Services

Grant Writing & Management

Private foundation, federal, and UN-related grants — from prospect research through award management and compliance.

Practice: Grant Writing & Management
Scope: Proposal, portfolio, compliance
Engagement: Project fee or retainer

Grant writing and management — NPI Strategies

Overview

The proposal is the last ten percent.

Grant success is determined before the application opens. Which funders align with your mission and your sector. Whether you have a program officer relationship before the RFP drops. Whether your case for support is built around the funder’s priorities, not the organization’s talking points. The proposal itself is the last ten percent of the work.

We handle the full cycle — funder research and prioritization, program officer cultivation, LOI and proposal writing, and post-award management through renewal. For federal grants (SAMHSA, HRSA, HUD), we bring the compliance infrastructure that most development offices don’t have internally: budget narrative coordination, progress report systems, and the documentation protocols that keep awards in good standing.

Organizations come to us for a single high-stakes proposal or to take over an entire grant portfolio. In both cases, the goal is the same — a funded relationship with the right funders, maintained well enough to survive renewal cycles and leadership transitions.

Organizations call us when

An RFP closes in under eight weeks and internal capacity is not there
Federal grants (SAMHSA, HRSA) feel possible but compliance infrastructure is missing
A program officer relationship was never built before the deadline arrived
The previous grant writer left and a renewal is due

At a glance

A portfolio built to renew.

85%+: Average grant success rate across active portfolios
$50M+: In grants secured across public and private funders
6–8wk: Typical turnaround from brief to submitted proposal
100%: Of engagements include post-award compliance support

How we work

Four disciplines, every engagement.

Prospect the right funders
Funder mapping against your mission, sector, and geography — prioritized by alignment, not just grant size.
Cultivate before you apply
Program officer outreach, site visits, and relationship development — the work that happens before the LOI, and that determines whether it gets read.
Write and submit
Proposals written to the funder's priorities, not the organization's talking points. Federal compliance, SAMHSA/HRSA formatting, and UN-related grant conventions handled.
Manage the award
Progress reports, budget modifications, and renewal preparation — the post-award work that protects the relationship for the next cycle.

In the field

This service, in practice.

All case studies →

Featured · Private Foundations · Eldercare

$13M

A first-cycle foundation program that crossed the credibility threshold with a major national funder.

Xincon dominated NYC's Asian-American senior care market but had no strategic approach to private foundation funding. NPI built the messaging, the prospect map, and the internal muscle — and executed the first full cycle of proposals.

Read Xincon Home Health Care Services’s story

In a time of leadership transition and cutbacks in funding — the NPI team quickly assessed what was needed and moved quickly to meet our budget goals.

Wilson Cano

Executive Director, Newark Conservancy

Questions

Common questions.

Do you write federal grants (SAMHSA, HRSA)?: Yes. Federal grants are a core practice — SAMHSA behavioral health, HRSA primary care, and HUD community development grants. We handle the compliance infrastructure and narrative, coordinating with your finance and program teams.
Can you manage an existing grant portfolio?: Yes. We take over active portfolios — progress reports, budget modifications, funder communications, and renewal strategies. Most grant management engagements start with an audit of what is due and when.
How long does a proposal take?: Six to eight weeks for most proposals, from brief to submitted. Federal grants with heavy compliance requirements take longer. Compressed timelines are possible but reduce funder cultivation time — which affects outcomes.
Do you work on UN-related or international grants?: Yes. We have experience with UNICEF, UNDP, and WHO-aligned funding mechanisms, particularly for global health and social service organizations.
What does this cost?: Project fees for individual proposals; monthly retainers for ongoing portfolio management. We share fee ranges on the first call once we understand the portfolio size and funder mix.

Start a conversation

Tell us what's in the pipeline.

A 30-minute call with a senior advisor. We'll tell you whether a proposal engagement or portfolio retainer is the right fit — and what the realistic timeline looks like.

Book a 30-minute call

The proposal is the last ten percent.

Four disciplines, every engagement.

Prospect the right funders

Funder mapping against your mission, sector, and geography — prioritized by alignment, not just grant size.

Cultivate before you apply

Program officer outreach, site visits, and relationship development — the work that happens before the LOI, and that determines whether it gets read.

Write and submit

Proposals written to the funder's priorities, not the organization's talking points. Federal compliance, SAMHSA/HRSA formatting, and UN-related grant conventions handled.

Manage the award

Progress reports, budget modifications, and renewal preparation — the post-award work that protects the relationship for the next cycle.

This service, in practice.

Featured · Private Foundations · Eldercare

$13M

A first-cycle foundation program that crossed the credibility threshold with a major national funder.

Read Xincon Home Health Care Services’s story

In a time of leadership transition and cutbacks in funding — the NPI team quickly assessed what was needed and moved quickly to meet our budget goals.

Wilson Cano

Executive Director, Newark Conservancy

Common questions.

Do you write federal grants (SAMHSA, HRSA)?

Yes. Federal grants are a core practice — SAMHSA behavioral health, HRSA primary care, and HUD community development grants. We handle the compliance infrastructure and narrative, coordinating with your finance and program teams.

Can you manage an existing grant portfolio?

Yes. We take over active portfolios — progress reports, budget modifications, funder communications, and renewal strategies. Most grant management engagements start with an audit of what is due and when.

How long does a proposal take?

Six to eight weeks for most proposals, from brief to submitted. Federal grants with heavy compliance requirements take longer. Compressed timelines are possible but reduce funder cultivation time — which affects outcomes.

Do you work on UN-related or international grants?

Yes. We have experience with UNICEF, UNDP, and WHO-aligned funding mechanisms, particularly for global health and social service organizations.

What does this cost?

Project fees for individual proposals; monthly retainers for ongoing portfolio management. We share fee ranges on the first call once we understand the portfolio size and funder mix.