You can certainly ask for them to pay the fee as part of your agreement. Alternatively, simply build the fee into your consultant fees for the project (this latter option may be better than asking up front). Or, deduct it as business expense. I have never used an attorney for this type of work. Just make sure that you feel comfortable with the amount of work that you will be asked to do within that time frame before signing the contract (which you should have a hand in writing!) How many "numerous grants" can you churn out in 4 months? What kind of assistance will you have in producing the grant (e.g., budget, forms, clerical assistance)Try to calculate your true labor costs before signing (including meetings, research, etc.). No use agreeing to a flat/hourly fee based on 8 hour days if you're working 12 hour days to produce. Make sure the client understands a realistic picture of what grantwriting entails. (e.g., I often have to work weekends to make deadlines and I expect clients to be available also to review as the schedule requires. Or, you may need to educate the people who ask you just to "tweak" an old application into a major federal grant. (Doesn't work that way!) Good luck.
