Madison Shampine Grant Writing & Consulting

While I would love to help you secure funding, this is not my area of expertise. I generally only work with nonprofits. If your work is mission based or charitable in nature, I suggest working with a partner organization as your fiscal sponsor, opening up many more grant opportunities.

At this time, I do not have the capacity to take on federal RFPs or NOFOs; however, exceptions can be made for current and ongoing clients.

The focus areas I have written for include children, teens, families, and adults in the areas of social and human services, early childhood and adult education, health/critical illness, family support services, shelter services, small business and entrepreneurship, mental health, foster care and adoption, and capital expansion projects. 

Don’t be shy if you have a program that doesn’t align with any of these areas! Grant writing is a role for lifelong learners—every organization, program, application, and funder is unique in its own ways, so there is always a learning curve to overcome.

I’m located in Phoenix, Arizona, where I’ve lived and worked since 2021. The majority of my clients are local to Arizona and I’m also happy to explore new clients out of state. I’m originally from Portland, Oregon and would love to support clients in my hometown!

If you’re looking to hire a grant writer today, the first application should be due no earlier than 3-4 weeks from contract execution. We’ll need this lead time to discuss strategy and for me to learn everything I can about your organization, programs, and services.

As we begin our partnership, you’ll need to invest a bit of time to get me onboarded and to refine your grant strategy. The more we can collaborate in the beginning, the quicker I will get up to speed and become less dependent on asking you every in-the-weed question that comes up in an application. As our experience working together grows, you can have more of your time back.

With that said, grant writing is a collaborative process. We can accomplish most of our ongoing needs during a monthly meeting; however, I will need access to a decision-making point person on an ongoing basis.

If you’re interested in pursuing government applications (RFP, RFGA, NOFOs, contracts for service, etc.), more time commitment from your staff is required.

As an independent contractor, my role is primarily in the background. The best use of my time is preparing the grant proposal documents, while your time should be spent cultivating long-lasting, impactful relationships with your funders. At the end of the day, the funder is building a relationship with you and your organization, not a contractor. On occasion, it may be helpful for you to invite me to a meeting with your funder when discussing a specific grant application, which I am happy to attend!

All of my services are performed remotely and meetings are held virtually, with the exception of one-time trainings, which can be in person at your offices.

Generally speaking, I do not use AI. Every so often, I might ask a grammar question (is it “who” or “whom”?) or for my personal business (what should I include in my website?), but these are rare occurrences.

I never use AI to write or edit narratives or to provide me with data or other information regarded as facts. While I respect and welcome technological advancements, I worry about ethics, accuracy of information, and environmental impacts.

This is one of the first questions most prospective clients ask, but it’s a hotly debated topic for grant professionals. A win rate rarely assesses a grant writer’s skill and more often has to do with an organization’s experience, capacity, and grant strategy.

For example, Client A has cultivated their funder relationships for years, receives annual invitations to apply, and uses their current relationships to establish new ones. They typically only apply to grant opportunities that they have a high chance of success, rarely submitting “cold call” applications or long shots. Because of this strategy, Client A has a high win rate.

Client B, on the other hand, is just building their grants portfolio. While they’re actively cultivating current and new funders, they also apply to new prospects without first establishing a relationship. Essentially, the strategy is more applications = the higher chance of an award. While this can also be effective, you do end up with more declines initially. Because of this strategy, Client B has a lower win rate.

We try again! Here’s the hard truth… grant declines happen. Starting or growing your grants program is a long-term commitment. According to the 2026 State of Grantseeking report, “organizations that submitted only one application [in 2025] had a 64.5% award rate, while those that submitted two had a 76.6% rate. Success rates rose to 89.4% for those submitting three to five applications, 93.3% for six to 10, and 98% for 11 to 20.” What this tells us is that the more applications submit, the greater chance of an award.

Pro Tip: Funder cultivation paired with a compelling grant application is the most effective strategy for winning those grant awards.

In accordance with the GPA Code of Ethics, I don’t work on commission and my fees are not based on awarded grants. From a compliance standpoint, grants are rarely allowed to be used on previously incurred expenses, general operating or fundraising, and costs outside of the specific program/project described in your application.

From a personal perspective, the work I perform with regard to grant writing is completed at the pre-award phase and, while I do everything in my power to give you the best chance of an award, they are not guaranteed. My fee is based on my experience, the strategy I bring forth, and the many hours I spend crafting a compelling proposal.

GPA Code of Ethics: Grant Professionals Association