# Grant writer engagement scope worksheet Version 1.0 · Prepared October 3, 2026 · GrantWriterMatch Editorial Complete with the selected provider to prepare the operational terms for an actual agreement. This is an annotated planning resource, not a lawyer-reviewed contract, signature instrument or substitute for required organizational review. Complete these decisions with the selected provider. Use the record as an input to the actual agreement and any required organizational review. Fill-in fields describe intended terms; they do not create legal protections by themselves. ## 1. Parties, authority and assignment **Organization's legal name and purchasing contact:** ____________________ **Provider's legal name and engagement contact:** ____________________ **People authorized to approve the scope, fees and changes:** ____________________ **People authorized to sign the actual agreement:** ____________________ **Selected opportunity, official instructions and version date:** ____________________ **If research rather than an application: applicant, project, geography and opportunity-screening criteria:** ____________________ **Assignment start/end or review period:** ____________________ **Why this matters:** Distinguish the trading name from the contracting party and confirm authority. If the engagement covers several applications, specify the number or work allocation and the process for adding another one. A new funder, a materially changed project or a different application format can change the assignment. ## 2. Deliverables and exclusions | Component | Included / excluded / not yet agreed | Exact output and acceptance check | Owner | |---|---|---|---| | Opportunity research | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | | Application requirements checklist | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | | Narrative drafting | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | | Budget preparation or coordination | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | | Budget justification | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | | Logic model or evaluation plan | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | | Required attachments and letters | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | | Editing or independent review | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | | Portal preparation | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | | Final compliance/consistency check | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | | Submission and receipt check | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | | Funder questions or permitted corrections | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | | Later resubmission | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | | Post-award reports or administration | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | **Final file formats and delivery method:** ____________________ **Included revision rounds, their deadline and meaning:** ____________________ **Express exclusions and separately priced options:** ____________________ **Why this matters:** “Review” may mean comments rather than revised text. “Budget support” may mean reconciling client-approved figures rather than building a cost model. “Attachments” may mean assembling supplied documents rather than obtaining partner commitments. Define the output you can inspect. ## 3. Information your organization supplies **Program decision-maker and backup:** ____________________ **Finance/budget approver and backup:** ____________________ **Evidence and data owner:** ____________________ **Final application approver:** ____________________ **Required documents and agreed version dates:** ____________________ **Materials/interview deadline:** ____________________ **Time allowed for consolidated feedback:** ____________________ **Process for identifying unresolved or unsupported claims:** ____________________ **Why this matters:** Give the writer access to people who can answer and approve substantive questions. Your organization remains responsible for its factual representations and commitments. The agreement should say what the writer checks, flags or reconciles and what needs your authorized approval. Avoid a provision that makes “client supplied the information” an excuse for ignoring obvious contradictions the writer was engaged to identify. ## 4. Schedule and dependencies | Milestone | Agreed date and time zone | Required preceding input | Person confirming completion | |---|---|---|---| | Start and materials check | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | | Project/budget decisions resolved | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | | First complete draft | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | | Consolidated organization feedback | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | | Revised application package | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | | Authorized final approval | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | | Handover or submission | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | | Receipt/validation review | ____________________ | ____________________ | ____________________ | **Effect of late inputs or changed funder instructions on the schedule:** ____________________ **Escalation contact and process for a threatened deadline:** ____________________ **Why this matters:** Specify what happens when dependencies fail. A realistic schedule needs room for finance review, signatures, partner documents and technical validation. Do not let a general promise of “deadline completion” substitute for an agreed plan the organization can actually support. ## 5. Fees, minimums and payment **Currency and basis: fixed / hourly / monthly / another fully explained