By Judy Riffle, Ed.D. – GPF Board Member and Marketing Committee Chair I received a Pam Van Pelt Memorial Conference Scholarship from GPF in 2015, and felt honored and privileged to attend my first annual GPA conference in St. Louis. As soon as I met the people behind GPF, I felt an instant, warm welcome instead of a closed group, … Read More
A Very Fortunate Series of Events
By Liz Ratchford; Keystone College, Director of Grants 2016 Susan Kemp Conference Scholarship Recipient Like many of my fellow grant professionals, I did not start off my career in the grant world. I don’t think any of us when asked as a child what we wanted to be when we grew up answered: “grant professional!” But through what I consider … Read More
Leap of Faith
By Amy Knudsen, MA, GPC; Planned Parenthood of the Heartland 2016 GPC Scholar During my senior year in college, I assisted in writing my first federal grant for an education program I developed while working at a homeless shelter. I could not have predicted that experience would have led me to where I am today, with 25 years of grants writing … Read More
7 GPC Scholarships Awarded
Seven Grant Professionals Certification (GPC) Scholarships were awarded through joint support from the Grant Professionals Foundation (GPF) and Grant Professionals Certification Institute (GPCI). Congratulations to our new scholars! Erin Leigh Birch, Gallatin, TN Dale Braden, Milwaukie, OR Arthur Davis, Portland, OR Amy Knudsen, Des Moines, IA Anna Kraxner, Kansas City, MO Cydney Peters, Houston, TX Nicole Sibilski, Nashville, TN The … Read More
How My GPA Membership Scholarship Advanced My Professional Development Goals
By Carolyn Caldwell, GPC; Raising Awareness, Raising Funds, LLC 2016 Membership Scholar We all write proposals and complete applications as part of our daily work, so what makes applying for a scholarship from the Grant Professionals Foundation different from the rest? In my case, completing the application for a membership scholarship from GPF required me to think hard about my … Read More
After the Exam
By Bethany Turner, GPC of bmtconsulting GPC Scholar When I first learned about the Grant Professional Certification (GPC) through a #GrantChat, I knew I wanted to become a GPC. About a year ago I earnestly started preparing to sit for the GPC exam. I was fortunate to receive a scholarship from the Grant Professionals Foundation. This gave me a definite … Read More
Thank you GPF!
The Grant Professionals Foundation Board received the following thank you letter. The author preferred to remain anonymous, but agreed to let us share it on our blog. Dear Kimberly and the Board of the Grant Professionals Foundation, After 15 months of working as the full-time grant writer for my organization, I am only just beginning to self-identify as a grant … Read More
Giving Back and the Ultimate Transaction
By Nancy Battersby 2015 Leadership Member Scholar, St. Louis Chapter Early in my career, a mentor surprised me by referring to our agency’s work with our clients as the “ultimate transaction”. As employees, many of us thought we were performing selfless work that benefited others. My mentor pointed out that we were receiving unsuspected rewards from our work, probably in … Read More
Our Chance to have a Big Time Impact
Every Chapter Challenge By Susan Caldwell, CFRE, CGW One thing I have learned about grant writing – there is always something new to learn. The world of grant writing is not a place that we want to walk alone. From government grants to corporations to foundations, developing a grant proposal can be complicated, labor-intensive and full of twists and turns. … Read More
GPC Scholarship Changed My Career and Life
By Kim Joyce, GPC of Kim Joyce & Associates, LLC 2013 GPC Scholar Nearly six years ago, I went out on my own as an independent grant professional. In the span of two short weeks, I landed my first two clients, quit my full-time job, became self-employed, and never looked back. At the time, I didn’t know what I was … Read More