Our History - Grant Writing for Social Change

Because I believe that opportunity is a human right, I am inspired to work with social change organizations to fulfill their missions abundantly and successfully. 

My History

I “fell into” nonprofit leadership at age 24. I found myself in a small town (Burns, Oregon) as the only person willing to take an executive director position at the local Boys & Girls Club. It was a really tough job and the pay was bad, but I was determined to make sure the kids who needed it would have a free hot dinner and a safe place to go on school nights. Period. That was my goal.  

During this time, I learned that grant seeking/writing was my super power. I would have preferred the power of time travel, but I am grateful to have had the opportunity help thousands of people. I did make sure that our kids had a hot dinner and a safe place to go every day at the BGC. I also turned it around from a financially unstable entity to a thriving, community-supported nonprofit. 

I went on to raise $25M for a community college that needed student scholarships, new academic programs, and three new buildings, as well as funding support following the most destructive school shooting in Oregon's history. I love having the opportunity to make a tangible difference in my community and secure funding to turn big ideas into reality.

Launching The Grant Lab

I started The Grant Lab, Inc. in 2021 following 18 years of public and nonprofit service. This blog post gives a little background about the launch, but my goal was to deepen impact on the communities I care about, such as rural folks, historically underserved students, people seeking good jobs, and artists of all kinds. 

Now my goal is to get community colleges, universities, and nonprofits the funding they need not just to survive, but to THRIVE. Big ideas require big plans, and oftentimes big money. I have experience in every type of grant writing, but right now I specialize in writing federal grants and supporting nonprofits with their ongoing grant needs. 

Securing big grants has an impactful economic ripple effect on communities. Community colleges and nonprofits have amazing talented staff, but usually not enough time to go after these grants. Because the need is urgent, our team has expanded to serve more organizations and have a greater impact, but we just can't seem to grow fast enough to meet the demands! 

Our Impact

Our team has collectively secured $100 million+ for our organizations and clients coast to coast! Since launching The Grant Lab in 2021 we have raised $35 million and counting from federal, state, and foundation funding sources. 

When I'm not writing grants and developing grant strategies, sometimes I'm occasionally speaking at national conferences like AACC's Workforce Development Institute, National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship, writing journal articles, and guest speaking for webinars on topics such as how to apply to be a Fulbright Scholar. 

Thanks for being here! 

~ Susan