What is your Mission?  

Grant Consulting Services, LLC helps make the world a better place for all people. We engage in the fight against systemic giants of injustice, assist in remedies of inequality, and collaborate to empower the disenfranchised. Working with organizations across the globe that help people, Grant Consulting Services, LLC assists in feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, cultivating the arts, student learning, and combating the effects of global warming. We give a voice to the unheard and inspire the compassion and unity of all people.

What do you offer to our community?

Our words and actions help organizations across the country to help address the systemic issues of hunger, bring resources to help minority and women-owned businesses and conduct street outreach to human trafficking victims. Grant Consulting Services, LLC (GCS) specializes in assisting non-profit organizations to meet their goals and objectives through professional grant development services. These services include:

●     Our Proprietary Grant Feasibility Study and Optimization Report

●      Full project development

●      Comprehensive funding searches

●      Professional grant proposal writing services

●      Grant Reporting and Compliance

What was your organization/company’s biggest accomplishment in the past six months—one year?

Valerie A. Grant, Founder and CEO of Grant Consulting Services LLC, is now a Grant Professional Association (GPA) Approved Trainer! In April 2023, Valerie became one of 42 Grant Professional Association (GPA) Approved Trainers.

This certification is rare and difficult to obtain. Grant Professionals must have at least five years of experience AND go through a peer committee curriculum review to become an Approved Trainer.

What does this mean? GPA Approved Trainers:

1. Follow the GPA Code of Ethics
2. Can better prepare organizations to seek and attain grant funds – whether you’re a start-up or a well-established organization
3. Have a third-party validation demonstrating that a Grant Professional is well-prepared, credible, and skilled in helping people build their grants knowledge base.

This certification allows Grant Consulting Services, LLC to demonstrate a new level of training and expertise and sets us apart from other grant-related consulting services.

In addition, another GCS team member is studying to take the GPC exam by the end of this year!

Have you made a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization/company and if so, how are you demonstrating it?

Our vision, mission and daily activities demonstrate our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. We actively engage in our vision and mission externally as well as internally. We assist organizations of different sizes and missions and pay a living wage to our diverse staff. Leadership has engaged in formal DEI training, and we guide our clients to assist them in ensuring they have a strong commitment to DEI.

What do you benefit most from being a member of NCPC?

We believe that NCPC does a fantastic job of connecting and engaging the diverse philanthropy sectors in San Diego County. The educational programming is top-notch, and the networking events are a great place to meet wonderfully committed people.

What event/program or campaign do you have coming up that you would like to share with our readers?

In collaboration with the San Diego County Chapter of the Grant Professionals Association, Valerie is teaching her new course for grant professionals called: Grantegy: Don’t Leave Your Grants to Chance. This series provides professional grant knowledge to help develop strategies to secure funding successfully.

There are still three live classes available this year. The classes are from 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm on the following dates:

●    Friday, August 18th – Grant Management and Internal Relationships

●    Friday, October 20th – Evaluation and Impact

●    Friday, December 15th – Building and Keeping Relationships with Funders

During this series, you’ll learn:

●    Organizational development as it pertains to grant seeking

●    Strategies for effective program and project design and development

●    How to craft, construct, and submit an effective grant application

●    Practices and services that raise the level of professionalism of grant developers

●    Knowledge of methods and strategies that cultivate and maintain relationships between fund-seeking organizations and grantmakers.

Register to learn from a Certified Grant Professional and GPA Approved Trainer about the strategic grant development process from start to finish! This course will provide you with strategies to optimize your grants. Each session is free for GPA members and $10 for non-GPA members. All six classes are eligible for GPC and CFRE CEUs.

In addition, Valerie A. Grant, Founder and CEO of Grant Consulting Services, LLC, will co-present two workshops at the annual Grant Professionals Association Summit (National Conference) in November 2023.

Connect with us via social media and our website for more information about our services:

Website: www.grantconsultingservices.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Grantwriter

Facebook: www.facebook.com/GrantConsultingServices

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerienelsongrant/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grant_consulting_services/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbZ39_U8Ly1JS4JCYhZ0Dyw?view_as=subscriber

 

What do you benefit most from being a member of NCPC?

During over 45 years in philanthropy, I have constantly expanded my knowledge base by listening to my colleagues and learning from them. I believe the most important benefit of our NCPC membership is developing relationships with my colleagues in our field.  It is important for me to continue to learn from others’ good work, observing their best practices and mentoring newer individuals in our field.

NCPC membership also enables us to discover opportunities to share our knowledge and expertise with North County and San Diego nonprofits.

What is your Mission?

The mission of Mirenda & Associates is to empower the philanthropic spirit of nonprofit boards, enabling them to develop visionary, transformational leadership as they build strong, successful nonprofit communities.

What do you offer to our community?

We offer the community a deep passion and wealth of experience and knowledge to transform nonprofit boards from “responsible” boards to “highly functioning” boards.  In addition, we advise corporate executives on how to select and properly vet nonprofits they’re interested in supporting or which have invited them to be board members. We believe this body of knowledge strengthens the fabric of our nonprofit community.

During my career, I came to realize many of our clients required extensive counsel in the key areas of board governance and fundraising. I decided we can make a larger systemic impact on an organization if we focus on board development. After combining extensive research and additional training focused on the areas of governance and fundraising with the knowledge I had acquired over more than four decades, I joined a relatively small nationwide cadre of Certified Nonprofit Board Training Consultants.

