Carinci Consulting: Strategy, Funding, Coaching, and Evaluation Services to Advance Nonprofit Impact
As Founder and Principal Consultant of Carinci Consulting, I bring two decades of non-profit leadership launching national strategic and research initiatives, conceptualizing networked improvement communities, and forging diverse partnerships to address gaps and improve stakeholder outcomes. Since launching a grants agency in December of 2022, I have helped clients win over $30 million in grant funding and have advanced a total of over $54 million in my career. How could leveraging my expertise advance your mission and free up your time?
Share
🏆 Play to Win: Unlock Grant Success with Smarter Strategy in 2025
Published 9 months ago • 6 min read
December 2024
🎉✨Happy 2nd Anniversary to Carinci Consulting! ✨🎉
We're filled with gratitude for everyone who has been part of this journey—our amazing clients, partners, supporters, and team members who believed in the mission and helped bring it to life.
Here’s to the impact we’ve made together, and to many more years of empowering organizations to reach new heights! Thank you for making this milestone possible. 🥂
Let's work together to put your organization on our wins map!
Do you have unspent budget in 2024? Now’s the perfect time to invest in planning your 2025 grants strategy. Let’s work together to set you up for a winning year by identifying opportunities, refining your approach, and positioning your organization for success!
Grants Strategy & Trends for 2025: Stay Ahead of the Funding Curve
As we approach 2025, the grant landscape continues to evolve, with shifting priorities from federal agencies, foundations, and corporations. For nonprofits, higher education institutions, and other grant-seeking organizations, staying ahead of these trends is essential to not only securing funding but also aligning efforts with broader social, economic, and technological movements.
💡 Pro Tip for Aspiring Freelancers! 💡
If you're looking to break into freelancing or take your business to the next level, this article is packed with insights to set you on the path to success. From building a solid portfolio to mastering client communication, these skills are essential for thriving as a freelancer.
Check out the full article for a comprehensive look at what it takes to become a successful freelance professional. 👉
Growing Research Access for Nationally Transformative Equity and Diversity (GRANTED)
Funder: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Award Amount: Unspecified
Deadline: Full proposals are accepted any time.
Description: Proposals that focus on enhancing access to post-award research support infrastructure at emerging research and minority-serving institutions and/or that include partnerships with national and regional professional societies are strongly encouraged.
Deadline: February 14 2025 (Track 1); November 14, 2025 (Track 2)
Description: Supports development of innovative open science approaches that advance geosciences research and education through leveraging expanding information resources and computing capabilities, as well as supports initiatives to strengthen the capacity of current and future geoscientists to access, utilize, and collaborate within the growing ecosystem of open science resources.
Build and Broaden: Enhancing Social, Behavioral and Economic Science Research and Capacity at Minority-Serving Institutions
Funder: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Award Amount: Solicitation coming soon.
Deadline: January, 23, 2025
Description: ~$250,000 - $320,000
Supports fundamental research and research capacity across disciplines at minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and encourages research collaborations with scholars at MSIs.
Description: Supports individual investigators who propose novel research projects with the potential to innovatively and creatively address national needs and/or grand challenges, advance US leadership, and catalyze the convergence of engineering and science domains.
Description: Focuses on early-stage nonprofit ventures that have the potential to make a significant impact on the world, but that have yet to demonstrate the efficacy needed to acquire large-scale funding.
Description: Supports individual scholars pursuing projects that embody exceptional humanistic research, rigorous analysis, and clear writing. Fellowships provide recipients with time to conduct research or produce books, monographs, peer-reviewed articles, e-books, digital materials, translations with annotations or a critical apparatus, or critical editions resulting from previous research.
Hearst Foundation: Culture, Education, Health, and Social Services Funded
Funder: William Randolph Hearst Foundation
Amount: Minimum grant size is $100,000
Deadline: Rolling
Description: Funding is provided for approaches that create sustainable employment and productive career paths for adults, improve health and quality of life, increase academic achievement through access to high-quality educational options, promote the arts and sciences, and support family stability and self-sufficiency.
We are honored to share this wonderful testimonial from Dr. Noah A. Smith, Amazon Professor of Machine Learning at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, and Senior Director of NLP Research at the University of Washington and Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Seattle, WA.
🏆 Client Success🏆
Carinci Consulting is proud to have been a part of supporting the development of a transformative Title III grant proposal, securing a total award of $2,250,000 from the U.S. Department of Education!
Playing to Win in Grants Strategy
As we prepare to tackle 2025, it’s time to think about how nonprofits can "play to win" in their grants strategy. Inspired by the strategy principles from Playing to Win by A.G. Lafley and Roger L. Martin, here are some key lessons on how nonprofits can work smarter—not harder—in their funding pursuits. With a clear strategy and a grants partner like Carinci Consulting, you can achieve more impactful results in the year ahead.
1. Strategy is About Making Choices: Winning in grants isn’t about chasing every opportunity; it’s about making deliberate, focused choices. By identifying the right funding opportunities—those that align with your mission and have a strong chance of success—you can maximize your efforts. In 2025, let’s focus on saying “no” to what doesn’t align so you can say “yes” to the grants that truly matter.
2. Play to Win, Not Just to Play: Submitting grant proposals for the sake of staying busy isn’t a winning strategy. To truly "win," nonprofits must craft compelling, differentiated proposals that stand out. With Carinci Consulting, we can help you develop strategies that go beyond participation and aim squarely for success.
3. Focus on Your Stakeholders: Effective grant strategies are centered on your stakeholders: funders and the communities you serve. By deeply understanding funder priorities and demonstrating how your work aligns with their goals, you can build stronger, more meaningful connections. In 2025, let’s put your stakeholders at the heart of your grants strategy.
4. Develop Core Capabilities: Winning grants requires building the unique skills and resources to deliver on your mission. Whether it’s sharpening your storytelling, enhancing your data collection, or improving collaboration across teams, Carinci Consulting can help you identify and cultivate the capabilities that make your proposals stand out.
5. Align Your Systems: From program planning to evaluation metrics, every aspect of your nonprofit’s operations should support your grants strategy. In 2025, let’s ensure your processes and systems are aligned with your strategic goals to streamline your efforts and improve your results.
6. Make Strategy Iterative: Winning in grants requires continuous learning and adaptation. With every proposal and funder interaction, there are opportunities to refine your approach. Carinci Consulting can help you establish a dynamic strategy that evolves as you learn, ensuring sustained success.
7. Lead or Lose: To succeed in 2025, nonprofits need strong leadership willing to make tough decisions—especially about where to focus resources. Whether you’re leading your team or seeking external guidance, decisive leadership is key to achieving your funding goals.Moving Forward
At Carinci Consulting, we’re here to help you navigate these principles and build a strategy that positions your nonprofit to "win" in 2025. Together, we can make deliberate choices, play to win, and align your efforts with impactful results.
Do you have unspent budget in 2024? Now’s the perfect time to invest it in planning your grants strategy for 2025. Let’s work together to set you up for a winning year by identifying opportunities, refining your approach, and positioning your organization for success!
Time is running out . . .🚀
Ready to get a jumpstart on your nonprofit's new year's resolutions?
Lacking the time or expertise to navigate the often complicated grant funding landscape means your organization is missing out on hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars each year that could be advancing your critical mission and better serving your stakeholders to scale your impact.
We're offering a limited number of discounted Strategy Client opportunities for those who take action now for the upcoming year! This is a unique chance to engage in year-long, comprehensive grant strategy work, including:
✨ In-depth grant research and a tailored roadmap to secure funding and📝 Ongoing grant writing support to keep your efforts on track.
If you’re ready to transform your grant approach and results, let's connect!
Book a call and learn about early bird pricing—until the end of 2024.
Carinci Consulting: Strategy, Funding, Coaching, and Evaluation Services to Advance Nonprofit Impact
Jennifer Carinci
As Founder and Principal Consultant of Carinci Consulting, I bring two decades of non-profit leadership launching national strategic and research initiatives, conceptualizing networked improvement communities, and forging diverse partnerships to address gaps and improve stakeholder outcomes. Since launching a grants agency in December of 2022, I have helped clients win over $30 million in grant funding and have advanced a total of over $54 million in my career. How could leveraging my expertise advance your mission and free up your time?
Read more from Carinci Consulting: Strategy, Funding, Coaching, and Evaluation Services to Advance Nonprofit Impact
August 2025 Building Momentum, Making Space August is often the overlooked middle child of the calendar—wedged between the buzz of back-to-school and the calm before fall’s funding flurry. But here’s a secret: August can be your nonprofit’s most strategic month.This is your moment to pause and take stock. What’s working? What’s draining your energy? Where could a little clarity or consistency create more momentum?At Carinci Consulting, we believe sustained funding success isn’t just about...
July 2025 Declare Independence from Chaotic Grant Chasing This July, while fireworks light up the sky, let’s talk about lighting a spark in your grant strategy. At Carinci Consulting, we believe every nonprofit deserves the freedom to pursue funding with clarity, confidence, and purpose—not burnout. Just like the perfect fireworks display, successful grant seeking is all about timing, preparation, and strategic alignment. So, here’s your permission slip to stop reacting and start leading your...
June 2025 What If Playing It Safe Is Actually Holding You Back? I just read an article on marketing ROI (nerdy, I know 😄), and while it was aimed at businesses, I couldn’t stop thinking: THIS applies perfectly to nonprofits and grant strategy too. But first, I’ll admit something that might surprise you... There was a time when I completely understood why nonprofits cut back on strategic investments—especially consulting—during uncertain times.I mean, on paper, it seems like the logical move,...
