TARBORO — Yolanda Grant of Tarboro is in the business of helping others to
help others.
"I have always wanted to be involved with helping people,"
said Grant, who is the CEO of Y Grant Consultants in Tarboro, a grant writing
and consulting firm at 201 E. Pitt St., Suite 208. "But my heart goes out to so
many different causes. I couldn't just be involved with one. Through my
business, I can help all of these organizations that are dedicated to helping
others.
"This is my way of giving back."
A native of Tarboro,
Grant's first experience in grant writing was through her involvement with her
church, the Greater St. Steven Church of Christ in Rocky Mount.
"I wrote
a grant proposal for the church where I was a member," said Grant. "I went
through the whole process and in the end, we got it.
"It was a very
positive experience for me."
Grant, who holds a Bachelors degree in
Business from Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa, said that she saw a growing
need for grant writing and consulting services in the area.
"There are so
many businesses and organizations here to help the community," said Grant. "But
they don't know what resources are available to them or how to go about
obtaining them. We can help them obtain the resources they need so they can stay
focused on the task of helping others.
"Our motto is 'Helping You Stay
Focused,' and that is exactly what we do."
In addition to her studies at
Ashford University, Grant also attended a series of grant writing seminars and
workshops, eventually studying with Dr. Beverly A. Browning, one of the foremost
authorities in the areas of grant writing, contract bid responses and
organizational development.
"I have had the privilege of studying with
Dr. Browning," said Grant. "She is still my mentor today."
Browning, who
has been consulting for more than 30 years, is the author of more than two dozen
grants-related publications, including "Grant Writing For Dummies," "Grant
Writing for Educators," "How to Become a Grant Writing Consultant," "Faith-Based
Grants: Aligning Your Church to Receive Abundance," and "Perfect Phrases for
Writing Grant Proposals."
Her clients have included chambers of
commerce, faith-based organizations, units of local and county municipal
governments, state and federal government agencies, school districts and
colleges, social and human service agencies, hospitals, fire departments,
service associations and Fortune 500 corporations.
Browning has assisted
clients and workshop participants throughout the United States in receiving
awards of more than $200 million.
"She quite literally 'wrote the book'
on the subject," said Grant.
Since opening in October, Grant has worked
with a number of non-profit and faith-based organizations in the
area.
"Things have been going really well," said Grant. "We actually have
a waiting list right now."
Grant, and her staff of two additional
consultants, offers a full range of consulting services including grant and
proposal writing for non-profit and low-profit organizations, business and
program planning, 501(c)(3) and L3C applications, 990 information reporting and
seminars for organizations.
“The L3C is relatively new in North
Carolina," said Grant. "Not many people know about it yet.
"And we are
available to conduct seminars for any of these organizations."
In
addition to working with local organizations and continuing work on her masters
degree, Grant plans to expand her base of operations in the future to cover a
greater portion of Eastern North Carolina.
“I plan to open a new office
every three years once I get this one up and running,” said Grant. “That’s my
10-year plan for right now and everything seems to be moving in the right
direction.”
