How to Write Grants & Maximize Their Impact

With an unprecedented flow of federal stimulus funding out there, now is the time for public sector leaders to think creatively to win funding and deliver improved outcomes in their communities.

This conversation will cover: - Best practices to construct a compelling grant proposal - How governments and private sector partners can best collaborate - Establishing community feedback loops - Increasing equity & access in the grants process

Who Should Attend: - Public sector leadership including city managers, economic development leads, special district leadership, City Counsel members, and CBOs. - Private sector leaders including grant professionals who want to learn how to engage with the public sector.

About the Speakers:

James Ha

James is the President and Chief Executive Officer at eCivis. He is responsible for guiding the company's strategic direction and oversees all facets of business operations. Over the past decade, James has thoughtfully combined innovative technology and collaborative strategies with public sector leaders and grant professionals to revolutionize grants management in the United States. His leadership has transformed eCivis, ultimately leading to its acquisition by GTY Technology Holdings (NASDAQ: GTYH) in September 2018.

Sedale Turbovsky

Sedale Turbovsky is the CEO and co-founder of OpenGrants, a venture-backed startup focused on building modern infrastructure for funding. He has been an entrepreneur since childhood. After honing his leadership skills as an outdoor guide in his younger years, he started his professional career as an independent consultant focused on delivering data products and digital strategies to enterprise clients in South America. He is experienced in independent grant writing and public/private partnerships at the highest level, having worked directly with OpenGrants’ current strategic partner, Momentum.

Public Sector Speakers:

Lorena Bautista, MPA, Program Specialist IV, Los Angeles County, CA Chief Executive Office

Lorena Bautista, MPA, is a 23-year County of Los Angeles employee, with 17 years in the Chief Executive Office (CEO), Service Integration Branch (SIB), which administers Board of Supervisors (Board) and CEO inter-department collaborative endeavors to better serve the families and children of Los Angeles County. She has been working mostly in administrative positions over a myriad of CEO SIB Projects and Board Initiatives. Lorena currently leads the Los Angeles County Grant Writers Collaborative, a Countywide Initiative in response to the Board’s interest in maximizing opportunities to leverage grant funding in support of Board Priorities and Countywide Initiatives.

Tara Schiff, Economic Development Specialist, Mariposa County, CA

Tara Schiff brings more than thirty years of economic/ business development and project management experience to Mariposa County. As the economic development specialist for the “Home of Yosemite”, and the current rural liaison to the California Association of Local Economic Development (CALED) board of directors, Tara has managed a variety of collaborative projects throughout her career. Prior to her position with Mariposa County, Tara was the owner/CEO of an independent full-service marketing consulting firm, where she managed accounts on both a local and national level. Tara earned a bachelor’s degree in French and International Relations from West Virginia University and studied her masters at the Université de Paris, Sorbonne.

Bashar Dimitry, Program Analyst, City of Detroit, MI

Bashar is a Program Analyst at the City of Detroit – Office of Development and Grants.. He is responsible for various grants administration tasks, including managing grant records, securing Council approval, evaluating, and scoring grant progress, and submitting reports to the OCFO for departmental grant portfolios. He is also tasked with identifying grant opportunities and leading efforts to submit applications. In 2019, he successfully led efforts in securing over $6.7 M in various Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) grants; in 2020, he helped bring in over $7.5 M from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) and $6.3 M from MDOT; and in 2021 to date, he’s helped secure over $1.6 M in grant funding.