We know that there are many systemic barriers and inequities that make it challenging for organizations grounded in community to apply for funding opportunities. To support organizations as they navigate the application process, we partner with technical assistance (TA) consultants who bring a wide range of skills, areas of expertise, and language abilities to listen, support, and amplify the strengths of community-based organizations across King County.
We are excited to introduce our eight TA consultants! They can support by:
- Helping to determine appropriate fit between your proposal and the funding opportunity.
- Providing guidance on how best to answer application questions.
- Supporting your application development, including editing and budget review.
If you are interested in applying for an open and/or upcoming funding opportunity and would like to partner with a TA consultant, please reach out directly to them below. We encourage you to only contact one TA consultant and provide them 24 hours to respond before contacting any other consultants.
Please note, we encourage you to reach out to a TA Consultant as early as possible. We cannot guarantee TA provider availability within 5 business days of when the funding opportunity closes.
Read on to learn more about our consultants!
Brittany Kirk Nonprofit Consulting
Brittany Kirk believes that thoughtfully prepared and strategically managed grant applications can be meaningful catalysts to collaboration, program development, community impact, and organizational sustainability. Brittany and her team have worked with more than 70 diverse nonprofits across a wide spectrum of missions including health and nutrition, economic development, social services, education, arts, and environmental sustainability. With each client, they seek to apply proven strategies to the unique challenges, missions, and contexts of each organization and to help clients tell authentic stories about their work. Brittany holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Washington’s Evans School of Governance.
Contact: BSK@brittanykirk.com
Bulle Consulting
Hassan Wardere and his team focus on an equity-driven Return on Relationship (RoR) framework that is centered on strengths-based practices. Their holistic experience enables them to provide capacity building services that help organizations strengthen their internal infrastructure, continuously improving their ability to scale and adapt to change. Bulle has helped over 104 organizations across the U.S., and has worked with clients in Brazil, Rwanda, Ghana, South Africa, and Senegal. Language is an important factor in their work and they have a diverse team that values language justice. Bulle promotes co-creation within a holistic process that champions King County’s diversity and utilizes culturally congruent strategies that enable families and children to thrive.
Contact: projects@bulleconsulting.com
Crux Consulting Consortium
Crux is a multidisciplinary consulting group that supports the development of strong leaders and leadership. Crux is made up of 20+ members, partners, and staff with rich experiences working with non-profits, grassroots organizations, and public institutions. Leading our TA support for Best Start for Kids is consortium member Catherine Verrenti, MA. Catherine is inspired to help create a world where the gifts and dignity of every individual is nurtured and celebrated. Having spent over 20 years in direct service non-profits, she transitioned to consulting in 2016 to support equity-focused non-profits to expand opportunities for individuals to live their dreams and foster equitable, just communities. Catherine brings hands-on leadership experience at Neighborhood House, YouthCare, the Workforce Development Council, and Washington Workforce Association. She has worked primarily in and with communities of color in the areas of youth development, education, workforce development, community health, homelessness, food security and immigrant/refugee issues.
Contact: catherine@verrenticonsulting.com
Dicentra
Dicentra Consulting’s team — Swee May Cripe, Ashenafi Cherkos, and Karen Cowgill — is delighted to have this opportunity to support community-based organizations (CBOs) as they apply for Best Starts funds. Our team speaks Amharic, Tigrigna, Spanish, French, Malay, and Cantonese. We have skills and many years of experience in writing proposals that get funded, designing projects, analyzing data, and conducting evaluations. We focus on building transformational relationships that are based on trust and respect. We understand that every person has value and we want to help you promote voices from your community. We will first listen to understand the vision and mission of your CBO and what you hope to do with Best Starts funds. Then we will agree together on how we can best support you to tell your story. We are excited to help you craft strong proposals that will be funded and lead to successful programs!
Contact: askdicentra@gmail.com
Inclusive Data
Inclusive Data is a consulting team of grant winners and tech wizards who teach and support clients to create community-led solutions. We’ve honed our grant skills into an $18+ million playbook for Black non-profits and small businesses in our community all while centering liberation frameworks. For Best Starts for Kids, we provide both Technical Assistance and IT Capacity-Building in English, Spanish, and Mandarin. A strong grant proposal demonstrates an organization’s ability to build effective partnerships. If you want help creating your own irresistible grant proposals or robust coalitions, we’re your team. We will work with you on grant proposal strategies, planning, checklists, and reviews. We can provide a website audit and asynchronous video interview to better understand your needs. Contact us today to start your winning proposal.
Contact: bsk@inclusivedatasolutions.com or (253) 693-0235
Optimum Nonprofit Consulting
Optimum Nonprofit Consulting (ONC) is a collective of experts (DeAndrea, Hillary, Chase, and Donald) with experiences across the fields of grant writing, accounting, human resources, marketing, education, and social justice services. With over 60 years of combined involvement supporting non-profits and social service organizations throughout King County, our track record is lined with successes. ONC realizes that small, diverse organizations are well connected to their communities with specialties for addressing the needs of families and children. Thus, for Community Based Organizations seeking BSK funding, ONC will provide enlightening assistance for meeting request for proposal (RFP) requirements. Proposals are thoroughly reviewed, suggesting edits, metrics, and giving guidance for uplifting the power and personality of an organization in their submission. ONC’s coaching fosters growth through capacity building while ensuring proposals are culturally responsive and centered in equity strategies.
Contact: info@optimumnonprofitconsulting.com
reimagine collective
reimagine collective is an association of mission-driven Asian American strategists, organizers, coaches, and designers. With decades of technical assistance and capacity building experience to draw upon, the collective strives to reimagine how people come together to cultivate themselves and their communities. reimagine has 20+ years of experience training community-based organizations in grant writing. For community outreach and coalition building, we work with leaders to build strategy, tactics, and tools to advance their goals. We also help set up appropriate infrastructures for human resources.
Contact: Marianne Chung, marianne@reimaginecollective.co or (404) 530-9054
RHL Consulting
RHL is committed to fostering an equitable society where leaders in human services advance the collective power, knowledge and systems that build well-being within communities. Along with equity, relationships are at the center of our work. Our role is to listen carefully so we may understand our community-based organizations clients’ cultural practices, values, and ways of being, trust community wisdom, and co-develop strategies that strengthen organizational assets. Together we are excited to support you to grow your leadership capabilities, develop fundraising, facilitate strategic growth, mission, vision, and values, build partnerships, magnify your IT, and write successful funding proposals. No matter the task, we come prepared with our values of community, generosity, and integrity, open minds, laughter, and a big toolbox of resources and methods we have used, developed, and co-adapted to suit each organization’s culture, needs, and interests.
Contact: rhlconsultingteam@gmail.com