What McAllister & Quinn does

McAllister & Quinn is a federal grant consulting and government relations firm headquartered in Washington, DC, founded in 2005. The firm helps client organizations secure federal resources through competitive grants, congressional funding bills, and Congressionally Directed Spending (earmarks), reporting over $17 billion in cumulative client funding secured and over $1 billion in earmarks. It serves seven primary practice areas: Higher Education, Healthcare, Defense & Advanced Technology, Nonprofits & Public Agencies, K-12 Educational Institutions, Associations, and Municipalities & Public Agencies, with named clients spanning the Michigan Department of Education, the National Association of Home Builders, academic medical centers, community health clinics, and small liberal arts colleges.

The firm's service portfolio is organized around five core lines: Grants Strategy & Proposal Writing, Strategic Intelligence & Appropriations Tracking, Capacity Building & Training, Federal Agency & Foundation Engagement, and Federal Government Relations. Delivery is executed by an in-house team of senior consultants and VPs, supported by a 400+ independent contractor consultant network described as the largest in the country, composed of grant writers, subject matter experts, former agency officials, and federal program officers. The firm also maintains a digital Grants Portal for client collaboration and offers productized services such as Title III Coaching. It does not develop proprietary technology platforms; its competitive differentiation rests on relationships with congressional and federal-agency decision makers and institutional knowledge of the federal funding landscape.

The business model is professional services consulting with quote-based engagements tailored to client scope. Go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven: the firm runs Washington, D.C. fly-in advocacy events for client groups of 5 to 100 participants, sponsors industry associations (CIC, ACCU, NAICU, CCCU, ACE), publishes thought leadership content, and leverages referrals. Core staff is small (11-50 employees), with revenue mechanics relying on a mix of senior-led direct engagements and project-based independent contractor capacity. Ownership appears to be partner-structured with no disclosed external investment, and the firm has executed a series of recent senior leadership hires and internal promotions to deepen capabilities across existing and new practice verticals.

Name

McAllister & Quinn

Legal name

McAllister & Quinn

Website

https://jm-aq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

McAllister & Quinn is a Washington, DC-based federal grant consulting and government relations firm that helps colleges, universities, hospitals, nonprofits, municipalities, and associations secure federal funding through competitive grants, earmarks, and advocacy, operating across seven practice verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Federal Grant Consulting

NAICS

Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Intergovernmental Affairs & Federal Grants Administration (BPAIAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Grantmaking Agencies & Education Program Grants Administration (EDADAHAD), Philanthropy & Foundations Advisory (Donor-Advised Funds, Endowments) (FSAAABAH)

Keywords

• Federal grant consulting
• Government relations
• Proposal writing services
• Appropriations tracking
• Capacity building training

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Federal Grant Consulting Services: The firm provides comprehensive grant consulting services including strategic intelligence and appropriations tracking, grants strategy and proposal writing, capacity building and training, and federal agency and foundation engagement. Revenue is generated through professional consulting engagements with clients seeking federal and private foundation grant funding.
2. Government Relations Consulting: McAllister & Quinn offers federal government relations services, leveraging relationships with former senior congressional staff to advocate for clients on Capitol Hill and assist with Congressionally Directed Spending (earmarks) processes.
3. Grants Consultant Network (Independent Contractors): The firm maintains a network of 400+ independent contractor grants consultants who are paid on a per-project basis. These consultants work remotely and serve in various roles including writing, reviewing, editing, coaching, and strategic advising across practice areas.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

McAllister & Quinn is a Washington, DC-based federal grants and government relations consulting firm that helps client organizations identify, pursue, and win federal funding. Core services include grants strategy and proposal writing, strategic intelligence and appropriations tracking, capacity building and training, federal agency and foundation engagement, and federal government relations. The firm additionally operates a secure Grants Portal that supports collaboration between clients and its 400+ consultants during proposal development.

