to running her own grant writing business. Gabrielle discusses the challenges she faced, the importance of community and mentorship, and how she has achieved significant financial success through value-based pricing and building a strong brand.

She emphasizes the personal transformation she has experienced, gaining confidence and freedom in her professional and personal life, and highlights the importance of structured education in her growth.

About Gabrielle Perry

Gabrielle Perry is the founder of Grants by Gabrielle, a grant writing and consulting firm dedicated to creating positive change through the written word. With a strong track record of securing and managing over $2.5 million in funding for public agencies, tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations, Gabrielle brings a deep understanding of both the strategy and compliance required for successful grant development.

Her expertise includes federal and state grants, law enforcement and victim services funding, and health-focused initiatives. She also offers strategic planning and financial compliance support—including SEFA reporting—for agencies looking to strengthen their grant infrastructure.

Gabrielle’s work is rooted in a passion for equity, sustainability, and helping mission-driven organizations transform their vision into actionable, fundable plans. As a working mom and former public servant, she brings a unique blend of lived experience and professional expertise to every project she takes on.

Connect with Gabrielle Perry

• Website
• LinkedIn

Links Mentioned

• Freelance Grant Writer Academy

Takeaways

• Gabrielle secured $232,784 in grants in 2025.
• She quit her 9-5 job to thrive in her business.
• Community and mentorship were crucial for her growth.
• Overcoming imposter syndrome was a significant challenge.
• She transitioned from one client to $12,000 a month.
• Value-based pricing transformed her business.
• Confidence gained from the Academy was invaluable.
• She enjoys more freedom and time with her children.
• Streamlined processes improved her efficiency.
• Structured education is essential for success.

OTHER RESOURCES:

• Weekly Newsletter: “Write Grants. Get Paid” - Get thought leadership on grant and freelance grant writing strategies every week in your inbox.  https://grantwritingandfunding.com/
• Freelance Grant Writer Academy: Replace your Full-Time Income Writing Grants Part-Time from Home. https://grantwritingandfunding.com/freelance-grant-writer-academy/
• Grant Professional Mentorship: Double your Monthly Revenue with an Income Stream Outside of Grant Writing. https://grantwritingandfunding.com/mentorship 

RATE, REVIEW, & FOLLOW THE PODCAST

Favor, please? If you love this podcast, would you please do me a favor and leave a review on iTunes or your podcast listener?

This helps others find the podcast and I read each and every review!

“Every time I listen to Holly’s show, I learn something” <– If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the Grant Writing & Funding podcast to get grant and freelance grant writing proven strategies and conversations in your podcast player every single week.

Thanks for listening!

Warmly,

Holly Rustick

Leading the $1 Billion for Good Movement: By 2030, aspiring and seasoned grant writers inside the Freelance Grant Writer Academy & Grant Professional Mentorship will 1) WIN $1 Billion in Grants, and 2) MAKE $30 Million in their Grant Writing Businesses. We are on our way already.

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This podcast episode was lovingly sponsored by GEMS!

This podcast episode is lovingly sponsored by Grant Easy Management Software (GEMS). Break Up with Your Spreadsheet – Get GEMS Grant Easy Management Software and NEVER MISS A DEADLINE AGAIN! Book YOUR FREE demo now! Click here: https://www.grantwritingandfunding.com/gems 

———————————————————————————

The Freelance Grant Writer Academy is OPEN for the last time in 2026!

You’re ready to quit your toxic job, retire with meaningful, part-time work, or work from home so you can pick up the kids. But how do you replace your paycheck?

Our 12-month group coaching program helps aspiring and seasoned grant writers replace your full-time income, on flexible hours, writing grants from home. You will build grant writing, marketing, and sales skills to find clients and create recurring income on flexible hours. 
Get weekly coaching, unlimited grant and business reviews, business and grant training, hundreds of templates,Grant Writer & Consultant Certification, a community, and listed on our Grant Hire for Hire Directory.

Our students have earned over $12.6 million in freelance business revenue. You don’t have to figure this out alone.

