Grant Proposal Editing and Coaching for Your Own Draft
Feedback on a grant draft you have already written
A grant proposal is read quickly, often by people who are scoring a stack of them against a checklist. If your argument is hard to follow, or your aims say one thing and your budget narrative says another, a reviewer will not stop to work it out for you. This is where a second reader helps.
Help Me Bro offers grant proposal editing and coaching. If you are searching for grant writing help, here is the plain version: you write the proposal, and Ahsan Irfan reviews what you wrote. He returns margin comments and tracked changes in Word, and you decide what to do with each one. He does not draft sections, fill in gaps from your notes or write on your behalf.
What the review looks at
Each comment is tied to something a reviewer will notice. The review covers:
- Clarity: sentences and paragraphs that a reader could misread or have to reread.
- Structure: whether the sections build on each other and the most important point arrives early enough.
- Fit with the funder’s call: places where your draft drifts from the language, priorities or required sections in the call you are answering.
- Consistency: aims, objectives and the budget narrative using matching wording, so the proposal does not seem to promise different things in different places.
- Reviewer readability: headings, signposting and pacing for someone reading under time pressure.
What this service does not do
Some limits are worth stating up front so you can plan around them.
- Ahsan does not write, rewrite or ghost-write any part of your proposal.
- He does not research funders or find opportunities for you.
- He does not submit applications, and he does not work on commission or take a share of any award.
- Grants in engineering or in medical and health sciences, such as clinical or biomedical NIH proposals, are outside the scope of Help Me Bro. If your project falls there, the answer at the quote stage will be a plain no.
Social science, education, business, humanities and nonprofit program proposals are the natural fit.
Who it suits
The service works best for people who already have words on the page:
- Graduate students and researchers preparing research grants or fellowship applications.
- Staff at small nonprofits who have drafted a proposal or a letter of inquiry and want a careful outside read before it goes to the funder.
If you are still at the stage of outlining ideas, our proposal coaching page may be a better starting point.
Choose the type of grant document
Grant paperwork comes in different shapes, and each one is read differently. Three dedicated pages cover the most common ones.
Letter of inquiry
A short document that has to persuade a program officer to ask for more. If you have drafted an LOI, this page explains how a review of it works and what to have ready.
Research grant proposal editing
For the full proposal: significance, approach, timeline and budget narrative. Comments focus on whether a reviewer can follow the whole case from start to finish.
Specific aims page review
One page that carries a great deal of weight. This review checks that your aims are clear, distinct and worded the same way everywhere else in the proposal.
Price and turnaround
Written feedback on a grant draft is priced by length. A 24-hour turnaround is $25 per 1,000 words, 48 hours is $15 per 1,000 words and 72 hours is $10 per 1,000 words. A live call, if you would like to talk through the comments, is quoted after the scope is agreed. You can see the full breakdown on the pricing page.
Getting started
Send your word count, your deadline and the file through the quote form. Include the funder’s call or guidelines if you have them, since the review checks your draft against them. You will hear back about whether the project is in scope before anything else happens.
To learn more about the person doing the reading, see Ahsan Irfan’s profile or the how it works page.
Will you write or fill in sections of my grant proposal?
No. Ahsan Irfan reviews a draft that you have already written and returns margin comments and tracked changes in Word. He does not draft, rewrite or fill in any section from notes. You decide what to accept, adapt or ignore, and you remain the author of the proposal throughout.
Can you find funders for me or submit my application?
No. Funder research, choosing opportunities and submitting applications are not part of this service, and Ahsan does not work on commission. The work is limited to written feedback on your own draft, checked against the call or guidelines you are answering.
Do you review NIH or other medical and health-science grants?
No. Grants in engineering and in medical or health sciences, including clinical and biomedical NIH proposals, are outside the scope of Help Me Bro. Social science, education, business, humanities and nonprofit program proposals are the natural fit. If you are unsure, send a quote request and you will get a clear answer.
How much does grant proposal feedback cost?
Written feedback is priced per 1,000 words: $25 with a 24-hour turnaround, $15 with 48 hours and $10 with 72 hours. A live call is quoted separately once the scope is agreed. Send your word count, deadline and file through the quote form to get a firm figure.
Can you promise my proposal will be funded or score well?
No. Comments can make your draft clearer and more consistent, but reviewers and funders make the decisions. Help Me Bro does not make claims about funding rates, scores or invitations, and it would be dishonest to suggest a particular outcome.