I am a Senior Grants Analyst/Writer for the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. I write grants for the Microbiology/Biochemistry department. I have written/co-written $50+ M grants to the NIH, DoD, NASA, DoE, NSF, CPRIT and Welch to name a few. Winning grants is not about finding a needle in a haystack organization that is looking to give money for your exact need - it is about language. Remember being a kid and having to ask your parents for something? You surveyed the situation to determine who to ask and (more importantly) HOW to ask them. Flattery? Humor? Play to sympathy? Your knowledge of what that person wanted to hear helped you achieve your goal. Grant writing is the same way.
I would throw out any bids less than 8 days, as this is a stage project. First, I will find a promising funding announcement (I will probably find multiples that you can use the same steps I show you to submit to later on your own). Then I will get all the information on how to submit our proposal, and review historical data on the proposal to determine what that organization wants to hear. I will prepare all of the backbits (documents) with you, and lastly I will assist you in writing your proposal (I can't do it for you as it will be your story, but I will help you with formatting, length, structure, etc..) Finally, once awarded, there will be a slew of things you must submit to get your funds - I will help you with that process.
Thank you,
Deric F.