04 Sep

Posted at 21:35h in About AGS, Competency Seven, GPC Credential, Press Releases, Professionalism

Lee’s Summit, MO (September 4, 2019) — Assel Grant Services announces that Emily Hampton, MPA, and Michele Ryan have joined the firm as Grant Associates. With the addition of Hampton and Ryan, the firm has grown to a staff of fourteen, eight of whom are credentialed grant professionals, or Grant...

24 Jun

Posted at 21:36h in AGS Staff, Competency Seven, GPC Credential, Industry News, Press Releases, Professionalism
Overland Park, KS (June 24, 2019)— The Grant Professional Certification Institute received accreditation of its Grant Professional Certified (GPC) credential from the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). The GPC is the first professional credential for individuals working in the grants field to be recognized by a national credentialing body. Grant professionals are individuals who develop, write, submit, and manage grant proposals and funding on the behalf of nonprofits, governments and other agencies. According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 Census of Governments, there are 1.56 million nonprofits and 90,126 federal, state, and local government units in the United States. Within these organizations are grant professionals who work exclusively with grants and organizations who have grant professionals that conduct grant activities alongside a variety of other activities for their organization.

17 Jun

Posted at 21:37h in AGS Staff, Competency Seven, GPC Credential, Organizational Readiness, Professional Development, Professionalism

Deciding Between Grant Writing Companies? Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Having GPCs on Staff Hiring a grant writing company to support your organization with its grant applications and management is a cost- and resource-efficient way to improve your funding chances. It also takes the burden of work...

07 Jun

Posted at 21:37h in Competency One, Federal Grants, Funding, Government Grants, Julie Assel, GPC
Today I woke up and read about how FBI offices are setting up food banks to help other staff who aren’t getting paid.  When times are bad, we depend on each other and nonprofit organizations for a safety net – food pantries, clothing closets, rent and utility assistance, medication assistance, nonprofit hospital emergency rooms, and the list goes on. But the reality is, most truly sustainable nonprofits have some form of government funding. Why is that? Because like individuals with retirement accounts, nonprofits have been advised to have balanced income streams so if one income stream fails, they aren’t completely wiped out. But this means that while the government is down, not only do nonprofits have more people coming to their door, they are being affected by the shutdown with one of their revenue streams minimized or eliminated.

03 Jun

Posted at 21:38h in Competency One, Federal Grants, Funding, Government Grants, Industry News, Julie Assel, GPC
You can’t watch, listen to, or read any major news outlet without hearing about the federal government shutdown. There are many things being talked about already in the news like which federal offices are closed or affected. These include the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, the Interior, State, the Treasury. But other less-known offices like the National Science Foundation are also closed. Two vital pieces of information on what this means today:
  1. If grant opportunities (RFPs) have already been posted with a due date, the due dates stand. gov is still open.  You still have to turn in your grant on time.
  2. If you are waiting to hear about the result of a grant, you will need to keep waiting. There is no one there. Even offices which remained open for a couple of weeks with contingency funds from user fees, leftover funds, and other revenue have closed. New grant opportunities are not being released.

30 May

Posted at 21:39h in AGS Staff, Competency Two, Federal Grants, Grant Calendar, Organizational Development, Research

Chances are your organization conducts comprehensive grant research to prepare for the upcoming year’s grant calendar. If your organization is like most others, then you now have a long list of potential funders ranked by how likely they are to fund your group or program. From...

23 May

Posted at 21:39h in Competency Eight, Funder Relations, Funders, Hayley Waynick, GPC, Relationships, Strategy

Several years ago I attended a webinar through the Grant Professionals Association entitled “Pet Peeves of Funders.” The trainer had conducted extensive surveys with grant-making entity officers in her area to assess their biggest pet peeves with the organizations they fund. One program officer surveyed...