Karen has spent more than a decade in the arts nonprofit world, reviewing and approving grant applications before they go to funders and serving on a grant jury. She also secured a Google Ad Grant worth about $10,000 a month in advertising for SRI International.
Grants that run on a plan, not a scramble
If grant deadlines keep landing on someone who already has three other jobs, this retainer is built for you. Over 12 months, we build your grant system and run it with you: a funding strategy and calendar for state and national arts support, an organized, up-to-date file of your programs, budgets, and outcomes, and the behind-the-scenes management that keeps every deadline, application, and report on track.
You’re not scrambling the week before a deadline anymore. Grants become a steady, sustainable part of how you fund your work.
What’s included
Most of a grant year’s work happens before and after anyone writes a sentence. The retainer covers all of it: the groundwork, the ongoing management, and the writing itself.
Building your grant system
We start by getting your organization grant-ready, so no application begins from a blank page.
- A readiness review. We go through your organization’s background, tax, financial, governance, and program information and flag what’s missing or out of date.
- One organized grant file. Your core documents live in one place, sorted by category: your IRS determination letter, latest Form 990, current budget and financial statements, board list and bylaws, key policies, program descriptions, past outcomes, and letters of support.
- Program descriptions, ready to adapt. Each program gets one clear description covering who it serves, its measurable goals, and last year’s results, so every application draws on the same accurate facts.
- Eligibility and registration checks. We confirm what each funder requires before anyone spends time on an application. Federal and state arts funders each have their own registration and eligibility requirements, and we check them every cycle.
- Funder research and vetting. We build a list of state, national, and foundation funders that fit your programs, with their priorities, typical award sizes, and deadlines, then narrow it to the ones worth pursuing.
- Your grants calendar. Deadlines, decision dates, and report due dates go into one shared calendar your whole team can see.
Keeping it running
Once the organizational basis is in place, we keep it current so nothing goes stale between deadlines.
- Calendar upkeep. Every deadline, decision date, submission, award, and report due date stays up to date in one place.
- Funder records. Contacts, priorities, typical award sizes, and notes from every conversation are saved, so the history stays with your organization if staff changes.
- Ongoing prospecting. New opportunities are screened for fit and eligibility all year, not just when a deadline is close.
- Document upkeep. Budgets, board lists, financial statements, and registrations are renewed and updated before a funder asks for them.
- Submission preparation. For each application we check the funder’s requirements, assemble the attachments, and keep a submission checklist so nothing’s missed.
- Funder relationships. We coach your staff on how and when to reach out to funders and help you prepare for those conversations.
- A monthly strategy call and status report. Grants by status, upcoming deadlines by month, and funders by program, in a form you can share with leadership and your board.
After an award
An award starts a second round of work: following the funder’s rules and reporting back.
- A reporting calendar. Every report due date, spending period, and funder requirement goes on the calendar as soon as an award comes in.
- A requirements log. We note what the award allows and requires, including any restrictions on how the funds can be used.
- Coordination with your bookkeeper. Financial tracking and invoicing stay with your finance team. We work with them so your reports match your books.
- Interim and final reports. We draft them with your program and finance staff, using the results you’ve been tracking.
- Thank-yous and updates. Funders hear from you between reports, which keeps the relationship strong for the next cycle.
- Closeout. A checklist makes sure the final report and every remaining requirement are done.
The writing
When an opportunity fits and you’re eligible, we draft the application from your organized materials, so the writing starts with accurate facts instead of a search for them. We build the project budget and its narrative together, so the numbers match the story, and every draft goes through the review described below before it’s submitted.
What you’ll have after 12 months
By the end of the year, grants run on a system your whole team can follow.
- An organized grant file that’s kept up to date.
- A funder list with notes on every funder we’ve researched or contacted.
- A calendar showing the year’s deadlines, submissions, awards, and reports.
- Program descriptions and a budget framework you can reuse.
- Submitted applications and reports, with the history behind them.
- A monthly status report you can share with leadership and your board.
How we review, and what to expect
Every draft gets checked against the same five questions before it goes out:
- Does it answer the funder’s own criteria, in their language and order?
- Is the most effort going where the most points are?
- Are the claims specific and cited?
- Do the need, goal, objectives, and budget line up with each other?
- Is it easy for a tired reviewer to find what they’re looking for?
Here’s what to expect from the work:
- Awards aren’t guaranteed. Panels are subjective, and competition and available funds change every cycle.
- We’re accountable for the quality and consistency of the work, not for funders’ decisions.
- Funders often decide months after a deadline, so results from year-one work can land late in the year or after it.
- We only apply where you’re eligible, so the number of applications follows the opportunities that fit.
What we need from you
The work moves at the pace of your answers, so three things matter most:
- A point person who can answer questions and approve drafts.
- Access to program, financial, and board information when we ask for it.
- Quick turnaround on reviews, because funder deadlines don’t move.
How it works
The retainer runs for 12 months, because grants move in annual cycles and the work gets stronger the longer we know your organization.
- Term: 12 months, with a 30-day cancellation option for either party.
- Scope: anything outside the agreed scope gets its own quote, so you always know what you’re paying for.
- Ownership: We only have access to your organization’s records during our work together. We’ll keep only our own templates and anonymized examples
- Investment: Let’s talk about the scope of your organization’s needs.
Also available: web support
Many arts organizations need help with their website too. I take on web projects separately, as one-time work: site updates, accessibility fixes, and rebuilds. They’re quoted on their own and aren’t part of the grant strategy engagement.