Frequently Asked Questions

What types of grants do you specialize in?

My grant-writing career includes grants from local, state, and federal governments, as well as local, regional, and national foundations and arts consortiums. I’m primarily focused on grants for performing arts nonprofits, although I’m happy to discuss your grant opportunities even if you aren’t in the arts. Schedule a call with me!

Do you write grants for individuals? What about for-profit companies?

Many funders only award grants to nonprofit organizations, although a small number of arts consortiums will fund individual artists. If you are a for-profit company interested in applying for a grant, you can leverage your relationships with nonprofit organizations to carry out a program or project. Schedule a call with me to see if there’s a way I can help.

Do you work with new nonprofits?

I typically work with organizations that have been established for at least five years. New nonprofits (younger than two years old) are less likely to receive grant funding since funders want to see a history of financial and programmatic success before investing. So I’d encourage you to consider non-grant opportunities in the first few years of your existence.

Can we pay you from the grants we win, either in a lump sum or as a percentage of the grant award?

These practices are unethical, and a good grant writer should never suggest this kind of payment! You can read more about the ethical practices of grant writing on the Grant Professionals Association website. Although we can set up a payment plan for my services, I do charge a fee before the proposal is submitted.

Will we be guaranteed to win a grant if we work with you?

The grant process is incredibly competitive, and unfortunately there are many more organizations that don’t receive funding than those that do. My services will get your proposal to the top of the stack, but given circumstances out of my control (and yours!) sometimes funders will award other organizations instead.

I’d love to hire you, but I have a really small budget. What are my options?

Join my email list and you’ll receive a free downloadable Grant Readiness Checklist, which will outline the documents and information you need to be ready to apply for a grant. I also offer lower-priced services for expert consulting and review of an existing grant proposal, as well as discounts for BIPOC-led organizations. Read about all of my services.

Wait, you live and work in an RV. Do you even have access to the internet? How will that impact our work with you?

In fact, the internet is everywhere! That’s one reason I decided to dive into this work and lifestyle: with so much of our work transitioning online these last few years, I knew I’d be able to work from anywhere. There might be times I will intentionally block my schedule in order to go on an adventure, or my cell reception might just be a little rough. But my commitment to you comes first!

I want to learn more about how to find grant opportunities and write proposals on my own.

Thanks to the magic of the internet, there are so many great resources available these days! Your first step is to review funders for organizations with similar missions and programs to yours since those funders might also be a good fit for your program or project. You can also research funders on accredited websites like GuideStar or Charity Navigator, or a grants search engine like Grantmakers.io.