On Sun, 28 Jan 1996, you wrote:

> We are a small non-profit museum in Taos, New Mexico and are currently
> seeking to enlarge our scope of funding.  We have heard that there are
> many grant writers "out there" who will work on a percentage basis (only
> getting their percentage if successful) for non-profits.


After working fulltime in museum fundraising for over a decade, I moved
on to other things but occasionally do grantwriting for museums.
HOWEVER, I would never take on a job on a percentage basis.  Why?

1)  I have to work just as hard to do research on the granor and put the
proposal together, regardless of whatever decision the funder might make.
Perhaps they had too many good proposals this cycle.

2>  The grant was not awarded, not because I didn't do a good job, but
because the institution contracting me is not competitively good for this
project.  My job is simply to help them make their best case, not to
guarantee results.

3>  Even if the proposal is not funded, the process of putting together
ideas with museum staff, and the final copy of the proposal itself, are
good return for the museum's money.  They can sharpen their ideas through
our proposal planning, and they now possess good ideas and great prose in
the proposal that might pay off for them later, with no return to me.


On a few occasions I HAVE agreed to write a proposal for a museum
for a guaranteed fee PLUS a bonus if the grant is awarded, but I cannot
do work on spec.  I believe that you will find any good
hardworking grantwriter to say the same.

By the way, I've seen and visited the Fechin Institute, twice.  Nice
place you've got there.


Richard Perry
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