I have had the privilege of working within the grants industry for more than 20 years. Initially I worked as a program manager for various community organizations including the Boy Scouts of America, the YWCA and several others. For those organizations, I focused on writing grants and implementing grant-funded programs. I worked as a consultant for the State of California training trainers for a federally sponsored program and ran a community services organization in Northern California. Finally, after several additional years in the tech industry, I combined my two careers and managed the design and development of industry-leading, web-based applications supporting grant research and grant management.

As co-founder of American Funding Innovators, my goal is to provide simple, but effective tools to help my fellow members of the grant community. Those community servants who have all the dedication to succeed, but who never seem to have enough time, enough money or the right tools to get everything done. I remember finding it frustrating how much of the time I spent administering a grant could have been better spent providing the services I was granted to perform. Accountability is crucial, demonstrating that you are meeting the goals of the program is paramount – but it doesn’t have to be cumbersome.

With today’s political environment, more than ever, it’s vital that these solutions be available, be easy to use, and affordable. I’ve seen many methods of administering grant programs from piles of paper, to overburdened spreadsheets, to complex software solutions that take too long to implement and are too difficult to learn. Finding simple solutions to complex issues isn’t just a catchy phrase… it’s a necessity. I, along with the rest of the AFI team, look forward to working with you and the broader grants community to continue to drive for innovative systems.