WORK WITH EMILY

“How can Emily help me?”

Most of what's on this page is grant development and institutional strategy, because that's where I've spent twelve years and helped organizations secure more than $20 million in funding. If you're leading a nonprofit, a college, or an institution trying to move from reactive grant-seeking to something more intentional, this is likely the right page.

Who I work with:

I work best with nonprofits, colleges, and institutions that:

  • Already have grant activity, but want to strengthen the strategy behind it

  • Need better systems and processes, not just another proposal

  • Are stretched thin by competing priorities

  • Want strategic leadership without adding a full-time executive role

If that's you, keep reading.

Fractional Grant Development Executive

This is the core of what I do: ongoing, embedded grant leadership for organizations that have outgrown occasional proposal help but aren't ready for, or don't need, a full-time hire.

Think of it as having a grant director on your team, without the cost of one. I work alongside your staff to build funding strategy, strengthen your grant systems, prioritize opportunities, and coach the people who'll carry the work forward. Some months that look like proposal oversight. Other months it's a hard conversation about which funders are actually worth chasing or training a program officer who's never written a federal narrative before.

The work draws on twelve years of grant strategy across federal, state, county, local, and foundation funding, including major federal agencies like the Departments of Education, Labor, Energy, and Health and Human Services, and the National Science Foundation. For colleges specifically, that also means workforce development funding and institutional capacity building.

It's a monthly retainer, scoped to your organization's size and grant volume.

Fractional Executive vs. Hiring Staff

HOW WE WORK TOGETHER 01 The Conversation Every engagement starts here. — Free 30-minute call — No pitch, no proposal — Just an honest conversation — Not a fit? I'll point elsewhere → 02 The Planning Session For clarity before commitment. — One working session — Identify barriers, pinch points — Establish next possible steps — Leave with a 6-month plan — Use it yourself, or let me help → 03 Grant Development Executive The core of what I do. — Embedded, ongoing grant support — Strategy, systems, and coaching — 12+ years, federal to foundation — Monthly retainer, scoped to you

The Writing House Planning Session

Not every organization is ready for an ongoing engagement. Sometimes what you need first is a few hours to think clearly about what you're actually building.

The Planning Session is a single working meeting where we get honest about what's stuck and name the real obstacles. You leave with a written six-month plan. It’s yours. Execute it yourself or bring me in to help.

Priced as a single-session fee. We’ll talk specifics once we know if things line up.

Let's Start a Conversation

You don't need a finished plan to reach out. Just something you're working on, stuck on, or turning over in your head.

The door is open whenever you're ready.

Start a conversation