Grant writing and nonprofit communications

Experience and Feedback

 Professional feedback:

Clair provided the vision, knowledge and skill as a grants professional that enabled us to attract the attention of new foundation partners. As the program leader for the agency, I found Clair to be a joy to work with because of her deep commitment to the families that we served and her ability to understand the core of our work and communicate it in a compelling way to funders. Clair’s unique approach and insights were incredibly educational for me as a professional and continue to inform how I approach my work.
— Bryan Stokes, Illinois Action for Children
Flexible, energetic, and always up for a challenge, Clair has the rare talent of writing effortlessly and effectively for diverse audiences. Whether it be a multi-million dollar government grant, a foundation new prospect, or an individual appeal letter, Clair’s writing is beautiful and inspirational yet straightforward and concise. I rely on her counsel regularly and our organization has greatly benefited from her expertise.
— Ariana Horn, Gads Hill Center

Some of the organizations I’ve worked with:

PCC Community Wellness Center

Brighton Park Neighborhood Council

Kohl Children’s Museum

Gads Hill Center

AIDS Foundation of Chicago

BUILD, Inc.

Guatemala Solidarity Project

Institute for Therapy through the Arts

Huey’s Hideaway Children’s Museum

Easterseals of Metropolitan Chicago

YEMBA, Inc.

Haven Youth and Family Services

ASI Home Care

The Chicago Cuatro Orchestra Project

AMPT Chicago

Individual Chicago artists

 

A brief sampling of sources I’ve sought and secured funding from:

  • Illinois State Board of Education

  • Illinois Violence Prevention Authority

  • U.S. Institute for Museum and Library Services

  • U.S. Department of Education

  • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant Program

  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

  • Illinois Arts Council Agency

  • Chicago Public Schools

  • Chicago Department of Family and Support Services

  • Chicago Department of Public Health

  • Illinois Housing Development Authority

  • Illinois Public Museum

  • Illinois Office of the Attorney General

  • Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity

  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health

  • Illinois Department of Human Services

  • Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority

  • Cook County Justice Advisory Council

  • Cook County Department of Public Health

  • Numerous foundations and corporations

 

Library

A collection of useful links and readings, written by myself and others

 
 

Sample Grant Proposal to The VNA Foundation

Featured by The VNA Foundation as a ‘model proposal’ (written for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, 2020)

 
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Beyond fundraising: What does it mean to build a culture of philanthropy?

“Peter Drucker famously wrote that ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast.’ He meant that the strategy a company employs will only be successful if supported by appropriate cultural attributes. Recognizing this, nonprofits with a culture of philanthropy see fundraising less as a transactional tactic and more as a way of operating—one that reflects the definition of philanthropy: A love of humankind and a voluntary joining of resources and action for the public good.” (by Cynthia Gibson for the Evelyn & Walter Haas Jr. Fund)

 

Continuum on becoming an anti-racist multicultural organization

A document that displays the steps and traits of moving from a monocultural organization to an anti-racist, multicultural organization (Crossroads Ministry, Chicago)