About
I’m a grant writer with 15 years of experience raising funds for youth development and education. I specialize in private foundation and corporate grant opportunities in the Central Texas region and also have experience with statewide and national grant partnerships. I have experience researching funding opportunities, strategizing a compelling request, and preparing grant proposal materials. I am driven by a passion for connecting a grantmaker's strategy and goals to worthy programs needing funding.
I spent 12 years of my career working on the staff of a nonprofit development team, helping secure millions in grant funding, while building long-lasting partnerships with grantmakers. In 2024 I earned Spark the Fire’s Certificate in Grant Writing, an assessment-based professional certification for writing grants. I have participated as a grant reviewer for the City of Austin, learning what funders look for in grant applications and helping select award recipients. I have also served on the Board of the Austin Grant Professionals Association and am a two-time chair of the Austin Funders Forum.
Services
Grant Editing and Guidance
For small or mid-sized nonprofits seeking grant support, I can help with prospect research, boilerplate language, grant calendars, and proposal/editing strategy. This service is ideal for nonprofits with staff capacity to draft and submit proposals, but who need support finding opportunities, strategizing requests, and polishing submissions.
Services may include:
- Grant prospect research to uncover and prioritize funding opportunities
- Development of boilerplate language to streamline grant application tasks
- Templates to begin a first grants calendar and/or cultivation tracking spreadsheet
- Guidance on grant application approach, request amount, and cultivation tactics
- A review and edit of application narratives
Grant Research
A standalone service to provide a prospect list of grant opportunities for funding. This is especially geared toward locating foundation and corporate grant opportunities. Activities may include:
- Analysis of funding prospects, gathered through a professional grants database and vetted for fit
- Delivery of a spreadsheet with the names of 10-15 grant opportunities, why they are a potential match for the nonprofit, key details about each funder, how to apply, and when to apply
- Time for a round of feedback on the prospect list as it develops
- A one-hour call to review the results together
I will provide a brief questionnaire for nonprofits interested in this service to ensure the research will be aligned to your needs.
Grant Writing
Preparation of grant proposals and reports for foundation and corporate funders. These services may include:
- Review of funder requirements including deadlines and attachments
- Guidance on approach, request amount, and cultivation tactics
- Meetings to gather information to support grant narrative
- Assistance with project budget forms
- Writing and editing the application narrative
- Preparing attachments such as logic models and forms
Recent Grants
- $3,750,000 - Two separate grant awards to scale programs that support college student success from Moody Foundation and Michael and Susan Dell Foundation
- $200,000 - For leadership development and flexible funding from Bank of America Neighborhood Builders
- $50,000 - For workforce development initiatives from Texas Mutual
- $15,000 - For summer learning programming to support youth from low-income communities from Silicon Labs