This is important as it represents a higher, more formal level of board training which enables me to be more effective with my clients. Since then, I have been writing and presenting extensively about board training, articles which are available on my website. I have also done several presentations on various aspects of board enrichment, both in Denver and San Diego.

What is something about your organization/company that might surprise people?

The most memorable project of my career was managing a $180 million campaign to help build the Steven F. Udvar Hazy National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, located at Dulles International Airport. I was honored to work with many icons in the air and space community who provided significant personal and financial support. That campaign received a $58 million naming gift, the largest gift up until that time, to the entire Smithsonian Institution. That 750,000 sq. ft. facility is a magnificent monument to all those who contributed to the United States’ superiority in flight and space travel.

What was your organization/company’s biggest accomplishment in the past six months – one year?

We are pleased to announce the addition of Andrea M. Mirenda as a Senior Consultant. Andrea brings over 30 years of knowledge, skills, and experience in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. A skilled problem solver, Andrea is accomplished at building and implementing systems and structures to ensure long-term success and specializes in fostering empowered communication and building empathetic relationships – critical elements for any successful team, campaign, or collaboration.

Andrea has led organizations through the creation and implementation of diversity policies and practices, from small arts and education nonprofits to USA Dance, a national Recognized Sport Organization of the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

Also, we are just closing a year-long engagement with the Mercy Health Foundation of Missouri. We conducted detailed Board Self-Assessment Studies for five of the largest hospital foundations, out of the 15 in their system. We continue to provide them with on-going counsel in implementing the resulting recommendations.

Which event or campaign do you have coming up that you would like to share with our readers?

We are looking forward to sharing our broad experience and knowledge to a variety of nonprofit boards and professional membership organizations that serve individual nonprofits. To that end, we’re pleased to offer a free 30-minute consultation to any organization looking to elevate their board’s effectiveness.

For more information and to learn more about their work, go to www.mirendaassoc.com

What is your Mission?

In a time of rapid change and evolving needs, Impact Cubed shares deep knowledge and connections to changemakers with people who want to make a smart, lasting impact in their community. Impact Cubed stimulates philanthropy and builds social sector capacity.

What do you offer to our community?

Impact Cubed spreads awareness about community needs and sparks more giving to respond to them. Our advisors offer the tools, resources, and services that community members need to magnify their impact, including:

• Relationships with local grassroots efforts and unique information about issues facing our community
• Workshops, group learning, coaching, and facilitation to support donors with their priorities
• Expertise to advise giving strategy coupled with deep, long-term, trusting relationships to partner, connect, and network
• Educational programs to build the capacity of nonprofits and movements
• Fiscal sponsorship for new social change initiatives

Which event or campaign do you have coming up that you would like to share with our readers?

Impact Cubed is the fiscal sponsor of San Diego Gives, a year-round capacity-building program for San Diego-based nonprofits that culminates in a day of giving on Thursday, September 7, 2023, and a day of community service on Friday, September 8, 2023. The program educates the San Diego community about addressing the pressing needs of our region. The San Diego Gives campaign raises much-needed funds directly for 330+ nonprofits and shines a light on their tremendous impact throughout our community. Donors can choose to give to one or more nonprofits through the San Diego Gives platform. Learn more at www.sandiegogives.org.

What do you benefit most from being a member of NCPC?

Among the many rewards of NCPC membership, we appreciate the capacity-building opportunities for our region’s social impact professionals and organizations that lead to a stronger field. We are also so grateful for the collaborations and partnerships that enhance all our work and reach.

What is your Mission?

San Diego Foundation inspires enduring philanthropy and enables community solutions to improve the quality of life in our region.

What do you offer to the community?

Our strategic priorities include advancing racial and social justice, fostering equity of opportunity, building resilient communities, and delivering world-class philanthropy to realize our vision of just, equitable, and resilient communities. We realize this vision through our partnerships and collaboration with our donors and fundholders, civic and business leaders, and our grantees and local nonprofit organizations. For more than 47 years, SDF and its donors have granted more than $1.4 billion to support nonprofit organizations strengthening our community.

What was your organization/company’s biggest accomplishment in the past six months – one year?

In February 2023, received a historic, transformative unrestricted $100 million cash gift from the estate of local entrepreneur Jay Kahn, the largest-ever gift of its kind to a San Diego nonprofit. The first grants from Kahn’s gift, which is the third-largest gift of its kind to a U.S. community foundation, include $150,000 unrestricted grants to 10 San Diego-based music education nonprofits to advance their work with under-resourced children. Aside from a portion of Kahn’s gift that will support housing and other strategic plan initiatives, more than $86 million will establish the Jay Kahn Endowment Fund at San Diego Foundation so that Kahn’s legacy and impact continue to grow and transform San Diego County in perpetuity.

What event/program or campaign do you have coming up that you would like to share with our readers?

In July, San Diego Foundation will recognize local college students, donors, and the Community Scholarship Program with its annual Scholarship Celebration. SDF anticipates awarding more than $3 million in scholarships this academic year to nearly 1,000 students! The Community Scholarship Program is made possible through the generous donor support of 146 unique charitable funds at San Diego Foundation and is the largest in the region outside of the university system. Since 1997, the program has awarded more than $46 million to more than 12,000 college students from San Diego. Learn more about the SDF Community Scholarship Program.