How it works
Three steps, and two of them are ours.
We built this process around a single idea: the school’s time is the scarcest thing in the building. Every step that can be on our side of the line is on our side of the line.
You tell us what you need.
Fill out a short form, or schedule a twenty-minute call if that’s easier. We need to know three things: what your teachers or paras need, roughly how much it would cost, and when you need it by.
Vague is fine. “Our paras need training and there’s no money for it” is a complete answer. We ask the follow-up questions.
What you don’t need
- A grants office or development director
- Any prior experience with grant applications
- A specific funder in mind
- Board approval before reaching out to us
We respond within five business dayswith a straight answer about whether there’s anything worth chasing, including when the honest answer is no.
We do the legwork.
This is the part that takes hours nobody in the building has. Once we agree there’s something worth going after, our team handles:
- Researching funders whose eligibility rules your school actually fits
- Confirming eligibility before anyone spends a minute on paperwork
- Tracking every deadline and renewal window
- Writing the narrative
- Building the budget and the justification
- Pulling together the data, letters, and attachments
- Routing it to the right person for signature
- Filing it on time
What you sign
Before we submit anything in your school’s name, you see every document. Nothing goes out without your sign-off. We provide a simple authorization letter that confirms Legwork is acting as your grant preparer for a specific application. It does not give us authority to accept funds or enter into contracts on your behalf.
If the answer is no
We tell you why the application was declined, what the funder said, and whether it makes sense to revise and resubmit. Most funders who decline a first application will tell you exactly what they want to see next time. We track that too.
The money goes to work.
When an application is funded, the school administers the award under a written agreement that covers permitted uses and reporting requirements.
How funds are handled
By default, Legwork operates as a pass-through: funds come through us and are disbursed to the school for the specific purpose described in the grant. In cases where the funder requires the school to be the direct grantee, we serve as the preparer only and the school receives funds directly.
What reporting looks like
Most grants require some form of reporting after the award. This can range from a brief narrative about how the funds were used to a full accounting with receipts. We stay on for all of it. We draft the reports, gather what we need from you, and file them on time. The goal is the same as every other step: the reporting hours come out of our day, not yours.
We can’t promise funding. Nobody can. What we can promise is a straight answer, a professional application, and the follow-through to try again when the first answer is no.
Ready to start?
It starts with one form.
Tell us who you are and what your teachers need. We’ll come back within five business days with what looks realistic.