Product overview

McAllister & Quinn is a federal grant consulting and government relations firm that operates as a service-based consultancy rather than a software product company. Their core offerings center on five primary service lines: Grants Strategy & Proposal Writing, Strategic Intelligence & Appropriations Tracking, Capacity Building & Training, Federal Agency & Foundation Engagement, and Federal Government Relations. These services are delivered across six practice areas: Higher Education (including Research Universities, Small & Mid-Sized Colleges & Universities, and Two-Year Institutions), Healthcare (Hospitals & Health Systems, Academic Medical Centers, Schools of Medicine), Defense & Advanced Technology (including Defense & Space), Nonprofits & Public Agencies, K-12 Educational Institutions, and Associations. The firm also maintains a digital Grants Portal for collaboration with clients and internal teams, and offers specialized services such as Title III Coaching and Proposal Development. Services are delivered through a network of over 400 consultants including writers, subject matter experts, former agency officials, and Federal program officers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grants Strategy & Proposal Writing End-to-end federal grant consulting that identifies high-fit funding opportunities, builds competitive project narratives, and writes and edits full grant applications for universities, hospitals, nonprofits, defense companies, and municipalities.
• Strategic Intelligence & Appropriations Tracking Continuous monitoring and analysis of federal agency, congressional, and appropriations activity, with customized alerts and action-oriented intelligence translating policy movement into specific grant opportunities for client organizations.
• Capacity Building & Training Workshops, training programs, and engagements that build internal grant-writing, federal funding strategy, and program design capacity within client organizations such as universities, hospitals, and nonprofits.
• Federal Agency & Foundation Engagement Strategic engagement services that build, manage, and broker relationships between clients and federal agencies (e.g., HHS, NSF, ED, USDA, DOD) and private foundations to surface funding, partnership, and program opportunities.
• Federal Government Relations Advocacy and lobbying services on behalf of institutions, including congressional engagement, appropriations and earmark strategy, agency meetings, and policy positioning aligned with client priorities.
• Grants Portal Secure online platform used by McAllister & Quinn and its 400+ consultants to collaborate with clients during proposal development, share documents, and manage workflow on active grant engagements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $17 billion in funding secured for clients through competitive grants and congressional funding bills
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Holland & Knight: Major national law firm with a substantial federal government relations and grants practice serving universities, healthcare systems, and municipalities; competes with McAllister & Quinn in higher education and healthcare grants.
• Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck: National law and lobbying firm with deep congressional, appropriations, and federal funding capabilities serving many of the same higher education, healthcare, and technology clients that McAllister & Quinn targets.
• Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Large international law and lobbying firm with a prominent federal funding, appropriations, and government relations practice—competes with McAllister & Quinn particularly in higher education, defense, and technology funding.

Direct peers

• Cassidy & Associates: Long-standing DC-based federal funding and government relations firm that, prior to its 2018 acquisition, was the most direct competitor to McAllister & Quinn in helping non-profits, universities, and municipalities secure federal grants and earmarks.
• Park Strategies: DC and New York-based federal consulting and lobbying firm that helps universities, nonprofits, and municipalities navigate federal funding and appropriations—directly comparable in client mix and service offering.
• BGR Group: DC-based lobbying and government affairs firm with a federal grants and appropriations practice serving similar higher education, healthcare, and association clients as McAllister & Quinn.
• Cornerstone Government Affairs: Bipartisan DC government relations firm providing federal grant consulting, lobbying, and strategic advisory to associations and municipalities—closely overlapping McAllister & Quinn's services and client verticals.
• Vantage Point: Federal grant writing and lobbying firm specializing in earmark procurement, similar to McAllister & Quinn's government relations practice serving municipalities, universities, and nonprofit clients.
• The Ferguson Group: DC-based federal funding consulting firm focused on municipalities, nonprofits, and tribal clients seeking federal grants and earmarks—directly comparable to McAllister & Quinn's public agencies and nonprofit practices.

Emerging players

• Federal Management Partners: Smaller federal grants and contracts management consultancy assisting nonprofits and government agencies with federal funding strategy—overlaps with McAllister & Quinn's nonprofit practice but at a smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/frank-boyd-ph-d-9a7a27b5

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about McAllister & Quinn