Join the Academy for $3,500 or 8 monthly payments of $475. Doors close October 23rd at 11:59 PM Eastern.

Join Payton, Dr. Lauren, and Daphney to discover how they made their first $100,000 inside the Freelance Grant Writer Academy. 

Find out more about the Academy: https://grantwritingandfunding.com/academy

The Freelance Grant Writer Academy is OPEN for the last time in 2026!

You’re ready to quit your toxic job, retire with meaningful, part-time work, or work from home so you can pick up the kids. But how do you replace your paycheck?

Our 12-month group coaching program helps aspiring and seasoned grant writers replace your full-time income, on flexible hours, writing grants from home. You will build grant writing, marketing, and sales skills to find clients and create recurring income on flexible hours. 
Get weekly coaching, unlimited grant and business reviews, business and grant training, hundreds of templates,Grant Writer & Consultant Certification, a community, and listed on our Grant Hire for Hire Directory.

Our students have earned over $12.6 million in freelance business revenue. You don’t have to figure this out alone.

Join the Academy for $3,500 or 8 monthly payments of $475. Doors close October 23rd at 11:59 PM Eastern.

Listen to how Gabrielle, Christina, and Eowyn all got their first grants or clients inside the Freelance Grant Writer Academy.

The Freelance Grant Writer Academy is OPEN for the last time in 2026!

You’re ready to quit your toxic job, retire with meaningful, part-time work, or work from home so you can pick up the kids. But how do you replace your paycheck?

Our 12-month group coaching program helps aspiring and seasoned grant writers replace your full-time income, on flexible hours, writing grants from home. You will build grant writing, marketing, and sales skills to find clients and create recurring income on flexible hours. 
Get weekly coaching, unlimited grant and business reviews, business and grant training, hundreds of templates,Grant Writer & Consultant Certification, a community, and listed on our Grant Hire for Hire Directory.

Our students have earned over $12.6 million in freelance business revenue. You don’t have to figure this out alone.

Join the Academy for $3,500 or 8 monthly payments of $475. Doors close October 23rd at 11:59 PM Eastern.

This episode is from the Freelance Grant Writer Academy “Cultivating Community: Peer Spotlights and Networking” with our very own co-coaches - Gwen Valentino and D Abshire!

They share about how they got into grant writing, what their biggest challenges have been, what has been useful in changing their lives in the Academy, and what they see students doing inside the Academy that get the most results!

Takeaways - they both now have FREEDOM and Choices!

Gwen shares how she has 13X the amount of revenue she has - now out-performing her husband who is at the top rank of his 22 year job. She talks about how she has options and can now be a sponsor for her kids and so much more!

D has literally moved from California to Spain in 2025 now that she has a virtual stable job! They have been able to go from volunteering as a board member to helping - and getting paid - as a grant and funding consultant to help smaller nonprofit organizations.

This is SO good!

Connect with Gwen Valentino:

• LinkedIn
• Website

Connect with D Abshire:

• Email

Links Mentioned:

• Freelance Grant Writer Academy

OTHER RESOURCES:

• Weekly Newsletter: “Write Grants. Get Paid” - Get thought leadership on grant and freelance grant writing strategies every week in your inbox.  https://grantwritingandfunding.com/
• Freelance Grant Writer Academy: Replace your Full-Time Income Writing Grants Part-Time from Home. https://grantwritingandfunding.com/freelance-grant-writer-academy/
• Grant Professional Mentorship: Double your Monthly Revenue with an Income Stream Outside of Grant Writing. https://grantwritingandfunding.com/mentorship 

RATE, REVIEW, & FOLLOW THE PODCAST

Favor, please? If you love this podcast, would you please do me a favor and leave a review on iTunes or your podcast listener?

This helps others find the podcast and I read each and every review!

“Every time I listen to Holly’s show, I learn something” <– If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the Grant Writing & Funding podcast to get grant and freelance grant writing proven strategies and conversations in your podcast player every single week.

Thanks for listening!

