Frequently Asked
Questions
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A: We charge an hourly rate for writing grant proposals. We believe this model is most ethical as it ensures the focus remains on the quality of work rather than the financial outcome.
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A: Our 2025 hourly rate for all services is $115 CDN.
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A: The time to write a grant proposal depends on the complexity of the project, the funder’s requirements (for the proposal and additional supporting documents), the availability of information and resources, and the amount of collaboration needed between Clear Course and the applicant (you!).
Grant writing includes preparation and research, writing, review, and submission, which can take between 2 to 4 weeks for a simple grant (approximately 10–20 hours) and 6 to 12 weeks for a complex grant (upwards of 80 hours).
If your project or program isn’t grant ready (see next Question), the time needed to complete a grant proposal may be significantly longer.
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A: Grant ready means you have flushed out the “what, why, when, who, where, and how” of your project (or program) and you have developed a detailed budget.
Being grant ready ensures a more efficient grant proposal writing process and increases the likelihood of securing funding.
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Yes. We manage an extensive proprietary grant database focused on funding programs for organizations operating in BC, Canada. However, please know that funding for businesses, especially start-ups, is very limited. Clear Course does not support businesses with debt financing, equity financing (such as venture capital, angel investing, and crowdfunding) and other forms of business investment.
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A: Yes. We offer grant writing webinars to help you and your team learn how to write a successful grant proposal.
We also offer one-on-one support at our hourly rate.
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A: Yes. We manage an extensive proprietary grant database focused on funding programs for organizations operating in BC, Canada.
We can conduct a grant scan of our database to see if there are any suitable grant programs that suit your needs and present you with the results.
Refer to the next Question, What is a grant scan?, for more details.
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A: A grant scan is when we conduct a search of our extensive proprietary grant database to see if there are any suitable funding programs that meet the needs of a particular project.
Once we have completed a grant scan, we then meet with you to review the most suitable options.
In our experience, the availability of suitable funding depends on your project and which funding programs are open when the grant scan is conducted. We will work with you to determine the best results possible.
A grant scan for one project typically takes between 4 to 6 hours, charged at $115 CDN per hour.
IMPORTANT: Grant results usually become obsolete after a period of time (anywhere from weeks to months) because many grants have specific deadlines and may not recur annually. It may require the same amount of time to re-run a grant scan as it took to complete the initial scan.
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A: Yes. We have a strong team of writers and can assign a writer to review your proposal and provide feedback. Depending on the size of your grant proposal, a review typically takes between 2 to 5 hours and is charged at our standard hourly rate.
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A: Typically, we require at least two weeks (10 business days) to write a grant proposal for a small grant that is grant ready, and at least one month (25 business days) to write a more complex, grant-ready proposal. These estimates are based on projects that are “grant ready”—you have flushed out the “what, why, when, who, where, and how” of your project (or program) and you have developed a detailed budget.
Please contact us to discuss your needs.
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A: Our professional grant writers often write proposals on topics outside their expertise by employing a systematic approach that relies on research, collaboration, and technical writing skills.
Our strengths lie in effectively translating complex ideas into compelling narratives tailored to each client’s organization and project, and the funder’s priorities. Working with one of our grant writers also provides you with a set of fresh eyes on your project and grant proposal. We can identify gaps in your project planning that enhance your grant proposal.
An assigned grant writer will meet with you on a discovery call to learn more about your organization and funding needs.
Additionally, during the process of writing a grant proposal, the grant writer will continue to clarify information about your organization that is needed to write a strong grant proposal.
You may also be required to provide documentation about your organization including incorporation/society/band documents, bylaws, strategic plans, and financial statements.
Our team has a broad range of experience working and writing successful grant proposal in many areas including:
Agriculture & Food Security
Arts, Culture & Heritage
Climate Change
Community Infrastructure
Destination Development & Management (Tourism)
Disaster Risk Reduction
Economic Development/Diversification
Ecosystem & Environmental Restoration
Emergency Management
Festivals & Events
First Nations (including Bill C-92, CHRT 41, Jordan’s Principle)
Fisheries & Aquaculture
Forestry & Land Management
Government Agencies
Health & Wellness
Housing
Information Technology
Local Government
Policy Review & Engagement
Public Administration
Small Business Services
Social Services
Wildfire Mitigation
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A: Ideally, the organization requesting the grant (you!) submits the grant proposal. This is preferred by most funders and ensures you are verifying the information before submitting your grant proposal.
We can support you with registering for an online grant portal login (common with government grant programs) or confirming how to submit a proposal by email.
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A: The amount of time you support the grant writing process depends on how grant ready you are (i.e., how much information has already been gathered to support the grant proposal), the complexity of the grant process, and how involved you want to be in writing and reviewing responses.
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A: Yes. The assigned grant writer will work with you during the writing process and will send you at least one draft of the grant proposal for your detailed review. Ideally, you will submit the final grant proposal so it is important that you approve all of the content in your proposal.
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A: If the details of your project have substantially changed (e.g., what you will do, how you will do it, or what it will cost), then it is important to contact the funder as soon as possible about the changes. Contact the funder before spending any of the awarded grant funds. You may need written permission from the funder to use the funds in a way other than what was originally stated in your grant proposal.
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A: If both funders allow “grant stacking” (i.e., combining multiple grants to fund a single project) and the funding you receive doesn’t exceed the total cost of the project, then this is likely allowable, and you can accept both grants. If you are successful with multiple funding programs and the level of the funding you receive does exceed the total cost of the project, you are required to declare the funds to your funders prior to receiving any grant money.
However, some funders do not allow applicants to stack grants; in this case, if you choose to apply to multiple funds to increase your chances of success and you’re successful with more than one grant, you may need to decline a grant.
Stacking allows your organization to maximize financial support by leveraging different grants that complement each other. However, it requires careful planning and adherence to each funder’s rules and guidelines. It is important to review your contribution agreement and ensure you meet the requirements of both funders.
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A: From time to time, our skilled project managers support implementing projects once funding has been secured. We have several PMP-certified team members who have experience in traditional and agile project management approaches that can be used to support you with project delivery.
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A: Yes. Our team is experienced with supporting organizations and communities, including small Indigenous governments, with grant administration.
Grant administration includes tracking grants across an organization, maintaining funder relations, tracking projects, writing progress and final reports for the funder, and meeting reporting deadlines.
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A: Depends. Some funding programs have only one intake while others may have multiple intakes, e.g., annually. Each funder will have clear parameters on whether an applicant can:
submit one grant proposal during a single intake
submit multiple grant proposals for different projects during a single intake
submit one grant proposal to different streams (e.g., some programs offer different streams for capital projects versus planning projects)
resubmit one or more grant proposals in future intakes, e.g., the following year when the funder reopens the grant program
Check the funder’s website or grant guide for details about multiple submissions. You may also be able to contact the funder (by email or phone) to discuss.