Zara K.

Grant writer and researcher for 𝐒𝐁𝐈𝐑, 𝐒𝐓𝐓𝐑 and 𝐟𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬, plus 𝐑𝐅𝐏 and 𝐑𝐅𝐐 responses. I find the funding you qualify for and write the applications for 𝐃𝐎𝐃, 𝐍𝐈𝐇, 𝐍𝐒𝐅, 𝐃𝐎𝐄 and 𝐔𝐒𝐃𝐀 programs, as well as state and foundation grants, for small businesses, startups and nonprofits.

• Top Rated Plus | $80K+ earned | 2,150+ Upwork hours
• Helped clients win single grants of $90K to $250K+
• Identified and tracked $50M+ in funding pipelines for clients
• Found 1,000+ funding opportunities worth $5K to $800K+ each
• Completed 50+ grant research, writing and submission projects

Most organizations lose funding before the writing starts. They apply for grants they do not qualify for, miss an eligibility rule in the guidelines, or submit an application that never answers the scoring criteria. That is why every project starts with a fit check, and every application is written around what the funder actually scores.

𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐈 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇
• Small businesses and startups applying for SBIR, STTR, federal, state or private grants
• Companies bidding on government RFPs and RFQs
• Nonprofits, museums and arts organizations that need grant research and applications
• Individual artists and writers applying for personal or project grants

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈 𝐃𝐎
🔎 Grant research and prospect lists
I search federal, state, foundation and corporate funding, check eligibility, and give you a ranked list of grants worth your time, with deadlines, award sizes and fit notes. Your team stops chasing grants it cannot win and puts its hours into the ones it can.

✍️ Grant writing and applications
Need statement, program design, logic model, evaluation plan, letter of intent, budget justification and supporting documents, all written to the funder's scoring criteria. Reviewers score against a rubric, so every section answers it directly and makes points easy to award. Many clients come to me after an application that told a strong story but did not score well.

🏛️ SBIR, STTR and federal grants
Full federal packages, including SBIR and STTR proposals, NIH applications and SAM.gov readiness. Federal applications fail on forms as often as on the narrative, so I track both. Your technical team stays focused on the science while I handle structure, forms and deadlines.

📋 RFP and RFQ responses
Requirement mapping, a compliance matrix and a checklist of missing inputs, so nothing gets rejected on a technicality. You see what is still needed and who owns it well before the due date. I also help with DBE and WMBE certification, which can help you compete for contracts with diversity participation goals.