Warmly,

Holly Rustick

Leading the $1 Billion for Good Movement: By 2030, aspiring and seasoned grant writers inside the Freelance Grant Writer Academy & Grant Professional Mentorship will 1) WIN $1 Billion in Grants, and 2) MAKE $30 Million in their Grant Writing Businesses. We are on our way already.

———————————————————————————

This podcast episode was lovingly sponsored by GEMS!

This podcast episode is lovingly sponsored by Grant Easy Management Software (GEMS). Break Up with Your Spreadsheet – Get GEMS Grant Easy Management Software and NEVER MISS A DEADLINE AGAIN! Book YOUR FREE demo now! Click here: https://www.grantwritingandfunding.com/gems 

———————————————————————————

The Freelance Grant Writer Academy is OPEN for the last time in 2026!

You’re ready to quit your toxic job, retire with meaningful, part-time work, or work from home so you can pick up the kids. But how do you replace your paycheck?

Our 12-month group coaching program helps aspiring and seasoned grant writers replace your full-time income, on flexible hours, writing grants from home. You will build grant writing, marketing, and sales skills to find clients and create recurring income on flexible hours. 
Get weekly coaching, unlimited grant and business reviews, business and grant training, hundreds of templates,Grant Writer & Consultant Certification, a community, and listed on our Grant Hire for Hire Directory.

Our students have earned over $12.6 million in freelance business revenue. You don’t have to figure this out alone.

Join the Academy for $3,500 or 8 monthly payments of $475. Doors close October 23rd at 11:59 PM Eastern.

Here are 5 reasons you should join the Freelance Grant Writer Academy in this Round (i.e. before the doors close on June 22nd).

#1) Live Discovery Sales Call Day Lab: Learn, Practice, Convert 

Happening on Tuesday, June 24th at 2:30 pm  - 5pm EST (replay available)

We will have a LIVE SALES CALL DAY for Academy students. This will be part of our annual live trainings!

• #1 - I’ll do a Sales Call training (my 5-Step Proven Process to have high-converting calls)
• #2 - We have mock sales calls (to show you how to do things right and wrong)
• #3 - Breakout rooms so you can practice sales calls!

You will get an ethical sales process that doesn’t feel salesy at all, and that is curated to do sales with nonprofits for grant writing services (for-profit sales is different!). 

You will build confidence so you actually go MARKET and don’t feel weird on sales calls again, or give discounts!  Learn how to overcome all the objections in an ethical way.

Amazing! AND we won’t be offering this Live training again until next year.

#2) We have Quit Your Job Training in late July.

This will be another LIVE training for those of you looking to quit your job. We will show you:

• How much money to set aside before quitting your job
• Transition your 9-5 into an anchor client
• Quickly get a client to build some savings
• A Script on how to have the ‘quit your job conversation’ with your boss
• How to start treating your 9-5 like a client NOW
• A Timeline to quit your job safely and responsibly

#3) It’s Mid-Year

Oftentimes people overestimate what they can do in a year, but underestimate what they can do in 6 months. 

What’s great about making a goal mid-year is that you still have time to do A LOT and have impact. 

In fact, it’s easier mid-year to meet your goal (vs beginning of the year), because the time doesn’t feel so vast. You know you have limited time. But you know you have enough time to learn a new skill, start a business, or get clients. 

You might just need help meeting that goal you made in January. And with everything with grants and change this year, you might not have hit the goals so far that you wanted to.

2025 is a quarter of the way through the century.

2025 can still be your milestone year if you resolve to have a goal NOW.

#4) Earn More Money Today for Your Retirement

Retirement might feel far away or it might be around the corner.

You might be a young mom in your 20s and thinking about what retirement will look like one day.

Or you might be ready to retire this year.

In either case, when you become a freelance grant writer, you will learn how to increase income for your retirement.

That might mean you can start adding more into your social security NOW because your revenue will increase. Another year of adding into that retirement could ESPECIALLY mean a LOT if you are younger because of compound interest.

Or it could mean that you are now set up to retire this year as a freelance grant writer and earn some more money into your golden years, without having the pressure of working a full-time job.

When you start TODAY that will add to your retirement starting today.

