Hi, it’s nice to meet you!
I came to grant writing with little intention. I admit it. Like many grant writers, I “fell” into the work. I left graduate school determined to get a job in DC writing about mental health policy. If that didn’t work out, I planned to leave the country altogether. I’d studied abroad and then completed a Fulbright in Turkey, so I thought I might return to Turkey and teach. Life didn’t go as planned, and my (then) tiny family - just my spouse and I - decided to stay in St. Louis, Missouri, for a few years. Almost 15 years later, we are still here with our slightly larger family (two kids and a dog).
I took my first grant writing job toward the end of my master's program in social work. I had received some advice that I might enjoy grant writing and subcontracted a few hours a week while I looked for full-time work that would start after my program ended. What started as skillbuilding became a path to work I would eventually find I loved.
I secured my first full-time grants position in the fall of 2013. I credit that first job with helping me learn quickly that grants research is the most important part of the process. I’m personally and professionally driven by efficiency, and I’m still convinced that exceptional grant research is invaluable.
In this role, I also had the opportunity to write my first federal grant. I learned my second and third major lessons in grants: Success in federal grant-seeking requires understanding a set of hidden rules, and a good mentor is essential in learning federal grants. I received incredible mentorship and guidance from a seasoned grant professional, the grant was awarded, and I was hooked.
I transitioned to another nonprofit focusing on federal grant-seeking as a core strategy, which allowed me to focus less on foundation and corporate grant-seeking. It turned out to be more than I bargained for - I was involved in submitting 11 federal grants in 9 months. It wasn’t a sustainable work pace, but I learned so much about why and how federal grants should be approached and the importance of a team approach and broad organizational buy-in.
These lessons still provide a bedrock for how I think about grant-seeking, training, and coaching.
So, with all that in mind, I’ll focus 90% of this blog on federal grants and related topics. Still, occasionally, you might find an anecdote about travel, parenting, disability, or living in the Midwest. After all, I am a whole person over here!
-Fielding