Funding research, strategy, and applications for Pacific Northwest arts and culture organizations
More money for the work your community already needs.
Small organizations lose hours chasing grants that were never a good fit. I find the opportunities worth your time, tell you when one is weak, and help turn the strongest prospects into clear, fundable applications.
Finding grants is my specialty. I work with small nonprofits, artist collectives, theaters, dance companies, cultural spaces, community radio, and other community-based arts organizations.
Tell me what you want to fundWhat I do
I can take the grant work from scattered idea to finished draft.
Prospect research
I look for grants your organization can pursue, then verify eligibility, timing, award size, restrictions, and recent giving. You get a useful list with links and next steps.
Honest triage
I rank opportunities by fit, effort, deadline, and likely return. I will tell you when a grant is too weak, too early, or too costly to deserve your time.
Applications
I draft narratives, work plans, budget language, project timelines, and supporting material. Your team reviews the facts and approves the final application before submission.
Reports and renewals
I can help with grant reports, renewal requests, and the systems that keep funder relationships from getting lost between deadlines.
Why work with me
I know this work from inside a small arts organization.
I founded Future Prairie in 2018 because queer artists should be paid for their work. I have spent years finding money, building partnerships, writing proposals, managing awards, and explaining ambitious art in language funders can understand.
I also know the daily conditions behind the application: volunteer boards, limited staff time, urgent programs, documents scattered across inboxes, and a deadline arriving faster than anyone wanted.
I have served as a grant panelist and read proposals from the other side of the table. My background as a published writer helps me make an application precise, readable, and alive.
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LGBTQIA+ Oregon-based working-class artists paid by Future Prairie during its first seven years.
Future Prairie projects have received support from organizations including the Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Cultural Trust, Oregon Community Foundation, Regional Arts & Culture Council, Collins Foundation, Mellon Foundation, City of Beaverton, and Portland Art Museum’s Center for an Untold Tomorrow.
How the work moves
A simple process, built around the capacity you have.
Tell me what needs money
Share the organization, project, location, budget, timing, and any funders you already know.
I find and rank the strongest prospects
I check the rules, past awards, deadlines, likely request size, and the work each opportunity will require.
We choose what deserves an application
You approve the priorities. I gather missing details and build the draft around the funder’s questions.
You review and submit
Your organization confirms every fact, approves the final version, and submits the application. I stay available for revisions and follow-up.
Payment
For many projects, I charge 5–10% of the amount awarded.
If the grant is not awarded, you do not pay a writing fee. We agree on the exact percentage before work begins. The rate depends on the award size, timeline, research required, and how much of the application your team can handle.
I cannot guarantee an award. My job is to find strong opportunities, make a clear case, and protect your organization from wasting its limited time. When a funder does not allow grant funds to cover fundraising costs, the fee must come from unrestricted money or another permitted source.
A good fit
This work is built for small organizations with something specific to fund.
- Your arts or culture organization serves people in Oregon, Washington, or the wider Pacific Northwest.
- The grant work currently lives with an executive director, artist, board member, or volunteer who already has too much to carry.
- You want someone to search widely, check the details, and keep a working grant tracker current.
- You value a direct answer about which opportunities deserve your energy.
Future Prairie practice: Grant-writing is part of Future Prairie’s nonprofit work.
Start here
Tell me what you want to fund.
Use the short form below. Include your organization, the project or need, your location, any known deadline, and the amount you hope to raise.
