Our History

We believe opportunity should not be determined by geography, resources, or circumstance.

My career began with a commitment to public service and environmental stewardship. As a park ranger at Mount St. Helens and John Day Fossil Beds, as well as an AmeriCorps member with Wolftree, an environmental education nonprofit in Portland, I developed an appreciation for the connections between natural resources, community well-being, and access to opportunity.

That commitment eventually led me to Burns, Oregon, where I became executive director of a small, financially struggling Boys & Girls Club. Our mission was straightforward but essential: ensure that local children had a safe place to go after school, a hot meal, and opportunities to thrive.

Through collaborative leadership, community partnerships, and strategic resource development, we transformed the organization into a thriving, community-supported nonprofit. Along the way, I discovered that securing funding was about much more than writing grants. It required understanding an organization's vision, building a compelling case for investment, and developing the strategy and relationships to turn ambitious goals into reality.

I carried those lessons into higher education, where I helped secure more than $25 million for a community college to expand academic programs, provide student scholarships, construct new facilities, and strengthen its ability to serve students and the broader community.

Across these experiences, one principle became clear: transformational funding begins with a compelling vision, a sound strategy, and the ability to connect ambitious ideas with opportunities for investment.

Launching The Grant Lab

I founded The Grant Lab in 2021 to bring that strategic perspective to organizations pursuing complex, mission-driven initiatives. After nearly two decades in nonprofit executive leadership, higher education advancement, and public service, I recognized a recurring challenge: organizations often have the vision, expertise, and community relationships to accomplish extraordinary things, but lack the dedicated capacity to pursue major funding opportunities.

The Grant Lab was created to help bridge that gap.

Since its founding, the firm has partnered with organizations across the country to develop competitive federal and state grant proposals, identify strategic funding opportunities, and advance projects that strengthen institutions and communities.

The Grant Lab Today

Today, The Grant Lab specializes in federal and state grant strategy and development for higher education, workforce development, natural resource management, and public infrastructure. We work with community colleges, regional universities, public agencies, and other mission-driven organizations pursuing ambitious, often six- and seven-figure funding opportunities.

Our services extend beyond proposal development to include strategic grant prospect research through our signature Map + Compass service, independent proposal review, grant technical assistance, and project evaluation.

From expanding educational access and workforce pathways to strengthening water infrastructure and protecting natural resources, our work reflects the same commitment that shaped my early career: helping organizations secure the resources to create meaningful, lasting change.

From expanding educational access and workforce pathways to strengthening water infrastructure and protecting natural resources, our work reflects the same commitment that shaped my early career: helping organizations secure the resources to create meaningful, lasting change.

Big ideas deserve strong strategies, experienced partners, and the resources to become reality.