The 2024 GrantSummit offered extraordinary opportunities and connections!

 

As I head home from Denver, Colorado, to Miami, Florida, after an extremely positive first Grant Summit experience, I want to share my appreciation for scholarship support from the Grant Professionals Foundation the South Florida Chapter of the Grant Professional Association, GPA, and the Grant Professionals Certification Institute, GPCI. Partial conference funding allowed me to attend, learn informally through colleagues, and experience well-crafted, meaningful presentations and networking opportunities. I also want to express my appreciation for professional development support from the organizations, Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator, Founder, President, Curator, Rosie Gordon-Wallace (Miami, Florida) and RedLine Contemporary Arts, Executive Director Louise Martorano (Denver, Colorado).

 

Operating my grant writing and cultural arts firm, Kim Yantis Arts, since 2018, I have leveraged my expertise in visual arts, museums, and programmatic design to provide high-impact advice to organizations and individuals on grants and strategies. As a proud member of the Grant Professionals Association since 2021, I have taken the opportunity to self-educate through extensive educational webinars, courses, and lunchtime learning activities. It’s challenging for me to describe all of the positive impacts that GPA has made on my understanding, expertise, and confidence to produce exceptional grant proposals and budgets in service to my community. Pursuing further education and dedicating myself to the field of grant writing and management, I recently earned the GPCI Credential in July 2024 and received notification of my GrantSummit support that same month.

 

In anticipation of the GrantSummit, my calendar holder for Oct. 30 – Nov 2, 2024, stated, “People to meet, and inspiration to be had!” At GrantSummit, I had the opportunity to connect with 950 in-person attending grant professionals and meet others, such as myself, who operate small to medium-sized consulting firms. Seeking expertise and training in the areas of narrative proposals, capturing the impacts of programs and their participants, and building evaluation tools, I expanded my knowledge and comfort with federal grant compliance as well as independent consulting business practices. I experienced expert presentations of grant products and solutions and built further comfort with new tools and technologies in the field of grant writing and management. Additionally, by gathering with my local South Florida Chapter at GrantSummit, I deepened connections to professionals in my area who I believe will be a source of support and resources in the future.

 

GrantSummit in Denver provided me with a positive and restorative experience.

 

Looking forward to next time and in appreciation,

 

Kim

 

Kim Yantis, GPC, MFA

Kim Yantis Arts

Miami, Florida