Grant Proposal Strategy

Candidly Speaking is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2017 that delivers facilitated dialogue to strengthen communication, connection, and psychological safety across workforces and communities. We are seeking a volunteer with a proven track record of securing grant awards for other organizations to build a grant qualification strategy and a prioritized funder shortlist, then draft one strong application we can use as a model going forward. This role requires demonstrated success winning grants, not only writing them. The priority is fit and likelihood of award. The volunteer will identify funders whose stated priorities explicitly match our work, qualify each opportunity against clear eligibility and mission-alignment criteria, prioritize the grants we are most likely to win, and draft one full application from that shortlist. Specifics will be discussed with the volunteer.

Securing larger general operating grants lets us sustain our facilitated dialogue programs year-round and build the stability that recurring, relationship-based work requires. A focused, qualification-led grant strategy means we pursue the right funders, win more often, and expand how many communities, schools, and organizations we can reach.

We are looking for a volunteer who has secured grant awards for other organizations and can bring that experience to bear. We will share everything they need to start fast: our capability statement, 501(c)(3) determination letter, current budget and financials, program outcomes, and our existing list of target grants for review. We are mainly available afternoons and evenings Pacific, can meet once weekly, and will communicate primarily by email. We want a disciplined approach that prioritizes the grants we are genuinely qualified for and most likely to be awarded, so we are asking the volunteer to help us build clear qualification criteria and prioritize accordingly. We will agree on timelines and milestones up front so the work moves smoothly.