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.

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.

Sean Kosofsky from Nonprofit Fixer joins us to share how nonprofits can successfully launch or revive a development (fundraising) committee to increase revenue without overburdening their board of directors. He breaks down what a development committee is, why it shouldn’t consist solely of board members, and the essential actions it must take to be effective. 

We also explore how to recruit and engage volunteers, assign and complete tasks efficiently, avoid social loafing, run productive meetings, and even make the process enjoyable—so your committee stays active, accountable, and results-driven.

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Sean Kosofsky is the founder of Nonprofit Fixer, where he helps nonprofits grow their impact through smarter fundraising, advocacy, and strategic planning. With decades of experience in the nonprofit sector, Sean has raised millions of dollars, trained thousands of leaders, and worked with organizations across the country to strengthen their development strategies.

Known for his practical, no-nonsense approach, Sean specializes in helping nonprofits fix what’s not working—whether it’s fundraising, board engagement, or organizational structure—so they can build sustainable and successful missions.

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.

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 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.

Understanding how to price grant writing services is one of the biggest headaches that freelance grant writers have. 

I know this because: 

1. Pricing services was what I struggled with the most, and 
2. It is the biggest question / coaching sessions that I get asked about by people transitioning into freelance grant writing. 

If you’ve ever been confused about how all the pieces of freelance grant writing fit together, and more importantly, what goes into creating massive success with freelance grant writing, this article is for you. 

Maybe you’re a newbie grant writer, and you aren’t sure how to price services, or you’re already an accomplished grant writer that isn’t experiencing the kind of growth you're after.

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 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.

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.

Once someone either thinks about starting a freelance grant writing business or has already taken the leap, a huge question (rightfully so) comes up: How do I get nonprofit clients for my grant writing business?

Well, yeah, you need to get nonprofit clients (or even for-profit clients in some cases) for it to be an actual income-generating business. But just creating a website or a business card alone will not get you there.

Now in this article, I’m going to teach you how to get and keep nonprofit clients.  And more importantly, this will help you increase revenue for your grant writing business.

So, if you’re a newbie grant writer, but you aren’t sure how you can get and keep nonprofit clients, or you’re already an accomplished grant writer looking to get your ducks in a row, you’ll discover how Freelance Grant Writers like you and me can get and keep nonprofit clients - and why it’s critical you focus on this right now.

In last week’s article and podcast, we talked about the First Step to Becoming a Freelance Grant Writer (also be sure to download your follow along guide for episode 189 and 190).  I shared how this is going to immediately help you get off the floundering fence. 

So, if you haven’t read that article or listened to the podcast, go back and watch it now - and then come back to this one.

In this article, I’m going to build on what we discussed by sharing the #1 thing you must master if you want to get and keep nonprofit clients.  Think of this as your “first step” towards making this happen. 

This is an entirely new way of thinking about freelance grant writing, so you’ll want to pay close attention. 

I’m also going to share how to identify your nonprofit client.  When you know how to do this, you’ll know exactly what to aim for and how to market. 

The goal is to break you free of wasting time and money on the wrong types of ads or continually getting 'no’s'.  This way, you’ll never have to worry about how to get and keep nonprofit clients which means you’ll increase revenue for your biz.

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 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.

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 First Step to Become a Freelance Grant Writer

• Why are some freelance grant writers able to create a thriving business while others are just dreaming about being a professional grant writer?
• Why do some grant writers grow their practice and seem to get all the clients while others just dream about it and get stuck in their J-O-B?
• And why are some people clear about how to start and grow their grant writing business while others are floundering?

Can I be a Grant Writer even with No Experience?

This article is going to immediately help you get off the floundering fence when thinking about becoming a freelance grant writer and not knowing which step to take. Once you get this down, you’ll start experiencing more clarity, more confidence and more grant writing jobs.

If you’re a newbie grant writer who needs more grant writing experience, or you’re already an accomplished grant writer that isn’t leveraging your skills by getting and growing your nonprofit client base, stay with me because you’re going to discover why grant writers like you and me can grow a freelance grant writing business and why it’s critical you get your system handled right now.

