Is it possible to hire graduate students as freelancers?
While people are, perhaps rightly, poking at your estimate of how long this will take and your budget, yes, its entirely possible to hire graduate students as freelancers. I worked on several projects during my graduate career as a consultant or freelancer. Generally speaking, there aren't great university resources for it, though you might contact a professor who works in the area to see if he or she have any students who might be interested in a consulting gig.