5) Join tonight to get the BEST Bonuses!

If you are on the fence, you should just go ahead and make the investment tonight. Why?

Because you still have another 9 days before the doors actually close the Academy.

Since you are on my newsletter list, you joined because you were interested in grant writing or freelance grant writing. In the Academy, we have BOTH.

You will get more emails over the next 9 days. We will share all components of how people just like you are changing their entire lives by writing grants from home.

It's possible.

If you don't join tonight, chances are you will join before the doors close on June 22nd...

But you won't be able to have access to these AMAZING BONSUES. 

In fact, Bonus #2 is happening before the doors even close. 

• You won’t get a Done-For-You Grant Writing Business Plan
• You won’t get a Grant Writing Package and Pricing Outlined for You.
• You won’t get a Grant Writing Retainer and Pricing developed for you.
• You won’t get a 12-Month Marketing Plan curated for YOU.
• You won't get a customized list of 25 nonprofit leads.
• You won't get a personalized system of how to make $10K in 90 days in the program.
• You won't get a Checklist (you can start next week!) to quit your job.
• You won't get a Checklist to write a grant.
• You won't get a checklist to create a 6-figure business.
• You won't get 2.5 hours in a small coaching group with me where I will hear about your specific situation.

If you are on the fence of joining, join by Friday, June 13th so you can be sure to get these BEST Bonuses. They are not included inside the Program.

You could have momentum now. Instead of kicking yourself for not joining earlier.

2025 is already a year like no other in the Academy. We have EXTRA support and tons of live training and peer sharing this year.

BONUS #1 ***NEW BONUS: Done-4-You Freelance Grant Writer Business Plan

• Get your Ideal Client identified based on your skills and experience - even if you are new to grant writing
• Get 1 Customized Package and 1 Customized Retainer Offer Outlined with Pricing 
• Get a Customized 12-month Easy-Lift Marketing Plan

BONUS #2: VIP Group Strategy Session “YOUR FIRST $10K IN THE ACADEMY & A 25 NONPROFIT LEAD LIST ”

• Create a List of 25+ Nonprofit Clients Leads (during the call!)
• 3-Step Strategy to Get Your First $10K (and get feedback)
• Getting Started Checklist to Quit Your Job
• Checklist to Write a Grant Template
• Checklist on 6-figure Business Systems
• Case Studies: How Academy Students Made $50K+ Within a Year
• Meet other VIP students!

Join the Freelance Grant Writer Academy today: https://grantwritingandfunding.com/academy

The Freelance Grant Writer Academy is OPEN for the last time in 2026!

You’re ready to quit your toxic job, retire with meaningful, part-time work, or work from home so you can pick up the kids. But how do you replace your paycheck?

Our 12-month group coaching program helps aspiring and seasoned grant writers replace your full-time income, on flexible hours, writing grants from home. You will build grant writing, marketing, and sales skills to find clients and create recurring income on flexible hours. 
Get weekly coaching, unlimited grant and business reviews, business and grant training, hundreds of templates,Grant Writer & Consultant Certification, a community, and listed on our Grant Hire for Hire Directory.

Our students have earned over $12.6 million in freelance business revenue. You don’t have to figure this out alone.

Join the Academy for $3,500 or 8 monthly payments of $475. Doors close October 23rd at 11:59 PM Eastern.

BONUSES END JUNE 13th, 2025***Not sure where to start with a freelance grant writing business? It sounds amazing, but you just don’t know where to start.

• Should you start with getting grant writing skills?
• Should you start with a website?
• Should you start reaching out to nonprofits?
• Do you need to start learning (or honing) grant skills first?

This can feel overwhelming.

And overwhelm can lead to taking NO action. 

That’s why when you join the Freelance Grant Writer Academy by Friday, June 13th at 11:59 pm EST, you will get VIP Bonuses (Valued at $2,500) to give you a clear path in starting your freelance grant writing business and in quitting your toxic nonprofit job.

We have coached literally hundreds of new and seasoned grant writers.