Are you Ready to Become a Successful Grant Writer?

WARNING!

Before we dig in, I’ve got to warn you about something critically important. And not paying attention to this virtually guarantees your dream to become a professional grant writing will only be a dream… or take 3Xs longer to develop and feel like a burden.

Right now, you might think you need tons of clients to make any money and you might have imposter syndrome.

But what if it didn’t have to be that way? What if instead you had system where you had the perfect clients and were confident in your grant writing skills?

I get this may be different from what you’ve heard before about freelance grant writing. But this fundamental shift is one reason why this blueprint works so well.

In fact, you might’ve already tried to get off the floundering fence – and it didn’t work out the way you’d hoped.

I’m sure you’ll agree, trying to start a real business and get nonprofit clients isn’t always as simple as some people make it seem. It comes with its challenges.

Maybe you have written proposals, secured clients, or even won grants, but you still wonder, “Can I really start a real business and get nonprofit clients?”

If this sounds familiar, I get it.

So many of us grant writers have tried the exact same things. We’ve heard that little voice of doubt in our head, wondering if it’s possible. And I’m here to show you it IS.

Let’s demystify the process of get off the floundering fence which will save you a lot of time, money, and frustration. In this first article in the foundations of freelance grant writing series, I’m going to share a blueprint that I’ve developed after years of trial and error.

It’s called…

Foundations of a Freelance Grant Writing Business

If your dream to become a grant writing is still only a dream… then this will serve as a tremendous resource to eliminate that frustration and help you get off the floundering fence.

Maybe you’re a newbie grant writer, or maybe you’re already an accomplished grant writer.

Either way, you’re in the right place because after this article you’ll know how to find grant writing jobs and write better grants.

I developed this framework for you because I saw so many Aspiring Grant Writers become completely sidetracked while trying to get the grant writing experience you need.

For example, I saw Aspiring Grant Writers who were newbie grant writers trying to get the grant writing experience they needed before they knew how to write grants or had found out what types of services they love to do.

I’ve also seen accomplished grant writers not leveraging their skills by getting and growing their nonprofit client base because they don’t have the right freelance grant writing system in place.

I could go on, but I know us Aspiring Grant Writers need clarity – because in full transparency, that was my story too.

Before I outline Foundations of Freelance Grant Writing and the specifics for each step, you might be wondering how I got into all of this and figured it out. Let me tell you so you can understand where it’s coming from.

It started when I knew I had to create my grant writing business with nonprofit clients in order to get off the floundering fence.

• But I wasn’t sure I could because I don’t know how to get nonprofit clients.
• And to be honest, I doubted I could do it because I wasn’t even sure what to charge for grant writing.
• And on top of that, I figured nonprofits didn’t even have a budget to hire a grant writer.

If any of this sounds familiar, let me tell you – I know exactly what it’s like!

I felt frustrated and overwhelmed, and even questioned myself whether I COULD do it. But I was tired of spinning my wheels and knew that getting off the floundering fence was key to getting what I was after.

So, I set out to find a way to make it happen.

Once I got past my objections and began investing in myself, I started seeing my freelance consulting starting to grow. I did what I set out to do – now I know exactly how to create a thriving business with nonprofit clients.

This got me get off the floundering fence, which is exactly wha...

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.

Oh yes, I just typed the F-word. Yep, the one that makes most grant writers shiver in their sleep.

No, I am not cussing. But maybe this word should be a bona fide swear word.

Free.

I know it haunts you.

It’s interesting that as a grant writer your skills can have one of the biggest impacts on increasing funding for nonprofit organizations, however you will still be serenaded by nearly every nonprofit (not to mention individuals looking for that magic grant to fund a college degree) to write grants for free.

This has always puzzled me. Grant writers have technical writing skills to find and secure funding and in many cases millions of dollars for nonprofits.

However, many organizations seek out grant writers and some guilt them into writing for free or giving away all their knowledge at no cost. Or that nonprofit is caught up with poverty mindset that asking for free is their go-to comfort zone place (that’s an entire article in itself!).

