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Proposal preparation is the structured development of a competitive grant or non-dilutive funding application. It includes shaping the narrative, aligning the proposal to funder priorities, organizing required materials, managing review cycles, and preparing the submission package for the funder’s requirements.

Grant writing is part of the work, but proposal preparation is broader. Competitive proposals often require strategy, technical positioning, compliance review, budgets, attachments, partner coordination, portal readiness, and deadline management.

Proposal preparation is best suited for startups, universities, research teams, higher education institutions, consortia, innovation programs, and economic development organizations pursuing competitive non-dilutive funding. It is especially relevant when the opportunity is complex, high-stakes, technical, collaborative, or deadline-driven.

This service is usually not a fit for organizations seeking guaranteed funding, contingency-based grant writing, emergency turnaround, or a proposal written before the project is clearly defined. It may also not be the right fit for community-focused nonprofits that are not connected to innovation, commercialization, research, workforce development, entrepreneurship, or economic development.

For most proposals, we recommend starting at least 45 days before the deadline. Larger, multi-year, multi-partner, federal, technical, or ecosystem-focused proposals should begin 90 or more days in advance.

We do not begin new proposal preparation engagements less than 30 calendar days before a deadline. That boundary protects proposal quality, review time, compliance checks, and submission readiness.

We need the solicitation, deadline, project concept, goals, team roles, budget inputs, organizational details, required registrations, and any existing drafts or background materials. Your project plan must be clear enough to explain what you will do if funded, why it matters, and how the work will be carried out.

No. We can refine, strengthen, organize, and clarify your project plan, but your team needs to bring the core project direction, goals, activities, timeline, and expected outcomes. A fundable proposal starts with a credible project.

Full-service proposal preparation may include onboarding, project setup, shared document organization, narrative development, budget narrative and justification drafting, required attachment preparation or refinement, review cycles, compliance checks, formatting, portal preparation, and submission readiness activities.

Yes. When your team owns the proposal draft, targeted assistance may include proposal review, narrative refinement, budget justification review, attachment review, compliance feedback, or strategic recommendations. The scope depends on the solicitation, timeline, and draft readiness.

A Pink Team review focuses on structure, clarity, alignment, and early competitiveness. A Red Team review examines the proposal against funder expectations, scoring criteria, and overall persuasiveness. Final compliance review checks formatting, required components, and submission readiness.

Yes. SBIR/STTR proposal preparation is a core area of experience, especially for startups and innovation-driven teams pursuing federal R&D funding. These proposals often require technical narrative development, commercialization strategy, budgets, biosketches, facilities information, and agency-specific compliance.

No. E.B. Howard Consulting works on a flat, fee-for-service basis. We do not charge contingency fees, success fees, commissions, or percentage-based compensation tied to awards.

Flat-fee pricing keeps incentives clear and protects the integrity of the proposal process. Pricing reflects the strategy, writing, coordination, review, compliance, and execution required to prepare a competitive submission.

Pricing depends on the solicitation’s complexity, required content, number of attachments, technical depth, review intensity, partner coordination, budget requirements, and submission process. A short foundation application is not the same level of effort as a federal, multi-partner, multi-year proposal.

No. No ethical consultant can guarantee a funding outcome. The funder makes the final decision. We can provide a structured, strategic, compliant proposal process designed to strengthen clarity, competitiveness, and alignment with funder expectations.

Win rates vary by funder, program, review pool, client readiness, and project fit. A more useful measure is whether the proposal is compliant, submitted on time, and positioned clearly against the funder’s priorities. You are welcome to see all of our wins here, https://www.ebhoward.com/trackrecord/

No. We maintain impartiality and do not claim special influence with funders. We do not lobby, pressure funders, or attempt to influence funding decisions.

Yes. Standard confidentiality practices are followed, and NDAs are supported when needed. Confidentiality applies to non-public information shared during the engagement.

Your organization is responsible for the final submission and certifications. When scoped, we can prepare files, guide portal readiness, load materials, and walk through submission steps, but the client approves and submits under their own organization.

We can provide guidance and identify likely issues, but your organization is responsible for resolving account, registration, access, or portal problems directly with the relevant system or agency.

Major new content, strategy changes, or full rewrites are usually not feasible in the final seven calendar days before the deadline. The final week is reserved for cleanup, formatting, compliance checks, portal preparation, and submission readiness.

After submission, the funder controls the review process and timeline. If the application is awarded, post-award reporting, evaluation, implementation advising, or future proposal work would be scoped separately.

The first step is to share the solicitation and deadline so the scope, timeline, and level of effort can be reviewed. For an initial conversation, use the 30-minute strategy consult link: https://calendly.com/ebhoward/strategy-consult.