When you join the Academy before Friday, June 13th at 11:59 p.m., we will create a Done-For-You Grant Writing Business Plan for YOU.

This Done-For-You GW Business Plan will be entirely based on your experience, education, and life situation to make sense for you.

1. First, we will analyze what causes or types of organizations you are passionate about to come up with YOUR ideal client.
2. Next, we will analyze your education, experience, and geographic area to understand a package and retainer offer (including data-driven pricing). 
3. Finally, we provide a 12-month Marketing Plan that is customized for you. So if you aren’t on social media yet, we provide social media optional marketing AND if you have a ton of followers, we provide ways to increase your lead generation on the platforms you use (and also non-social media marketing techniques).

This is our NEWEST Bonus and we are SO excited to include it as after working with hundreds of people in the Academy, figuring this out on your own can feel overwhelming. 

We do it for you so you can get clarity on what you do and get clients fast.

When you know what you offer, and for how much, and have a marketing plan, you get clients fast because you have confidence. 

Join the Freelance Grant Writer Academy now: https://grantwritingandfunding.com/academy

The Freelance Grant Writer Academy is OPEN for the last time in 2026!

You’re ready to quit your toxic job, retire with meaningful, part-time work, or work from home so you can pick up the kids. But how do you replace your paycheck?

Our 12-month group coaching program helps aspiring and seasoned grant writers replace your full-time income, on flexible hours, writing grants from home. You will build grant writing, marketing, and sales skills to find clients and create recurring income on flexible hours. 
Get weekly coaching, unlimited grant and business reviews, business and grant training, hundreds of templates,Grant Writer & Consultant Certification, a community, and listed on our Grant Hire for Hire Directory.

Our students have earned over $12.6 million in freelance business revenue. You don’t have to figure this out alone.

Join the Academy for $3,500 or 8 monthly payments of $475. Doors close October 23rd at 11:59 PM Eastern.

The Freelance Grant Writer Academy is the #1 Grant Writing and Nonprofit Business Acumen Program in the Industry…and the doors are finally open! Each part of the Academy is a simple process, even if you work a full-time job.
You get 12 months to do the curriculum, community, and coaching to learn grant writing and business acumen.

Plus, there are 2 amazing bonuses available when you join the Freelance Grant Writer Academy by Friday, June 13th at 11:59 pm EST:

BONUS #1 ***NEW BONUS: Done-4-You Freelance Grant Writer Business Plan

• Get your Ideal Client identified based on your skills and experience - even if you are new to grant writing
• Get 1 Customized Package and 1 Customized Retainer Offer Outlined with Pricing 
• Get a Customized 12-month Easy-Lift Marketing Plan

BONUS #2: VIP Group Strategy Session “YOUR FIRST $10K IN THE ACADEMY & A 25 NONPROFIT LEAD LIST ”

• Create a List of 25+ Nonprofit Clients Leads (during the call!)
• 3-Step Strategy to Get Your First $10K (and get feedback)
• Getting Started Checklist to Quit Your Job
• Checklist to Write a Grant Template
• Checklist on 6-figure Business Systems
• Case Studies: How Academy Students Made $50K+ Within a Year
• Meet other VIP students!

Doors are open until June 22nd, 2025 but the Bonuses end June 13th. 

Join now: https://grantwritingandfunding.com/academy

The Freelance Grant Writer Academy is OPEN for the last time in 2026!

You’re ready to quit your toxic job, retire with meaningful, part-time work, or work from home so you can pick up the kids. But how do you replace your paycheck?

Our 12-month group coaching program helps aspiring and seasoned grant writers replace your full-time income, on flexible hours, writing grants from home. You will build grant writing, marketing, and sales skills to find clients and create recurring income on flexible hours. 
Get weekly coaching, unlimited grant and business reviews, business and grant training, hundreds of templates,Grant Writer & Consultant Certification, a community, and listed on our Grant Hire for Hire Directory.

Our students have earned over $12.6 million in freelance business revenue. You don’t have to figure this out alone.

Join the Academy for $3,500 or 8 monthly payments of $475. Doors close October 23rd at 11:59 PM Eastern.