basis:** ____________________ **Rate or fixed amount:** ____________________ **Estimated hours or period and applicable minimum quantity:** ____________________ **Any separate minimum service-fee floor:** ____________________ **Mandatory extra charges, expenses or taxes, and authorization requirements:** ____________________ **Total estimated obligation for this scope or period:** ____________________ **Minimum contractual commitment:** ____________________ **Cash due before work and whether credited toward that total:** ____________________ **Later invoice amounts, events/dates and due dates:** ____________________ **Records accompanying hourly or recurring invoices:** ____________________ **Authorized spending ceiling and process for additional work, if applicable:** ____________________ **Treatment of unused prepaid time:** ____________________ **Why this matters:** An estimate, a minimum and an advance answer different questions. Write down all three. An unconfirmed extra is not zero. Compensation needs to be considered under the professional standards applicable to the engagement; [GPA's compensation standards](https://grantprofessionals.org/page/ethics) reject grant-based percentage and commission arrangements. Do not make ordinary payment depend on receiving the hoped-for grant without checking the actual structure. Use the [cost guide](/grant-writer-cost/) for fee comparisons and the existing [quote worksheet](/research/grant-writer-hiring-kit/) for arithmetic. This page does not create a second price benchmark. ## 6. Review, acceptance and scope changes **Person delivering one consolidated set of comments:** ____________________ **Review window after each delivery:** ____________________ **Specific deliverable checks:** ____________________ **Process for documenting a defect or omitted included item:** ____________________ **Correction responsibility and agreed time:** ____________________ **What counts as a new task rather than an included revision:** ____________________ **Person able to approve changes to work, price and schedule:** ____________________ **Form of written change confirmation:** ____________________ **Why this matters:** Check measurable work: required sections covered, source-backed claims, internal consistency, stated length/format restrictions and the agreed file set. Clarify whether a substantive project redesign or a new funding notice is additional work. Do not rely on unlimited revisions, automatic acceptance by silence or unilateral price changes without understanding how those terms affect the actual deadline and payment obligation. ## 7. Submission responsibilities **Who prepares the portal package:** ____________________ **Who confirms registrations and assigned roles:** ____________________ **Who approves factual certifications and organizational commitments:** ____________________ **Who actually submits:** ____________________ **Who checks status, validation messages and receipts:** ____________________ **Who handles a permitted correction or funder query:** ____________________ **Why this matters:** Portal help and submission authority differ. [Grants.gov](https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration) describes assigned organization roles, including Authorized Organization Representative and Workspace Manager. Give a consultant only the access appropriate to the agreed task and platform; do not substitute shared personal login credentials for the platform's authorization process. ## 8. Data, tools, people and ownership **Approved document-sharing method and access limits:** ____________________ **Sensitive information excluded or requiring separate approval:** ____________________ **Use of subcontractors and approval of replacement staff:** ____________________ **AI or other external tools permitted, prohibited or requiring consent:** ____________________ **Incident reporting and contact:** ____________________ **Return/deletion, retained records and timing at engagement end:** ____________________ **Files and underlying materials included in handover:** ____________________ **Intended ownership or permitted uses of drafts and final deliverables:** ____________________ **Provider's pre-existing templates or third-party material and permitted use:** ____________________ **Permission, if any, for a portfolio reference or public client name:** ____________________ **Why this matters:** “Confidential” is incomplete without handling, access and retention decisions. Decide whether confidential information may enter external tools and what the provider must disclose. Ownership also needs care: [Copyright Office guidance](https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ30.pdf) explains that commissioned works have specific work-made-for-hire requirements. Paying for a draft is not a sufficient reason to assume every desired right transfers. Have the actual rights provision reviewed for your circumstances. ## 9. Pause, cancellation and final handover **Who can request or approve a pause:** ____________________ **Notice process and effective date:** ____________________ **Fees owed for completed or committed work:** ____________________ **Treatment of unused advances and approved expenses:** ____________________ **Deliverables and records supplied at an early end:** ____________________ **Access removal, outstanding questions and transition contact:** ____________________ **Legal terms requiring organizational or counsel review:** ____________________ **Why this matters:** Discuss a pause before a crisis. Know whether unfinished drafts are handed over, whether a prepaid balance is refundable and what happens if the funder cancels or materially changes an opportunity. Do not assume an automatic refund or a continued obligation to finish without reading the actual terms.