Tanya L.

Grant writer, manager and strategist for nonprofits (foundation, federal, state) and small businesses (SBIR and STTR). In the last three years, my work has secured $8+M for 23 nonprofit clients and $7+M for 10 small business clients through SBIR and STTR awards. I scope my services to match the needs of your organization, from opportunity prospecting through post-award support. My first rule is: Clarity is essential. Never make a funder guess. If they have to guess, you've already lost. That applies to more than the writing. Proposals are won or lost on strategy, organization, and time management too. Without those, the problems show up late. There may be a question you didn't quite answer, a budget that doesn't match the narrative, or an attachment still missing at 4:58 on a 5:00 deadline. My processes are built to eliminate those risks before they cost you an award. NONPROFITS: I've written for a wide variety of organizations in areas such as education, youth services, basic needs, arts and culture, and health, including Communities in Schools, Five Oaks Museum, and Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. Funders include IMLS, NEH, NEA, the U.S. Department of Education, HHS, DOT (PHMSA), state agencies, community foundations, and private foundations. Whether it's a foundation RFP or a federal NOFO, I know how to answer funder questions clearly, how to build an aligned budget that holds up under federal cost principles, and how to write an evaluation plan that is workable and stands up to review. Most organizations that struggle to get funded don't have a writing problem. They have a documentation problem. Data proves your programs work. Stories show why they matter. Funders need both, and most organizations only bring one. Usually, it's the story. The programs are good and the work is real, but without program descriptions, metrics, and evaluation methods, a funder has nothing to measure. Data earns a reviewer's confidence, but the story is what they remember, and that's what makes your application stand out from the rest. I help you build both, so you don't start every new application from scratch. Here's what I need from your team: an intake conversation, your organizational documents, and someone who can answer program questions when they come up. That's it. I handle the rest, including the parts your staff dreads, like logic models, sustainability plans, and letters of support that actually get returned on time. SMALL BUSINESSES: SBIR & STTR I've supported 12 Phase I and Phase II submissions with NIH, NSF, and DOT for 10 companies. 8 were awarded, 2 declined, and 2 ended before award notification. Counting those 2 as declines, that's a 66.7% success rate. 5 of those were resubmissions, and working through summary statements taught me more than the wins ever did. I start by analyzing the statement to determine the exact issues the reviewer noted. Then I apply the critique to the relevant sections of the application, which gives me a full picture of the argument and often points to related issues that aren't even addressed in the review. That work is also the best preparation for a first submission, because knowing what draws criticism means I can find those problems in your proposal before a reviewer ever sees them. Your technology is complicated and page limits are not generous, so a large part of my job is to provide the technical information in simplified terms without losing accuracy or nuance. I do not present myself as a subject matter expert, and rely on your team to provide expertise. Rather, my job is to treat the writing, formatting and compliance requirements as seriously as the science, because a proposal that doesn't follow the rules can be rejected before anyone reads a word of it. NONPROFITS & SMALL BUSINESSES: I also handle SAM.gov and Grants.gov registration, renewals, and entity administrator changes, including reconciling your information so it matches across both systems. The registration itself is free, but complicated and time-consuming. Mistakes can delay your registration by weeks, and I do it correctly the first time. I don't believe in wasting time or money - yours or mine - so I don't take on applications that aren't competitive. If you should skip an opportunity, I'll say so. Bring one you're considering and the first call is free. I look forward to hearing from you.