Is there such a thing as a grant writing industry?

[George Jackson]

What I mean, is there any data out there about grant writers, grant consulting firms, etc. Looking for industry profile information that can answer questions like:

Current size-
How many similar companies exist nationally, regional, and locally?
What are the total dollars spent or the total units consumed by buyers nationally, regional, and locally?

Also looking for industry data and information including growth potential, profitability, industry trends.

Any info or insight is appreciated. Thanks!

George

[Ericka Harney, CFRE, GPC, CVA]

George - yes, in short there is. The American Association of Grant Professionals recent did a study of grant professionals to obtain answers to the following questions. More about AAGP is at grantprofessionals.org
This is the table of contents of the report. If you are interested in the full report (if it gives the answers you are looking for, you can check with AAGP on how to get it)

Question 1: Are you male or female?.......................................................................................................... 1
Question 2: What is your age?..................................................................................................................... 1
Question 3: What is your race? .................................................................................................................. 2
Question 4: What is your ethnicity? .......................................................................................................... 2
Question 5: Which best describes your educational attainment?............................................................ 2
Question 6: In what field of study is your Bachelor’s Degree?................................................................ 3
Question 7: What graduate or professional degree(s) do you hold? ....................................................... 4
Question 8: Which of the following best describes your primary job responsibility?........................... 5
Question 9: Which of the following would best describe the area in which you work most of the time
(e.g., where your employer's offices are located)? If you are a consultant, which of the following
would best describe the area in which most of your clients are located?................................................. 5
Question 10: In which region of the country do you primarily work? ................................................... 5
Question 11: In which state do you work (if more than one, please choose most common)?................ 6
Question 12: How long have you been working in the grants field? ....................................................... 6
Question 13: What would you consider your skill level to be? ................................................................ 7
Question 14: What is your official title? Please choose the title most similar to yours......................... 7
Question 15: Have you received your GPCI certification?....................................................................... 8
Question 16: What effect has becoming GPCI certified had on your salary?......................................... 8
Question 17: Which of the following best describes the type of organization for which you primarily
work?............................................................................................................................................................ 8
Question 18: Would you consider the organization that employs you as a grant professional to be
small, medium, or large?............................................................................................................................. 9
Question 19: What is the approximate annual operating budget of the organization that employs
you as a grant professional? ........................................................................................................................ 9
Question 20: Approximately what percentage of the organization's annual operating budget is
comprised of grant funds? ........................................................................................................................... 9
Question 21: Approximately how many people (in Full Time Equivalents or FTEs) are employed by
the organization that employs you as a grant professional? ................................................................... 10Question 22: Which of the following best describes the organization for which you work as a grant
professional? .............................................................................................................................................. 10
Question 23: How long have you been employed by your current organization?................................. 10
Question 24: Please select the answer that best describes your employment status. ........................... 11
Question 25: IF you are working FULL-TIME as a grants professional as an EMPLOYEE, what is
your ANNUAL salary?.............................................................................................................................. 11
Question 26: IF you are working FULL-TIME as a grants professional as an EMPLOYEE, in what
range does your ANNUAL salary fall?..................................................................................................... 12
Question 27: Do you feel that you are adequately compensated for the work you perform as a grant
professional? .............................................................................................................................................. 12
Question 28: Do you receive benefits, such as health insurance, from your employer?...................... 13
Question 29: IF you are working PART-TIME as a grants professional as an EMPLOYEE, what is
your HOURLY rate of pay? ...................................................................................................................... 13
Question 30: Do you receive benefits, such as health insurance, from your employer?...................... 13
Question 31: Do you feel that you are adequately compensated for the work you perform as a grant
professional? .............................................................................................................................................. 13
Question 32: If you know the approximate annual value of your employer's share or contributions to
your benefits above and beyond your salary, please write it here.......................................................... 14
Question 33: If you are a consultant in the field of grants and were formerly an employee in the field
of grants, how would you describe your net income as a consultant versus being an employee
(subtracting overhead)? (Please skip this question if it does not apply to you.).................................... 14
Question 34: Do you feel that your consulting fees compensate you adequately for the work you
perform?..................................................................................................................................................... 14
Question 35: Approximately how many grant proposals did you write in 2008?................................ 15
Question 36: Approximately how many of the grants you wrote in 2008 were funded?..................... 15
Question 37: What would you say your funding success rate was in 2008? In other words, what
percent of the proposals that you wrote in 2008 resulted in grant funding?......................................... 15
Question 38: What percentage of grant proposals you write are to private foundations?.................. 15
Question 39: What percentage of grant proposals you write are to local government agencies? ...... 15
Question 40: What percentage of grant proposals you write are to state government agencies? ...... 16
Question 41: What percentage of grant proposals you write are to federal government agencies? .. 16
Question 42: What percentage of funding proposals you write are to corporations? ......................... 16

[George Jackson]

Ericka,

Excellent! I will contact them immediately to see if I can get my hands on that report. Thanks so much!