Grant Services
Research Grant Writer: Grant Writing Services
Hire a grant writer who knows research. We write and edit research and academic grant applications, from NIH and NSF proposals to foundation research grants and dissertation fellowships. Every project is quoted as a flat fee after a scoping conversation, never as a percentage of your award.
Inquiries go directly to angel@subthesis.com. A dedicated checkout flow is coming soon.
Last updated: November 2026
What's Included
- Full application writing, from specific aims through budget justification
- Review and edit of a draft you have already written
- Single-section help: aims page, research strategy, or budget justification
- A close read of the funding announcement so every section answers what reviewers score
- Alignment between your aims, methods, timeline, and budget
- One flat fee, agreed in writing before any work begins
Applications We Support
Every project starts from the funding announcement, because reviewers score what the announcement asks for.
Funders and award types
- NIH, NSF, and other federal research funders
- Foundation and private research grants
- Dissertation fellowships and student research grants
- VR&E Chapter 31 Self-Employment funding requests
Application sections
- Specific aims and project summary
- Research strategy: significance, innovation, and approach
- Budget and budget justification
- Timeline and supporting documents
Alignment and review
- Mapping each section to the review criteria
- Consistency between aims, methods, timeline, and budget
- Formatting and page-limit compliance
Ways to work together
- A full application from aims through budget justification
- Review and edit of your draft
- Help with a single section
How It Works
- 1
Request a Quote
Email the funder, the funding announcement, your deadline, and anything you have drafted so far. We confirm whether the project is a fit.
- 2
Scoping Conversation
A non-refundable down payment, set with you by email, secures the meeting. In that conversation we walk through the announcement, your aims, and what you need from us: a full application, specific sections, or a review and edit.
- 3
Flat-Fee Quote
You get a written flat-fee quote covering the agreed scope. The price does not change with the size of your award.
- 4
Write, Revise, Submit
We draft or edit the agreed sections, revise with you, and hand off a submission-ready application.
Who It's For
- Faculty and researchers applying to NIH, NSF, and other federal research funders
- Doctoral students applying for dissertation fellowships and research grants
- Early-career investigators writing their first major proposal
- Research teams applying to foundation and private research funders
- Veterans on the VR&E Chapter 31 Self-Employment track preparing a funding request
Sample Deliverable: Specific Aims Outline
Before drafting, you receive an outline like this excerpt that maps each aim to the funding announcement's review criteria, so every section answers what reviewers will score.
Illustrative example · fictional student · not real client work
Specific aims outline and criteria map (fictional project)
Project in one sentence
A community health worker program to improve blood pressure control among adults with hypertension in two rural counties, tested against usual care.
Aims
- Aim 1: Adapt an existing community health worker protocol for rural primary care, using input from patients and clinic staff.
- Aim 2: Test whether the adapted program improves blood pressure control at 12 months compared with usual care.
- Aim 3: Identify the costs and implementation barriers that clinics would face in sustaining the program.
Criteria map
| Review criterion | Where it is answered | Evidence to include |
|---|---|---|
| Significance | Aims page, paragraph 1; Research Strategy, Significance | Local burden data from county health reports |
| Approach | Research Strategy, Approach | Power calculation, randomization plan, analysis plan |
| Environment | Facilities and Resources | Letters from both clinics confirming access |
Alignment checks before drafting
- Every aim has a matching section in the timeline and a line in the budget justification.
- Aim 3 personnel effort is budgeted in years 3 and 4, matching the timeline.
How Pricing Works
Grant projects vary too much for one package price, so every project is scoped first.
| Item | How it works |
|---|---|
| Fee | One flat fee, agreed in writing before work begins |
| Never a percentage | The fee does not depend on whether or how much you are awarded |
| Scoping conversation | Secured with a non-refundable down payment set with you by email; we review the announcement, your aims, and what you need |
| What sets the quote | The funder, the number of sections, page limits, and your deadline |
| Options | Full application, review and edit, or single-section help |
How This Compares to Other Options
Researchers have several sources of grant support, and many combine them.
| Option | Cost structure | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writing it yourself | Your time | Full control; quality depends on your experience with the funder | Experienced applicants with time before the deadline |
| University research development or sponsored programs office | Usually free to faculty and staff | Budget, compliance, and submission support; writing help varies by school | Faculty at institutions that offer it |
| Percentage-based grant writer | A share of the award | Writing help paid from the grant | Not recommended: widely considered unethical in grant writing |
| Subthesis Grant Writing | Flat fee quoted after scoping | Writing or editing aligned to the announcement and review criteria | Researchers who want a research-literate writer at a fixed price |
If you are at a university, involve your sponsored programs office early. It usually must approve the budget and submit the application.