Here’s the thing. There is a time and place for the F-word. Yep.

Free can be a pathway at times, but not all.

So, if you are:

• haunted by giving away your grant writing services for free,
• not sure when to start charging prices for your grant writing services, or
• constantly get people asking you out on a coffee or zoom date to just real quick go over some grant-related questions, then keep on reading.

Chances are, if you are in any of the categories above, you are feeling undervalued.

You might be wondering why you don’t get paid well when you see those hundreds, or millions of dollars in grants come in the nonprofit door.

Or you might be wondering how in the world you can make it as a grant writing consultant when you feel like no nonprofit can pay you for your services.

If you are in a position where you get an amazing wage or charge well, then kudos for you!

But I wanted to address this issue as I have seen way too many grant writing consultants play jump rope over the ever-changing line of boundaries, not sure where to land or how to stop jumping.

I was once there. (Check out my story on how I transitioned into freelance grant writing).

When to Write Grants for Free

Okay, okay. I hear you yelling the B-word… Not that B-word. Geesh! The ‘But’ word…

There is a time and place when a grant writer can do free. But these are few and limited.

• When you are building grant writing skills
• When you designate one or two grant writing gigs at your own discretion

So, let’s break these down a little bit more.

You May Volunteer When You are Building Grant Writing Skills

If you have no experience, then writing grants is one of the best things you can do to build your grant writing skills quickly. Of course, you can also take grant writing courses, read grant writing books, and review grants to also build your skills.

But if you have never written a grant before and really want to learn, then sometimes grant writers start off as a volunteer or intern for a nonprofit.

However, you must remember that your services will not always be free and you will build your grant writing experience quickly.

So, if you are going to do this, then be sure you do the following!

No if, ands, or buts. Do this.

Have a conversation with the nonprofit leader and let them know that you will volunteer your grant writing services for either a certain number of months (i.e., three months) or up to a certain number of grants written (i.e., one foundation grant and one federal grant).

Then, let them know that after that you would like to sit down again as you will then start charging for your services.

If you are starting from the ground up, then this is the most important conversation you can have.

Because if you do not have this conversation (where you put a limited duration of time or number of grants) then it’s going to get awkward after a while.

Without this conversation it is nearly guaranteed that you will start seeing the value that you contribute to the nonprofit, and you may even experience anxiety about bringing up a conversation about getting paid.

But if you have the conversation before you get started, the executive director will know in the back of her mind that there is an end date to your free services and if she loves you will already be starting to think of ways to pay you.

...

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.

Now that is a fully loaded statement. But worth the heavily weighed explanation.

I have been going back and forth with other grant writers on this question of

and even down to

Moreover, nearly every single female grant writer I know struggles with how to do her pricing and come up with rates that feel good.

In this article, I am going to break down some of the gender-specific on the grant writing industry. Some of these may surprise you because you have been living the life, thinking you only need to Google “Grant Writer Salary” and the Internet will get some ideal number that you can just throw onto your freelance grant writing website or in that grant writer salary description.

Here’s the thing. The most deafening question I get from my grant writing students is,

I am not going to give you a magic number in this article of what you should charge, but I think we first need to understand why we keep peering out into the information universe for this question instead of tuning inward.

Side note: Check out related articles on how to make decisions and understand what your value is as a freelance grant writer.

What I am going to share with you in this article should wake you up a bit and hopefully will ripple some change across this female-dominant landscape.

A conversation that recently came up with Rachel Waterman, an amazing female grant writer, was a simple conversation about the grant writing pricing world, and it ended up being a type of conversation reminiscent of, “Is it the egg before the chicken or chicken before the egg?”

We were discussing that since grant writing is a heavily female-dominated industry could this be one contributing fact to why grant writer salaries are low and why freelance grant writer consultants get paid nominal wages compared to other money-related consultancies?

Well, this made me want to dive into this topic further and see what is going on with the pay rates for freelance grant writers.

