Since becoming a grants professional in 1997, Stacey Abate has raised over $26 million from all types of foundations and government agencies. Stacey has been a grants consultant since 2000 and is the President of the Grant Professionals Association, NJ Chapter. She is also a frequent grant reviewer for various departments of the federal government and a contributing author to CharityChannel's Grants and Foundations Review. Prior to grantwriting, she was an interpreter and teacher of the deaf.
Browse Articles by Stacey Abate
Memo to the Executive Suite: Spelling Should Count
Today I saw a job posting for a grants position that read in part, “Master’s Degree preferred. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Excellent attention to detail....” The part about attention to detail is what caught my eye after the completely demoralizing day I’d had just the day before. A major-gifts officer had been working…
The Goldilocks Grant
Once upon a time (last month), I offered a medium-sized department in a large community-based hospital the opportunity to apply for a grant worth $10-20,000 for one year. They turned it down saying it was too small. Shortly after that, I found another grant worth $400,000/year for 4 years. That one was too big. Where,…
The Best Job Ever
Whether we are consultants who work at home or employees in large fundraising departments, many of us feel like we work alone. But how alone are we really when the online communities seem to be ever-expanding? Are those connections real and if so, why do we all still feel so alone? The Grants Professional Association…
What, me frustrated?
Who among us hasn’t worked with or for people who flat out refuse to get back to us? I am currently working for a VP who gets so many emails each day that he is unable to reply to all of them. So he skims, rather than reads, as they come in. The lower down…
The 12 Percent
As someone who writes federal grants for a living I have been watching closely the street brawl that passes for federal budget negotiations. While President Obama recently released his budget for FY12, Congress has been publicly arguing about the FY11 budget. For the record, fiscal year 2011 began back on October 1. There has been…
What Now? Potential Career Paths for the Grants Professional
I have been the Director of Grants at a small college for almost five years. Prior to that, I was a grants consultant for five years and a grants coordinator for the three years before that. That’s thirteen years spent exclusively writing grants. Unlike many grant writers, I do not write grants while also serving…