Learn how to kickstart your freelance grant writing business, whether as a full-time income source or a part-time side hustle. We'll cover essential administrative logistics like incorporating your business, choosing a business name, and the benefits of going freelance. Discover the flexibility and earning potential of grant writing, ideal for various life situations. Get tips on setting your services and pricing, and stay tuned for more insights on going full-time or part-time in the next video!

Links Mentioned:
Grant Professional Mentorship: https://grantwritingandfunding.com/mentorship

Freelance Grant Writer Academy: https://grantwritingandfunding.com/freelance-grant-writer-academy/

Tune in today to listen to this podcast.

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

“Every time I listen to Holly’s show, I learn something” <– If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! 

This helps me support more people — just like you — move toward writing higher quality grants without overwhelm, and to start and grow successful grant writing businesses! 

Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the Grant Writing & Funding podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Follow now!"

This Podcast Episode is Lovingly Sponsored by:
Grant Easy Management Software (GEMS).
Break Up with Your Spreadsheet – Get GEMS Grant Easy Management Software and NEVER MISS A DEADLINE AGAIN!
Book YOUR FREE demo now!

The Freelance Grant Writer Academy is OPEN for the last time in 2026!

You’re ready to quit your toxic job, retire with meaningful, part-time work, or work from home so you can pick up the kids. But how do you replace your paycheck?

Our 12-month group coaching program helps aspiring and seasoned grant writers replace your full-time income, on flexible hours, writing grants from home. You will build grant writing, marketing, and sales skills to find clients and create recurring income on flexible hours. 
Get weekly coaching, unlimited grant and business reviews, business and grant training, hundreds of templates,Grant Writer & Consultant Certification, a community, and listed on our Grant Hire for Hire Directory.

Our students have earned over $12.6 million in freelance business revenue. You don’t have to figure this out alone.

Join the Academy for $3,500 or 8 monthly payments of $475. Doors close October 23rd at 11:59 PM Eastern.

Holly Rustick interviews Éowyn Melaragno, who shares her journey from a career in higher education to becoming a successful grant writer.

Éowyn discusses her motivations for transitioning into grant writing, the valuable support she received from the Freelance Grant Writer Academy, and the importance of community in building confidence and skills.

She reflects on her first client experience, the challenges of navigating client relationships, and the mindset shifts that have helped her thrive in the nonprofit sector.

About Éowyn Melaragno

Éowyn helps nonprofits secure funding through a strategy-driven grant writing process that creates sustainable revenue streams, freeing you to grow your organization and expand your impact. Through her extensive background as a donor relations strategist and storyteller, she leverages her expertise in uncovering diverse funding sources and crafting meaningful proposals. Her fundraising philosophy is built on attention to detail and strategic thinking to find grants and purposefully align them with the specific goals of organizations, ensuring funding potential. She has built programs from the ground up and have hands on experience with every aspect that a grant is expected to cover, including program design, staffing, evaluation, partnership development, project management, reporting, and budgeting.
She also holds a certificate in grant writing from the University of South Carolina.

She is committed to understanding each organization’s unique mission and needs. Her proposals are customized to reflect their values and goals, fostering committed partnerships that drive actionable change within communities. Through collaboration with your team, she will translate organizational needs, programming, data, and research into compelling stories that captivate grant providers, emphasizing the impact and significance of projects.

Connect with Éowyn Melaragno

• Email

Links Mentioned

• Freelance Grant Writer Academy

OTHER RESOURCES:

• Weekly Newsletter: “Write Grants. Get Paid” - Get thought leadership on grant and freelance grant writing strategies every week in your inbox.  https://grantwritingandfunding.com/
• Freelance Grant Writer Academy: Replace your Full-Time Income Writing Grants Part-Time from Home. https://grantwritingandfunding.com/freelance-grant-writer-academy/
• Grant Professional Mentorship: Double your Monthly Revenue with an Income Stream Outside of Grant Writing. https://grantwritingandfunding.com/mentorship 

RATE, REVIEW, & FOLLOW THE PODCAST

Favor, please? If you love this podcast, would you please do me a favor and leave a review on iTunes or your podcast listener?

