Welcome!

When someone calls me to ask for grant writing, often they need other things in addition to grant writing. Here is a short list of the services I provide most often:

• Prospect Research (finding potential funders, researching their interests, determining “fit-ness”)
• Fundraising Planning
• Program Planning and Design
• Proposal Writing
• Proposal Editing
• Proposal Budget Consultation
• Logic Models
• Other Writing Projects (white papers, policy briefs, talking points, newsletters, appeal letters)

I have a Masters of Public Policy from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, and am active in several community-based and national organizations. Prior to moving to Los Angeles, I gave grants to non-profit organizations through the Ms. Foundation for Women and the Commission on National and Community Service, a federal grant making agency that later became AmeriCorps.

I also was a founding member and lead trainer of Just Economics, a collective of women activists, organizers, ethicists and economists who provided analysis and education tools for organizing campaigns. Through this work, I taught activists how to envision economic policies that reflected their social justice values.

Well, I think so and others do, too. I have testimonials from happy clients who will vouch for my work.

Here's how I do against the criteria I suggest in "How to Choose a Grant Writer."

1) Value Added – My own particular strength in grant writing is program planning; so the more planning we do together, the more likely you are to get quality proposals. Ideally, we do the planning separately from the proposal. This way, you have more than a proposal when we are done; you have a plan from which you can construct more proposals.

I also am known to be particularly strong in writing when the organization's plan or approach is complex or deeply nuanced. Since public policy and economics is my content expertise, I tend to enjoy the challenge of writing for clients whose work is similarly multi-faceted. So, if you have trouble describing your work to others in fewer than two minutes or if your proposal needs to be worded "just so," then I'm probably a good choice for you.

2) Experience – My experience is unusually varied. I happen to have experience as both a funder and a fund-seeker. As a funder, I have given out federal grants to groups across the country for national service. I also have funded local, statewide and national women's projects for the Ms. Foundation for Women. As a fund-seeker and grant writer, I primarily write applications to private foundations, as well as local, state and federal grant proposals. A sample of funders to which I have made successful applications can be found here. My government proposal experience predominantly is with Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the California Department of Mental Health (CA-DMH).

3) Work Style – Sometimes, potential clients expect that they can give me old documents and hand off the proposal assignment to me to do some magic. After we have worked together for a while, I can do that – but not initially. I find that when we work together, we discover new ways to think about your organization's work and the resources you already have. This discovery can lead to new funders or approaches. I consider grant writing to be a partnership where we work together to create results – ones that are better than what we get when we work separately.

4) Credentials – I am a member of the AAGP and ascribe to their code of ethics.

5) Track Record – Since 2004, I've raised more than $105 million for my clients. Should you be impressed? Measuring the quality of a grant writer's work and value added is just as tricky as quantifying the value of your organization's outcomes to the community. I recommend considering my track record in the context of all these criteria and not judging me on this one alone.

Here's what usually happens. When you call, I will ask you a lot of questions. A lot. These questions help me to understand what your needs and expectations are, the work that you do and what you hope to accomplish by working with me. Then, I'll draw up a contract that often includes multiple options for how we can work together.

After you choose an option, then I will meet or talk with you to figure out what you are proposing in the grant application. We will strategize together how to frame your organization's work for this particular funder. Then, I'll write and give you drafts. We'll discuss the budget and make sure that it matches the narrative (the construction of the budget is always my client's responsibility even though I offer guidance). Then, we compile everything into a package that is ready to submit to the funder. I work by email and phone, and if you are in Los Angeles, I'll meet you in person for planning sessions. If you are not in Los Angeles, we can figure something out.

Knowing that you are looking for a grant writer because your organization needs money, I try hard to make sure that my rates are reasonable and representative of the value I bring to the partnership. Often, I provide at least two options for the work we can do together at varying costs so that you can find something that meets the constraints of your organization's budget. I can provide a quote for services after I have a clear understanding of what your organization's needs and goals are. I prefer to bill as a flat fee, so that you don't worry about being "on the clock" and I have the freedom to be the workaholic that I am without busting your budget.

Sometimes I am asked if I am willing to work on a contingency basis -- that is, if I will write the grant and agree only to be paid if the grant is awarded. Contingency payment is considered unethical by grant writing professionals. If you are satisfied with the work product a grant writer provides, that person should be paid.