Whether you’re crafting compelling proposals, stewarding multi-year commitments, or refining your internal systems, my liberation-centered grant expertise integrates human-centric goals with proven grant management practices. Together, we co-create narratives and processes that center research and social justice, center grantee expertise, and embed transparency and trust at every stage of the grant lifecycle.
Foundations: Centering Grantee Expertise
Before drafting any proposal, I work with you to ground your grant strategy in the lived experience and priorities of the communities you serve. We articulate mission-aligned goals and outcomes, ensuring they reflect community-defined needs rather than donor-centric metrics. Through participatory visioning and listening sessions, we co-design the core narrative threads and evaluation criteria that will guide not just your proposal but the partnership it initiates.
Grant Writing: Crafting Transformative Narratives
Effective grant writing weaves rigorous methodology with authentic storytelling. I guide teams through:
- Problem Definition & Framing
We use evidence from community research and participatory action findings to define needs with precision, naming structural causes rather than superficial symptoms. - Theory of Change & Logic Models
Together we map how activities lead to short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes, embedding equity indicators—such as shifts in community agency or power redistribution—alongside traditional performance metrics. - Compelling Storytelling
We develop narratives that center grantee voices and lived expertise, using data judiciously to support, not overshadow, personal and collective testimonies of impact. - Budget Alignment & Justification
Budgets become expressions of values. We ensure line items reflect fair compensation, honor local procurement, and include capacity-building resources for grantee sustainability.
Pre-Award Administration: Streamlined, Transparent Processes
Once your proposal is submitted, strong administration systems ensure accountability and responsiveness:
- Clear Agreements
We co-author grant agreements as mutual commitments—articulating reporting schedules, check-in modalities, and flexibility clauses for emergent needs, rather than one-sided contracts. - Intake & Onboarding
I design accessible orientation materials and intake protocols that welcome grantee questions, clarify roles, and establish communication norms grounded in transparency. - Data Governance & Privacy
We implement data-justice protocols that respect grantee confidentiality, limit intrusive data demands, and ensure that data collection serves both evaluation needs and community priorities.
Post-Award Stewardship: Partnership through Practice
Stewardship extends beyond compliance audits to ongoing co-learning and adaptation:
- Participatory Monitoring
Regular check-in circles center grantee feedback and surface challenges collaboratively, transforming “progress reports” into shared reflections and iterative planning sessions[5]. - Adaptive Management
We build feedback loops—real-time data, community check-ins, periodic strategy reviews—that allow project plans to evolve responsively without renegotiating foundation restrictions. - Equity-Focused Evaluation
Moving beyond one-dimensional metrics, we co-develop qualitative and quantitative indicators that capture shifts in community power, capacity, and relational trust. Findings become resources for collective reflection rather than external judgment. - Legacy & Learning
At closeout, we facilitate narrative-driven workshops where grantees share learnings, co-author accessible legacy reports, and shape recommendations for future grant cycles—ensuring that your funding leaves behind durable knowledge and relationships.
Methodology: Liberation-Centered Grant Practice
My approach unfolds in three iterative phases:
- Critical Diagnosis: We audit existing grant strategies and systems through a power-analysis lens, identifying extractive logics and procedural barriers.
- Co-Design & Implementation: In partnership with your team and grantee advisors, we prototype equitable proposal templates, application processes, and stewardship practices, piloting changes in real time.
- Reflective Iteration: We embed participatory evaluation loops with grantees and stakeholders, refining practices to respond to community insights and evolving justice frameworks.
This methodology amplifies my services in Research & Program Support and Strategic HR & Organizational Consulting by aligning everyday grant work with human-centric values.
Working Together: Next Steps
If you’re ready to transform your grant writing and administration into exercises of shared power and community accountability, let’s begin with a complimentary discovery call. We’ll clarify your goals, outline a tailored engagement—workshops, multi-phase consulting, or embedded support—and set in motion a grant practice that embodies your values.
Reach out through the Contact page to begin.
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I publish reflections on equitable philanthropy, power dynamics in funding, and liberation-centered evaluation. Subscribe below to receive essays, toolkits, and case studies directly in your inbox.