Entries by Grant Professionals Foundation

Introducing the 2022 GPA Conference Scholars

As part of our mission, the Grant Professionals Foundation (GPF) supports education that provides knowledge to grant professionals, advocacy that gives them greater access to funding and credentialing that establishes and promotes excellence in the field. Throughout the year, the GPF offers several scholarships that are open to all grant professionals. We are excited to […]

GPA 2021 Annual Conference Scholarship Essay by Jillain Veil-Ehnert

What a joy and privilege it was to gather together in Seattle for the annual GPA conference. With the assistance of the Grant Professional’s Foundation scholarship, I attended my first in-person conference since the pandemic and it was an amazing opportunity to learn from industry leaders. I left the conference invigorated about our profession and […]

GPA 2021 Annual Conference Scholarship Essay by Denise Henry

Giving, growing and learning. These three words aptly define my career and approach to being the best grants professional and fundraiser I can be. I believe career growth starts with being a lifelong learner, listener, and collaborator to add strong team value for community good. For me, 2021 began with a new job in higher […]

GPA 2021 Annual Conference Scholarship Essay by Leilani Ocasio

Tips for a first time GPA Conference Attendee As a first-time GPA Conference attendee, I’d like to share some tips! First and foremost, I amincredibly grateful to the Grant Professionals Foundation for their scholarship opportunity. As anew grant professional, I would not have been able to attend the conference without thisscholarship. A safe assumption to […]

GPA 2021 Annual Conference Scholarship Essay by Colleen Engelbrecht

When you are a grant professional, the majority of your work life is spent crafting a winning proposal for others – not yourself. After participating in last year’s Grant Professionals Association’s virtual conference, I knew that I had to get myself to Seattle. But how? Encouraged by my fellow members of the San Diego County […]

GPA 2021 Annual Conference Scholarship Essay by Tricia Gopalakrishnan

As a newer grant writer to the field, I was surprised to learn that a Grant Professionals Conference took place. When I did more research and learned that I could apply for a scholarship, I jumped right on the opportunity. When I found out that I received the scholarship in order to attend my very […]

GPA 2021 Annual Conference Scholarship Essay by Melissa Cammack

I had the opportunity to attend the 2021 Annual Conference of the Grant Professionals Association (GPA) in November of this year through a scholarship I received from the Grant Professionals Foundation (GPF). The GPA conference not only renewed my passion for storytelling (aka grant writing) but also opened my eyes to a network of similarly […]

GPA 2021 Annual Conference Scholarship Essay by Miranda Herbert Morris

This was my first GPA conference and the first public conference I attended in over two years thanks to COVID. Initially, I was a little nervous to join the convention in person due to the pandemic, but GPA (and the Hyatt Hotel) took all the right precautions to ensure everyone’s safety. These safety protocols eased […]

GPA 2021 Annual Conference Scholarship Essay by Elizabeth Wilkinson

I was delighted to receive the Arizona Founding Chapter Jerry Dillehay Conference Scholarship. Thank you to the Grant Professionals Foundation and my beloved Arizona Founding Chapter! I have been a GPA member for nearly 15 years, and I have attended many GPA conferences. The 2021 Seattle conference was especially sweet after the long isolation of […]

GPA 2021 Annual Conference Scholarship Essay by Jacqui Ragin

First I would like to thank my local Nevada chapter for allowing me to attend the GPA conference, through their scholarship program. This was my first time attending a GPA conference and I was extremely excited as I mentally prepared to attend this event in person. I had never been to Seattle and the conference […]