This helps others find the podcast and I read each and every review!

“Every time I listen to Holly’s show, I learn something” <– If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the Grant Writing & Funding podcast to get grant and freelance grant writing proven strategies and conversations in your podcast player every single week.

Thanks for listening!

Warmly,

Holly Rustick

Leading the $1 Billion for Good Movement: By 2030, aspiring and seasoned grant writers inside the Freelance Grant Writer Academy & Grant Professional Mentorship will 1) WIN $1 Billion in Grants, and 2) MAKE $30 Million in their Grant Writing Businesses. We are on our way already.

———————————————————————————

This podcast episode was lovingly sponsored by GEMS!

This podcast episode is lovingly sponsored by Grant Easy Management Software (GEMS). Break Up with Your Spreadsheet – Get GEMS Grant Easy Management Software and NEVER MISS A DEADLINE AGAIN! Book YOUR FREE demo now! Click here: https://www.grantwritingandfunding.com/gems 

———————————————————————————

The Freelance Grant Writer Academy is OPEN for the last time in 2026!

You’re ready to quit your toxic job, retire with meaningful, part-time work, or work from home so you can pick up the kids. But how do you replace your paycheck?

Our 12-month group coaching program helps aspiring and seasoned grant writers replace your full-time income, on flexible hours, writing grants from home. You will build grant writing, marketing, and sales skills to find clients and create recurring income on flexible hours. 
Get weekly coaching, unlimited grant and business reviews, business and grant training, hundreds of templates,Grant Writer & Consultant Certification, a community, and listed on our Grant Hire for Hire Directory.

Our students have earned over $12.6 million in freelance business revenue. You don’t have to figure this out alone.

Join the Academy for $3,500 or 8 monthly payments of $475. Doors close October 23rd at 11:59 PM Eastern.

In this episode, Holly Rustic, founder and CEO of the Freelance Grant Writer Academy, shares essential tips for starting a freelance grant writing business. Learn where to find clients, the key skills needed, and why you don't need certifications or extensive experience to get started. Holly also discusses the value of practical experience, business acumen, and how to grow your confidence and skills in grant writing. Tune in for expert insights and actionable advice to build a successful freelance grant writing career.

ABOUT HOLLY RUSTICK

Grant Writing & Funding (GWF) has a Global Movement to Secure $1 Billion in Grant Funding for Good and $30 Million in Grant Writing Businesses by 2030.  Holly Rustick, CEO of GWF, is leading the movement; a world-renowned grant writer with 20+ years of experience, bestselling author, and business coach for new and seasoned grant writers to replace their full-time income writing grants part-time from home through her signature programs: the Freelance Grant Writer Academy and the Grant Professional Mentorship.  

Rustick is the host of the top grant writing podcast “Grant Writing & Funding” and the author of the Bestselling book, The Beginner’s Guide to Grant Writing. With an MA in International Political Economy,  past-president of the Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce, serving on numerous boards of directors, Holly is also an unapologetic feminist. She lives on the island of Guam with her beautiful daughter, Isabella. 

CONNECT WITH HOLLY RUSTICK 

Website: https://grantwritingandfunding.com/ 

RESOURCES:

• Weekly Newsletter: “Write Grants. Get Paid” - Get thought leadership on grant and freelance grant writing strategies every week in your inbox.  https://grantwritingandfunding.com/
• Freelance Grant Writer Academy: Replace your Full-Time Income Writing Grants Part-Time from Home. https://grantwritingandfunding.com/freelance-grant-writer-academy/
• Grant Professional Mentorship: Double your Monthly Revenue with an Income Stream Outside of Grant Writing. https://grantwritingandfunding.com/mentorship 

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts
“Every time I listen to Holly’s show, I learn something” <– If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! 

This helps me support more people — just like you — move toward writing higher quality grants without overwhelm, and to start and grow successful grant writing businesses! 

Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the Grant Writing & Funding podcast. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the feed and, if you’re not following, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Follow now!"

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