Freelance Grant Writers Are Mostly Women

Yes, indeed, Rachel and are I correct in that grant writers (and freelance grant writers) are a mostly women. According to Zippia, 65.7% of employed grant writers in the United States in 2021 are women.

This is a whole lot. Now this statistic does reference employed grant writers vs. freelance grant writers, but chances are it’s about the same percent that transfer from employed grant writer into freelancing.

It might even be higher as students in my Freelance Grant Writing Master Course and Grant Professional Mentorship are primarily female.

I like being in an industry surrounded by women, however it also makes me a little hesitant when freelancer grant writers (or grant writers looking for a job) are seeing what other freelance grant writing consultants charge to get a baseline of what they should charge.

Why does this make me nervous?

Well, let’s go ahead and break down why I think looking at the marketplace might not be serving you when the field is dominated by female consultants.

No disrespect. Hear me out.

I will honestly point the finger at myself several years ago. Yes, that was me. I was not charging enough for my grant writing services. And if I felt that way, many other female grant writers are also suffering from systemic gender wage discrimination (described below), so are also pricing too low.

The problem with this, is that if many women are pricing low to write grants, and if we look at one another to see what the standard rate should be, that rate will be low. Then we all look at it and it looks normal and becomes the sucky industry standard.

And after doing some research on salary rates and female consultant pricing and a lot of personal development, I had some major epiphanies and a fantastic mindset change.

There are still very REAL systemic issues with gender gap pay

In the face of sexism, many women struggle to see the true value of our work and end up charging less because we don’t think we deserve more. In our guts we know we deserve it, but society has told us that we don’t deserve more than a man.

Society has told us that our priorities are having babies, cooking meals, cleaning up, and taking care of others. 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.

Let’s be real—we cover a lot in today’s episode, but we definitely dig into the nitty-gritty of how to leverage the power of celebrity to fundraise for your nonprofit.

And yes… we’ve all seen it before.

The starry eyes. The excitement. The moment a nonprofit drops a celebrity name and everything feels bigger, brighter, and full of possibility.

Why?

Because celebrities can bring massive visibility. They can leverage their audience to get more eyes—and support—on your nonprofit’s mission.

But here’s the real question:

Should that be your main strategy?
Should it be your only strategy?

Like any type of funding partnership, working with celebrities is still a partnership. That means there needs to be mutual value, aligned goals, and a clear strategy for success on both sides.

In this episode, Hollywood’s social impact experts Amy & Scott Malin share what it really takes to build meaningful celebrity partnerships—and how to do it right.

We also dive into their newest tech-for-good venture, the Trueheart social impact search engine, and discuss how nonprofits and grant professionals alike can better understand and communicate the value of their services.

If you’ve ever wondered how to strategically leverage influence for impact—this episode is for you.

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Amy Malin and Scott Malin are Hollywood-based social impact experts and founders dedicated to helping purpose-driven organizations amplify their missions through strategic partnerships and innovative technology. With decades of experience at the intersection of entertainment, philanthropy, and social good, they have worked with major brands, nonprofits, and global campaigns to drive meaningful impact.

They are the creators of Trueheart, a social impact search engine designed to connect individuals and organizations with causes they care about, making it easier to take action and create change at scale.

CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST

Trueheart: https://trueheart.com/

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.

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 2020, nonprofit organizations experienced a major shift toward online and digital fundraising. What began as a rapid push to “get online” during the early days of COVID-19 has now evolved into a bigger question: are nonprofits truly optimizing their digital marketing strategies to advance their missions?

In this replay episode, Brady Josephson from the NextAfter Institute joins us to break down online marketing for nonprofits—from increasing digital trends and using authentic, focused messaging to implementing data-informed fundraising strategies. We also explore counterintuitive fundraising practices, the role of data collection through donations, key differences between email marketing and social media, and the foundational elements every nonprofit needs to succeed in digital fundraising.

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Brady Josephson is a leader at the NextAfter Institute, where he helps nonprofit organizations grow their fundraising through research-driven digital marketing strategies. He is known for challenging conventional fundraising practices and helping organizations implement data-informed approaches to increase impact.

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.