grant research and writing support for nonprofit organizations
About Me
Jennifer D. Valentine
Jennifer is a Southern California native whose path led her to the Midwest after earning both her bachelor’s (1998) and law degree (2001) from the University of Notre Dame. Following a career as a litigation attorney in Chicago, she dedicated her time to nonprofit legal aid and board service before shifting her focus to family life and, ultimately, to grant writing.
What began over 25 years ago as volunteer support for grassroots nonprofits has grown into a thriving consulting practice. Today, Jennifer partners with mission-driven organizations to design compelling proposals, build sustainable systems, and translate data into donor-ready impact stories.
Now based in the Detroit suburbs with her husband and four teenagers, Jennifer finds joy in balancing professional purpose with personal passions—cheering from the sidelines, diving into novels, or even tap dancing.
Jennifer has moved into a full-time lead consulting role at True North Philanthropy (tnphilanthropy.com). All grant support services will be sourced there. Please reach out to jennifer@tnphilanthropy.com for more information.
Grant Support Services
Jennifer offers flexible support designed to help your organization achieve its funding goals. Services can be provided on an ongoing freelance basis or customized to fit your unique needs.
Fee Options
- Monthly retainer with a defined scope of work
- Hourly billing, invoiced monthly
Available Services
- Foundation prospect research
- Coaching on foundation outreach and communication strategies
- Development of organizational and program-specific messaging
- Review of budgets for grant readiness
- Drafting Letters of Inquiry and full grant proposals
- Preparation of required grant application attachments
- Management of grant activity, including reporting requirements
- Coaching on institutional giving strategies
- Training for fundraising staff in development roles
- Designing fundraising systems and workflows for teams of all sizes
Successful Outcomes
Since launching her grant and fundraising consulting practice in 2015, Jennifer has partnered with over 80 organizations and crafted more than 850 proposals and letters of inquiry. While success rates vary by client strategy, her work has collectively helped secure several million dollars in funding, advancing missions across diverse sectors.
Grant Support Packages for Shorter-Term Support
Prospect Research
Services include information interview, database research, list of strongest prospect matches, summary report for each match that includes relevant contact information, links to funder details, deadlines, and outreach recommendation strategies
Grant-Ready Assessment
Services include initial interview, 2-3 follow up information interviews with staff, materials review (past grants grant history, financials), baseline prospect research to determine general fit (no matches shared), and a report of findings and recommendations to become fully grant-ready
Grant Proposal (Boilerplate) Template
Services include initial interview, 2-3 follow up information interviews with staff, materials review (grant history, grant attachment docs, financials, program information), draft of general proposal narrative, and two rounds of editing
LOI or Proposal Preparation
Services include writing and editing the narrative in collaboration with staff guidance and participation, preparation of attachment documents, and final submission support
Ongoing support for LOI or proposal preparation can be structured in a per project flat fee or a monthly retainer framework for a defined period of time.