Client & partnership guide
Your mission is strong. Let's make the funding match it — as a client, or as a partner.
Full-lifecycle grant consulting for nonprofits, public agencies, and businesses pursuing state and federal funding. Fee-for-service, never contingency-based.
Partnership models
Two ways to work with Starling.
Every relationship falls into one of two tracks — becoming a client, or partnering with Starling to serve someone else's.
Track 1
Direct client engagement
You are the funded organization. You engage Starling directly — for one service tier or several — under a flat-fee, hourly, or retainer scope.
Who: nonprofits, public agencies, healthcare/education institutions, and businesses & vendors seeking funding partnerships.
Track 2
Agency & referral partnership
You're a consultant, agency, or organization already working with the client. You refer, subcontract, or co-deliver with Starling.
Who: fiscal sponsors, CPAs/bookkeepers, fundraising consultants, other grant consultants, and specialty firms (evaluation, data, IT).
Track 2, in detail
Three ways to partner with Starling.
Referral partnership
You introduce Starling to an organization that needs grant support. Starling manages the engagement directly and credits the referral.
Subcontract / white-label
Starling works behind the scenes as embedded writing and research capacity for your firm. You stay client-facing; we deliver under your brand or as a named subcontractor.
Strategic co-delivery
Starling and a complementary specialist jointly pursue a larger, complex opportunity — each bringing expertise the other doesn't offer.
Framework proposed for review — referral percentages, subcontract rates, and teaming terms to be finalized per partner. Every model stays consistent with Starling's fee-for-service, non-contingency standard.
Who we serve
Organizations pursuing state and federal funding.
Nonprofits & community organizations
Serving nonprofits of all sizes — small to large — seeking funding, including community, foundation, and corporate grants.
Local government & public agencies
Examples include cities, counties, and school districts (public, private, and charter) pursuing competitive and formula grants.
Healthcare & education institutions
Clinics, behavioral health providers, and school systems pursuing HRSA, SAMHSA, Department of Education, and state agency funding.
Businesses & vendors
Businesses and vendors looking for a partner to connect funding sources to their products, solutions, and services — a specialized, high-value niche.
What a partnership looks like
A proposal development engagement, start to finish.
Grant proposals are a partnership — your team knows the program, Starling knows the funder. Timelines shown are typical for a state or federal proposal; every scope is confirmed in writing before work begins. See the full service tiers this engagement draws on.
Week 1
Discovery & fit
A free call about the opportunity you're eyeing, followed by a straight competitiveness read — including a no-go recommendation if the fit isn't there.
Shares the funding opportunity, program goals, and timeline.
Reviews eligibility and competitiveness; delivers a go / no-go recommendation.
Outcome: a clear, honest decision to pursue — or not
Weeks 1–2
Kickoff & work plan
Scope, fees, and calendar go in writing. Starling translates the funder's guidelines into a compliance matrix that drives everything that follows.
Signs the engagement letter and names a single point of contact.
Builds the compliance matrix, document checklist, and week-by-week work plan.
Outcome: signed scope and a shared calendar
Weeks 2–5
Development
The core build. Your team supplies program knowledge and data; Starling turns it into a funder-ready narrative and budget.
Provides program details, data, and requests letters of support.
Drafts the narrative, need statement, logic model, evaluation plan, budget, and budget narrative.
Outcome: complete first draft of the full application
Weeks 5–6
Review cycles
Structured rounds of feedback — typically two — so revisions stay focused and the whole package speaks with one voice.
Reviews drafts and returns consolidated feedback by agreed dates.
Revises and aligns every document — narrative, budget, and attachments — into one consistent story.
Outcome: final draft approved by your leadership
Week 7
Compliance check & submission
Every item is verified against the funder's guidelines — page limits, formatting, attachments, certifications — before anything is submitted.
Gives final sign-off and authorizes submission.
Runs the pre-submission compliance checklist and supports the portal submission (Grants.gov or state e-grant system).
Outcome: application submitted, confirmed, and archived
After submission
Debrief & what's next
Win or lose, you leave with more than a submission: a debrief, reusable language, and a clear next step.
Responds to any funder questions with Starling's support.
Handles the debrief and lessons learned; if awarded, sets up compliance calendars and reporting — or transitions you to the post-award service.
Outcome: a stronger position for this award and the next one
Why outside help pays off
Getting started as a partner
What every partnership includes.
A documented agreement
Scope, compensation, and expectations confirmed in writing before any work begins — the same discipline applied to every client engagement.
Fee-for-service integrity
Every partnership model stays consistent with Starling's fee-for-service, non-contingency standard.
Compliance-first delivery
The same guideline checklist and compliance discipline that governs direct client work applies to every subcontract and co-delivery scope.
A single point of contact
Direct, responsive communication with Ayla — no hand-off to a rotating account team.
Let's talk about your next grant — or your partnership idea.
Tell us a little about your organization, or how you'd like to partner, and we'll follow up to schedule a free discovery call.
Book a discovery call