Client Case
Studies

EDUCATION SERVICE DISTRICT 105

WHO THEY ARE:

Educational Service District 105 supports the learning success of more than 66,000 students who attend the 25 public school districts and more than 20 state-approved private and tribal schools it serves in South Central Washington. ESD 105 implements and manages several programs and cooperatives that help schools save money while providing access to services they may not be able to offer on their own.

THEIR CHALLENGE:

ESD 105 reached out to Professional Grant Writers in a pinch: the grant writer they had originally contracted with to write a multi-year Department of Education grant had canceled the contract at the last minute. They had written a lot of the application but needed help taking it across the finish line in time for the deadline, which was about three weeks away.

OUR SOLUTION:

PGW stepped in and lead the grant development, picking up where the other writer left off. PGW worked with ESD 105 staff to gather all the relevant information, write the remaining application narrative pieces, and ensure the application conformed to the grant guidelines.

THE RESULTS:

The Department of Education’s Perkins Innovation and Modernization grant program awarded just one grant in its 2023 fiscal year: to ESD 105. Out of 19 applicants, ESD 105 was the only one to score high enough to be selected for funding. The initial grant period covers three years and an award amount of more than $2.5 million. ESD 105 has an opportunity to extend the grant for two additional years, for another $1.3 million. The grant will fund ESD 105’s Teacher Academies Project, which equips students with the necessary knowledge and skills to succeed in the education field, providing them with opportunities for work-based learning, dual enrollment, and the attainment of industry-recognized credentials.

EDUCATION SERVICE DISTRICT 105

WHO THEY ARE:

Educational Service District 105 supports the learning success of more than 66,000 students who attend the 25 public school districts and more than 20 state-approved private and tribal schools it serves in South Central Washington. ESD 105 implements and manages several programs and cooperatives that help schools save money while providing access to services they may not be able to offer on their own.

THEIR CHALLENGE:

ESD 105 reached out to Professional Grant Writers in a pinch: the grant writer they had originally contracted with to write a multi-year Department of Education grant had canceled the contract at the last minute. They had written a lot of the application but needed help taking it across the finish line in time for the deadline, which was about three weeks away.

OUR SOLUTION:

PGW stepped in and lead the grant development, picking up where the other writer left off. PGW worked with ESD 105 staff to gather all the relevant information, write the remaining application narrative pieces, and ensure the application conformed to the grant guidelines.

THE RESULTS:

The Department of Education’s Perkins Innovation and Modernization grant program awarded just one grant in its 2023 fiscal year: to ESD 105. Out of 19 applicants, ESD 105 was the only one to score high enough to be selected for funding. The initial grant period covers three years and an award amount of more than $2.5 million. ESD 105 has an opportunity to extend the grant for two additional years, for another $1.3 million.The grant will fund ESD 105’s Teacher Academies Project, which equips students with the necessary knowledge and skills to succeed in the education field, providing them with opportunities for work-based learning, dual enrollment, and the attainment of industry-recognized credentials.

FIRST WASHINGTON

WHO THEY ARE:

FIRST WASHINGTON is a nonprofit offering one of the most comprehensive STEM programs in Washington State.

THEIR CHALLENGE:

Their program director contacted PGW in late 2020 for grant help. While they had some grant writing success, they did not have a dedicated grant writer to manage their reporting and keep an eye on new opportunities. Their programming was expanding rapidly, and they needed a consistent grants program to support it.

OUR SOLUTION:

PGW was able to organize the grants calendar and keep on top of reporting. In addition, we expanded the grant writing program significantly by connecting FIRST with new opportunities for federal, state, local, and foundation grants.

THE RESULTS:

FIRST Washington went from winning $170,000 in grants in 2020 to $440,000 in 2021 and $392,000 in 2022. This increase in annual grant funding enabled them to expand services in underserved areas and reach marginalized populations, as well as increase program participation for girls. FIRST’s geographic diversity has also greatly improved as they’ve expanded into rural areas and sharpened their focus on serving tribal youth and historically neglected school districts.

SOUTHERN ALLIANCE FOR CLEAN ENERGY

WHO THEY ARE:

Since 1985, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy has been a leading voice for equitably transforming the way energy is produced and consumed in the Southeastern United States.

THEIR CHALLENGE:

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) enlisted PGW as lead grant writer on an FY 2022 Department of Energy (DOE) grant to fund equitable access to electric vehicles, infrastructure, and jobs in underserved communities in Georgia.

OUR SOLUTION:

As the lead grant writer, PGW distilled the DOE’s complex requirements into manageable chunks for SACE team members to digest. PGW collected SACE’s input, developing a strong narrative and collecting the required attachments and supporting materials. We led meetings throughout the grant’s development and ensured forward progress in advance of the submission deadline. We also assisted with the grant submission process, ensuring proper uploading of all the grant materials in accordance with the requirements.

THE RESULTS:

SACE won that grant with our help, receiving $1.4 million in funding which has enabled the organization to advance equitable access to electric vehicles, infrastructure, and jobs in underserved communities in Georgia.

PGW is currently assisting with the management of these funds, writing contracts for sub-awardees, participating in the audit process, managing drawdown spending and budget tracking, and assisting with various compliance tasks.

PARTNER CONSULTANCY

WHO THEY ARE:

PGW occasionally partners with other consulting groups who do similar work. In this case, we handled overflow work from another entity that provides services in a variety of areas, including writing and managing large, complex federal grants.

THEIR CHALLENGE:

This consultancy saw their workload growing beyond their team’s capacity and expertise, so they brought on PGW to assist with their portfolio of clients pursuing federal grants. One of the partner consultancy’s clients was pursuing a multi-million dollar grant from the Economic Development Administration’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge, part of the federal government’s efforts to boost economic pandemic recovery and rebuild American communities through job creation.

OUR SOLUTION:

PGW assigned two writers to work with the other consultancy’s team, providing extra sets of hands to help coordinate all the parties involved in writing and submitting the grant application package. Over several weeks, PGW worked closely with the larger team, acting as a critical asset in the development of a competitive proposal.

THE RESULTS:

The end client successfully won the grant, receiving $52.9 million for its economic development project. PGW then assigned one of its writers to manage the grant, steering the complex process of meeting the reporting, audit, and compliance requirements post-award.