I’ve created and managed a wide variety of grantmaking initiatives, but I know that money isn’t the only or even the primary answer to improving communities and people’s lives. It takes patience and constant attention to growing relationships, communicating compelling ideas, and delivering measurable progress. By leveraging these non-financial assets, my goal is to help you create results beyond the resources you can dedicate.
Strategic Initiatives and Collaboratives
- Assessing the viability of new initiatives and the progress of existing initiatives
- Developing vision, values, work plans, and milestones for implementation and transition
- Engaging stakeholders, from grassroots to power brokers, and moving relationships to action
- Framing the work for different audiences
Grants and Scholarship Processes
- Defining goals and measurement tools
- Creating proposal, award, and scholarship processes and materials
- Evaluating organizations before and after grants
- Facilitating grantmaking committees
Examples of previous work
Central Indiana Community Foundation – provided project management for connecting federal and national grants to CICF’s initiatives and partner organizations, including writing collaborative proposals to the federal BTOP program and the Knight Foundation; conducted a stakeholder analysis of its community initiatives; incorporated two nonprofits that spun off from its initiatives
FISA Foundation – facilitated strategic planning process
Indiana Grantmakers Alliance – provided member training around analyzing and pursuing the federal stimulus package and around connecting family strengthening and community development work
Lumina Foundation for Education – worked with Lumina on initiatives to raise the college-going rates of low-income, first-generation, and minority students; co-planned and facilitated grantee meetings; coached grantees on sustainability issues; created a fundraising case statement for community foundation initiatives
Annie E. Casey Foundation – acted as trusted counsel as it launched and expanded a 10-year initiative in Indianapolis. Engaged local leaders and donors and piloted resident engagement, family economic success, and community collaborative strategies. One result was an ongoing process for organizing neighborhood residents and providing small grants for their ideas. See a video clip here and an early report here. Later provided consulting support to its Philanthropic Engagement team.
Indiana Grantmakers Alliance – wrote a white paper and delivered a webinar for its members on how funders could better help local nonprofits and communities manage opportunities through the economic stimulus package.
Social enterprise startup – Led the community-wide business planning process, attracted an initial $1 million of investment, and helped recruit and train staff and board members from the technology and professional services sectors for NPower Indiana, a successful technology services nonprofit. Indiana nonprofits saved more than $3.7 million in software, hardware and training.
Community foundation – Researched and framed new initiatives for board and public discussion, developed work plans, and launched the initiatives and related grant and donor engagement programs. Developed application processes and materials for strategic granting and scholarship programs, later revising them to meet new regulatory issues. See example news clips here and here.
State agency – Used best practice research and stakeholder interviews to redevelop grant programs that strengthened community planning processes and community-economic development organizations. Achieved desired results of reaching new communities, engaging new people in community plans, and creating higher visibility for the agency and elected officials.
Family strengthening coalition – Created and managed an awards process that encouraged citizens to nominate organizations and small businesses that strengthened families. Resulted in increased name recognition and participation in the coalition, as well as increased visibility and donations to award winners. See example clips here.
“Tony is a hard-working, well-respected colleague. He adds invaluable assets to a team and is very knowledgeable about many aspects of the nonprofit community. Tony is the kind of guy that you want to work with: efficient, high-quality producer, good communicator and team-player.” – Melynne Klaus, Director, Christel DeHaan Family Foundation