Grants I Have Won
I apply for funding myself. These grants and fellowships, $190,000+ in total from 2020 to 2026, funded my own research and training. They do not include the funding I have helped clients and collaborators win.
- $600
Blais Tandem Scholar
Claremont Graduate University · 2026
Course curriculum consultation funding for full professors.
- $124,000
Health Policy Research Scholar
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation · 2021 to 2025
Health policy training to collaborate with federal, state, and local policymakers.
- $5,000
Research Fellow
Children's Hospital Los Angeles, California Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) · 2024 to 2025
Health policy training to advocate for children with special healthcare needs.
- Traineeship
Research Trainee
The Hastings Center for Bioethics · 2024 to 2025
Training to create, update, and revise the third edition of The Hastings Center Guidelines for Decisions on Life-Sustaining Treatment and Care Near the End of Life.
- $10,000
Crossing Boundaries Research Grant
Claremont Graduate University · 2023 to 2024
Research funding to complete a geospatial simulation of America's health disparities.
- $500
Blais Tandem Scholar
Claremont Graduate University · 2023
Course curriculum funding to create a course on human design and equity.
- $500
Saddler Scholar
The Hastings Center for Bioethics · 2022 to 2023
Advanced bioethics training to advocate for patient rights within healthcare systems.
- $5,000
Business Grant
The State of California · 2022
Funding to expand the operations of a personal business.
- $45,000
Global Health Fellowship
Claremont Graduate University · 2020 to 2022
Department funding to support research endeavors.
Pricing
Grant writing at Subthesis is always a flat fee. A two-page foundation letter of intent is not the same job as a full federal research application, so each project is quoted on its own scope, and the fee never depends on whether or how much you are awarded.
Your Coach
Angel Reyes, DrPH (c), PMP, PMI-ACP, MPH, MCHES
Founder of Subthesis and a Research Methodologist. Author of The Grant Architect, a free 16-week grant writing course, plus The Project Brain and Impact or Invisible: AI-Powered Research. Winner of $190,000+ in grants and fellowships for personal research and training, including a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholar award. Experience across federal grants, research methodology, and public health, including guiding a client through a VR&E Chapter 31 Self-Employment proposal requesting roughly $22,000, from the business plan and counselor meeting packets through presentation preparation. Veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces.
More about Angel ReyesHave a deadline coming up?
Send the funder, the announcement, and your deadline. We will confirm fit and agree on the non-refundable down payment by email to secure your scoping conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it cost to hire a grant writer?
Every Subthesis grant project is a flat fee, quoted in writing after a scoping conversation. The quote depends on the funder, the number of sections, page limits, and your deadline.
Do you charge a percentage of the award?
No. It is always a flat fee. Commission or percentage-based pay is widely considered unethical in grant writing, so your quote is set before work begins and does not change with the award.
Why is there a down payment for the scoping conversation?
The scoping conversation is working time: we read the funding announcement, review your aims, and map the application before quoting. The non-refundable down payment secures that meeting, and the amount is set with you by email.
Have you won grants yourself?
Yes. I have won $190,000+ in grants and fellowships for my own research and training since 2020, including a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholar award through the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The full list is on this page.
What kinds of grants do you write?
Research and academic grants: NIH and NSF proposals, other federal research funders, foundation research grants, and dissertation fellowships. We also help veterans prepare funding requests for the VR&E Chapter 31 Self-Employment track.
What is a research project grant?
A research project grant funds a specific, investigator-designed study with defined aims, methods, a timeline, and a budget. The best-known example is the NIH R01, the National Institutes of Health Research Project Grant. It differs from a training or career award, which funds your development as a researcher, and from a dissertation fellowship, which usually supports you as a student while you complete your own degree research. Foundations also fund research projects, often with shorter applications and narrower priorities.
Can you just review my draft?
Yes. We offer full application writing, help with individual sections, and review and edit of an existing draft. Each is quoted as its own flat fee.
Can I use ChatGPT to write a grant?
AI can speed up drafting, and The Grant Architect course teaches how to use it well. It cannot read a funder for you, make the case for your fit, or keep your aims, methods, and budget consistent. That judgment is what you are hiring.
Is hiring a grant writer worth it?
It is worth it when the award is large, the deadline is close, or the application type is new to you. If you have time and want to build the skill yourself, start with the free Grant Architect course instead.