03 Jun Assel Grant Services Is the Only Firm in Nation with Five Certified Grant Professionals on Staff
News of our fifth staff member passing the Grant Professionals Certification (GPC) exam was like music to Julie Assel’s ears. Literally. Julie, President and CEO of Assel Grant Services, began her distinguished career as a music teacher in the Kansas City Missouri School District. As she began writing grants for her classroom on the side, she quickly realized that grant writing was her passion. After a five-year stint as the grant writer for the KCMO school district and several other organizations, Julie formed Assel Consulting, LLC in 2007, joined shortly after by her husband, Tom, in 2012.
Julie is honored and proud to be able to boast that Assel Grant Services is the only firm in the country to have five of its team members having earned their GPC through the Grant Professionals Certification Institute (GPCI)R. Kari Cronbaugh-Auld, a seasoned social worker who has extensive experience with grant writing received news she passed the GPC exam most recently. Along with her are current GPCs Julie Assel, Tom Assel, Julie Alsup, and Hayley Waynick.
The GPCI is the end-product of an important discussion begun at the 2000 Grant Professionals Association (GPA) Annual Conference (formerly the American Association of Grant Professionals (AAGP) in Berkeley, California). At that conference, the membership passed a board resolution to create a committee charged with the task of determining the need for and feasibility of a grant certification. After two years of discovery, the Certification Committee established GPCIR. In 2004, GPCI was incorporated as an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. In 2007, it offered its first exam.
“I am a strong advocate of the GPC exam and have been a champion for a number of local grant professionals to earn this certification and continue furthering their education,” said Assel. “As a profession, grant writers are constantly challenged to demonstrate the important role we play in the overall health of an organization. The GPC certification really is able to help us do that. All of my staff are so passionate about what they do and believe so strongly in our clients’ missions. It’s really gratifying to see each of them succeed.”
Assel Grant Services is becoming one of Kansas City’s leading local teams of grant consultants as the trend to outsource grant writing continues to rise. Our team has extensive content knowledge on the local and national trends in funding, as well as the needs of our clients who are serving some of the most vulnerable children, families, and individuals in our community.
We specialize in grant prospect research, proposal creation and application, and training for nonprofits, school districts, and institutions of higher education seeking grants in areas as diverse as human services, arts, education, and healthcare research. Together, the team has secured more than $135 million since 2003 for our local, regional and national clients.
GPC Competency 7: Knowledge of practices and services that raise the level of professionalism of grant developers. Skill 2: Identify advantages of participating in professional organizations that offer grant developers growth opportunities and advance the profession.