The first grant proposal I tackled on my own was a $2 million transportation request to the Atlanta Regional Commission – our area regional commission/council of government that administers federal funds to the 11 counties in Metropolitan Atlanta. To say I was in over...
To help brush up on my Spanish (rusty but serviceable from my time as a US Peace Corps Volunteer) in the months before a trip to visit family in Chile, I started using the free version of Duolingo. Training clients, grant development and fundraising projects, family,...
I have a friend who is always first in line for the newest iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac Book. She refers to Apple Park (Apple’s headquarters) as the Mothership. She’s my go to when I have a question about these products. I jokingly refer to my son as HayDay...
In August, my husband and I moved our son into his first dorm room. And since that day, I’ve experienced a lot of firsts when it comes to your kiddo leaving home for college. The first week without him joining us at the dinner table. The first realization that I can...
As frigid winter blankets most of the United States, it may help to think back to the long hot summer of 2023—including the annoying boy math vs. girl math memes—later expanded to dog math, cat math, and maybe even llama math. But how about Artificial Intelligence...
Everywhere I looked in 2023, people were talking about the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other large language models (LLM). The voices ran the gamut from telling us the sky was falling to these tools being the greatest thing since sliced bread. I have never...
It’s so seductive at the start of the New Year: the frenzy of planning tools, project management systems, productivity apps, AI integration, seminars, webinars, calendars, and checklists that all promise to help you do more things in less time. I am not suggesting a...
The end of the year often brings with it the idea of new year's resolutions, goal setting, and a look over the past year to determine what worked and what didn’t. I’ll confess, I’m the person who always sets resolutions, but within months the best laid plans have...
Last week my friend Cecilia Peredo told a few of us grant colleagues she submitted her first infographic grant application. Needless to say, we all had lots of questions. Turns out, a funder asked for a one-page infographic explaining your proposed project. This...
Kimberly here: For years I thought I should be a free spirit, ready to go where the breezes pushed me, where the weather suited my clothes, where the party was. I told myself that one day I would love big crowds, last minute surprises, jack in the boxes, and...clowns....
Way too often, grant writing can feel like an afterthought. Really, though, how many of us as children dreamed of being a veterinarian and an astronaut AND a grant writer. (If you actually did dream of being a grant writer, who hurt you?) Seriously, though. Grant...
My friend Pat Duboise often says, “Music feeds my soul.” I so understand that sentiment. From the time memories first started to solidify in my mind, music was a constant. Riding in the car with my mom to the grocery store, ballet lessons, and a friend's house always...
My first job out of college was in local government, working as an administrative assistant for the city manager. Six months into the job I started helping one of the police officers who had a knack for grant writing. The officer took another job six months later, and...
Two weeks ago, someone asked me what about my work brings me joy and motivates me to get up in the morning. Without hesitation my answer was simple: relationships. People are the driving force for just about everything in my life, and work is certainly no exception....
Grant writing is not a solo sport. But it can sure feel that way for many grant professionals. It’s true that writing comes easier in silent spaces—at least for my introverted self. Those unfamiliar with how grant development really works may think that all grant...
Something I genuinely enjoy is not often directly connected to being good for me. For instance, an entire party bag of salt and vinegar kettle chips or a whole can of wasabi almonds—delicious in the moment but not great for long-term health. But reading? That’s a...
If your organization has a quality program that improves the lives of those you serve year in and year out, I do not understand why a funder would stop contributing to your success. But 20-plus years in the grant profession has taught me that grant funding is never...
Have you ever attended a grant workshop, conference, or gathering and left feeling deflated? Ever listened to a keynote speaker and told yourself nothing she said would work for you because you were not in the same league as said speaker? (If you’re nodding your head,...