Starling Grant Partners

Services

Engage at whatever level of support you need.

Eight service tiers span the full grant lifecycle — nonprofit strategic planning, grant writing and federal grant proposals, grant budgets, and post-award compliance — from setting your funding direction to closing out the report after you've won. Take one, or let them work together.

A

Strategic planning

Set your organization's direction and funding mix before any single application. This is the long-range, organization-wide view that shapes everything below it.

  • Multi-year funding and fundraising strategy across federal, state, foundation, and earned revenue
  • Program design and theory-of-change / logic-model development
  • Board and leadership facilitation to set priorities and roles
  • Funder-alignment mapping — matching your goals to realistic funding streams
  • Positioning for larger, multi-year, and recurring awards

DeliverablesA written strategic funding plan, a diversified funder roadmap, and board-approved priorities.

Ideal forOrganizations planning growth or a new program, or ones over-reliant on a single funding source.

B

Grant readiness & strategy

Know where you stand before you spend time chasing funding. This is the near-term, tactical layer beneath your broader strategy — are you ready to compete, and what should you pursue over the next 12–24 months.

  • Organizational capacity, financial-systems, and past-performance review
  • SAM.gov and Unique Entity ID (UEI) registration support
  • Grants.gov Workspace setup and navigation
  • 12–24 month funding strategy and grant calendar

DeliverablesA written readiness assessment, completed SAM.gov/UEI registration, and a 12–24 month funding calendar.

Ideal forOrganizations new to state and federal grants, or unsure whether they're ready to compete.

C

Prospect research

Pursue the funders you're genuinely competitive for.

  • State and federal opportunity research and matching
  • Foundation and corporate prospecting as a complement
  • Eligibility and competitiveness analysis before writing begins

DeliverablesA ranked shortlist of matched opportunities with eligibility, deadlines, and competitiveness notes.

Ideal forTeams with the capacity to write, but no time to hunt down the right funders.

D

Proposal & application development

Compliance-first proposals, built to funder guidelines exactly.

  • Full narrative: need statement, logic model, goals, evaluation plan
  • Budgets and budget narratives aligned to Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200)
  • Letters of intent, concept papers, and supporting documents
  • Review-and-edit service for teams with an in-house draft

DeliverablesA complete, submission-ready application — narrative, budget, and every required attachment.

Ideal forOrganizations with a specific opportunity in hand and a deadline to hit.

E

Post-award management & compliance

Keep a win from becoming a burden.

  • Award terms review and compliance calendars
  • Financial and performance reports (e.g., SF-425)
  • Subrecipient monitoring support for pass-through grants
  • Audit and monitoring-visit preparation

DeliverablesA compliance calendar, drafted financial and performance reports, and audit-ready files.

Ideal forRecent awardees who need reporting handled cleanly, accurately, and on time.

F

Evaluation & impact measurement

Prove your program works — and turn the results into your next grant.

  • Evaluation plans and logic models built to funder requirements
  • Data-collection systems and outcome-tracking setup
  • Performance and impact reports that satisfy funders and boards
  • Independent / third-party evaluation coordination
  • Turning results into evidence for renewals and new applications

DeliverablesAn evaluation framework, working data-collection tools, and funder-ready impact reports.

Ideal forAwardees with reporting-heavy grants, or organizations building an evidence base to win larger funding.

G

Capacity building & training

Build the muscle to do more in-house.

  • Grant-writing workshops and staff training
  • Board and leadership sessions on grant realities and roles
  • Template and toolkit libraries — need statements, logic models, boilerplate

DeliverablesLive workshops, board and leadership sessions, and a reusable template and toolkit library.

Ideal forTeams building an in-house grants function and looking to reduce outside reliance.

H

Fractional grants director

An outsourced grants function, on retainer.

  • Pipeline management and multiple submissions per year
  • Funder relationship support and reporting
  • For teams not ready to hire in-house — steady, senior capacity

DeliverablesOngoing pipeline management, multiple submissions per year, and funder reporting on retainer.

Ideal forOrganizations needing senior grants capacity without hiring a full-time director.

What partnering looks like

A proposal development project, start to finish.

Grant proposals are a partnership — your team knows the program, Starling knows the funder. Here's how a typical engagement unfolds and who carries what at each phase. (Timelines shown are typical for a state or federal proposal; every scope is confirmed in writing before work begins.)

1

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.

Your team

Shares the funding opportunity, program goals, and timeline.

Starling

Reviews eligibility and competitiveness; delivers a go / no-go recommendation.

Outcome: a clear, honest decision to pursue — or not

2

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.

Your team

Signs the engagement letter and names a single point of contact.

Starling

Builds the compliance matrix, document checklist, and week-by-week work plan.

Outcome: signed scope and a shared calendar

3

Weeks 2–5

Development

The core build. Your team supplies program knowledge and data; Starling turns it into a funder-ready narrative and budget.

Your team

Provides program details, data, and requests letters of support.

Starling

Drafts the narrative, need statement, logic model, evaluation plan, budget, and budget narrative.

Outcome: complete first draft of the full application

4

Weeks 5–6

Review cycles

Structured rounds of feedback — typically two — so revisions stay focused and the whole package speaks with one voice.

Your team

Reviews drafts and returns consolidated feedback by agreed dates.

Starling

Revises and aligns every document — narrative, budget, and attachments — into one consistent story.

Outcome: final draft approved by your leadership

5

Week 7

Compliance check & submission

Every item is verified against the funder's guidelines — page limits, formatting, attachments, certifications — before anything is submitted.

Your team

Gives final sign-off and authorizes submission.

Starling

Runs the pre-submission compliance checklist and supports the portal submission (Grants.gov or state e-grant system).

Outcome: application submitted, confirmed, and archived

6

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.

Your team

Responds to any funder questions with Starling's support.

Starling

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

How we price

Transparent fees, quoted to your scope.

Every engagement is priced fee-for-service — flat fee, hourly, or monthly retainer — and quoted clearly before any work begins.

Flat fee

For defined deliverables like a readiness assessment, a research package, or a single proposal.

Hourly

For advisory work, editing, and ad-hoc support where scope is open-ended.

Monthly retainer

For ongoing pipeline management and the fractional grants-director engagement.

Never contingency

Fees are never tied to whether a grant is awarded — per the GPA Code of Ethics and most funders' rules.

Not sure which tier fits?

Start with a free discovery call. We'll point you to the right level of support — even if that's less than you expected.

Book a discovery call