Consulting & business services
Books and taxes for grant writers.
A flat fee for one federal application, a rush fee because a funder moved the deadline up, a retainer for keeping a client's grant calendar straight, and the researcher you bring in for a big proposal. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
August came in at $8,600. The Maple Fund rush fee for their moved-up deadline is kept separate from your standard project rate, so you can see it actually paid for the late nights.
- Community Health Alliance feeProject income
- Maple Fund retainerRetainer income
- Instrumentl subscriptionGrant research tools
- M. Reyes, research helpSubcontracted research
- GPA membership renewalCertification and dues
Why your books are different
A grant writer's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your business is five nonprofit clients, each with its own fiscal year, deadline calendar, and rush requests. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell whether your rush fees actually cover the extra hours or whether a retainer client is quietly losing you money.
-
1
A rush fee blends into the regular project rate
A funder moves a deadline up two weeks, and you charge a premium to clear your other work and turn it around. Lumped in with your standard fee, you cannot tell if rush work is actually worth what it costs you.
What we doKeeps rush fees in their own line, so you can see whether the premium you charge really covers what a rushed deadline costs you. -
2
A retainer for calendar management gets mistaken for a project fee
A client paying $1,200 a month for ongoing grant calendar management is a different kind of income than a $3,500 flat fee for one application, and mixing them hides which part of the practice is steady.
What we doKeeps retainer income and one-off project fees in separate lines, so the steady base of the practice is visible on its own. -
3
Five nonprofits, five fiscal years, one bank account
Each client's grant cycle runs on its own calendar, so income arrives in unpredictable clumps that have nothing to do with how much work you actually did that month.
What we doTracks income by client and project, so a slow-looking month against one client's calendar does not read as a slow business. -
4
A research subcontractor becomes a standing hire
A researcher you bring in for every large federal proposal, using your templates and your client relationships, starts to look like an employee rather than an occasional hire.
What we doFlags a research subcontractor who looks employee-like and gets the accountant's read before the pattern is a year old.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a grant writing practice.
Set up once for how you bill and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Project incomeFlat fees for individual grant applications and proposals.
- Retainer incomeOngoing grant calendar and pipeline management for a client.
- Rush feesPremiums charged when a funder moves a deadline up.
- Consulting and strategy feesHelping a nonprofit build or audit its overall grant strategy.
Money out
- Grant research toolsInstrumentl or Foundation Directory Online subscriptions.
- Subcontracted researchOutside help brought in for large or federal proposals.
- Certification and duesGrant Professionals Association membership and credential renewal.
- Proposal and budgeting softwareTools for building narrative and budget sections.
- Printing and courier feesPhysical copies and delivery for funders who require them.
What we watch for you
- Retainer versus project mix
How much of the practice is steady calendar work versus one-off applications.
- Rush fee premium
Whether what you charge for rushed work actually covers what it costs you in hours.
- Days to get paid
Nonprofit clients sometimes pay slowly around their own funding gaps, and a slipping number is worth watching.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things grant writers ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
I keep it separate instead, so you can see whether the rush premium you charged actually covered the late nights it took.
Yes. Retainer income and project fees are kept in their own lines, so you can see which part of your practice is the steady base.
Worth a look. That pattern is starting to resemble a standing hire rather than an occasional one, so I flagged it for the accountant.
The tax side
The tax side of a grant writing practice.
Most of what goes wrong here is keeping income sources straight and classifying the researchers you bring in. Handled right, the year does not surprise you.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Contractor 1099sA research subcontractor paid $2,000 or more across the year, and not on your payroll, needs a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps count as proposals go out.
- Employee or contractorA researcher who works only your proposals, on your schedule, using your templates, is starting to look like an employee. Gus flags the pattern early.
- The pass-through deductionA grant writing practice can often deduct up to 20 percent of profit from taxable income, though the benefit shrinks at higher earnings. The accountant confirms the actual figure at filing time.
- Self-employment tax and estimatesIncome that comes to you as the owner, not a paycheck, owes 15.3 percent self-employment tax up to the $184,500 wage base, usually paid in four installments across the year rather than one.
Deductions grant writers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Instrumentl or research database fees
- Grant Professionals Association dues
- GPC certification renewal
- Proposal and budgeting software
- Printing and courier costs
- Laptop and reference materials
- Home office space
- Subcontracted research fees
- Continuing education courses
- Website and portfolio hosting
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A grant writing year, checked in on four times.
Federal and foundation deadlines cluster in their own patterns every year, and your taxes follow a schedule all their own. Gus keeps up with both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, 1099s go out to any subcontracted researchers, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
The return is filed and signed. No last-minute scramble, since the set-aside has been building steadily since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether this year's project and retainer mix is on pace with last year's.
- October
Before the fall deadline crunch
Many foundation deadlines cluster in the fall. Gus looks at software or research tools worth renewing before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for grant writers. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions grant writers ask first.
I have five clients each on a different fiscal year. Can Gus keep that straight?
Yes. Income is tracked by client and project, so a slow-looking month tied to one client's grant calendar does not read as a slow month for the whole practice.
Do rush fees get counted the same as my normal project rate?
No. Gus keeps rush fees in their own line, so you can see whether the premium you charge actually covers what a moved-up deadline costs you.
One client pays a flat fee per grant, another pays me monthly. Is that a problem for the books?
Not at all. Project fees and retainer income are kept in separate categories, so you can see which part of your practice is steady and which is one-off.
I subcontract research help for big federal proposals. Does that change my taxes?
It might. If that researcher works only for you, on your schedule, the pattern can start to look like an employee relationship, and Gus flags it so the accountant can weigh in.
My books are behind because grant season ran me ragged. Is that fixable?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most people know where they stand inside a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever