Tara O'Keefe Gohr & Erin Hielkema
The Grant Plant
3816 67th Street NW
Albuquerque, NM 87120

Phone: 505-839-1464
E-mail: mail@thegrantplantnm.com
Web: www.thegrantplantnm.com

Part-time consultants.

The Grant Plant is a home-based business dedicated to providing superior and affordable resource development services designed to assist nonprofit organizations in enhancing the quality of life for New Mexico residents.

ORGANIZATIONAL
Since inception in early 2003, The Grant Plant has assisted seven local organizations in meeting their funding goals; of the proposals we have submitted in which the outcome was reported to us, we maintain an 89% success rate . The Grant Plant provides services tailored to the needs of our clients; such services include:

• Research. Many of our clients elect to have us do a grant profile for their organization, which align their financial goals with appropriate prospective funding sources. The Grant Plant uses many different grants databases to conduct the most comprehensive search possible, and is currently in the process of developing a grants database that is tailored to our services and funding for New Mexico.
   
• Complete grant planning and writing. Our services include planning, proposal writing and review, editing of existing proposals, and report writing. Each individual grant proposal is tailored to your organization's needs and each funder's priorities. The Grant Plant also works with its clients to develop a grant-seeking calendar based on deadlines, projects, and other factors unique to your organization.
   
• Fundraising plans. The Grant Plant enjoys working with its clients to ensure a diverse and stable funding base for the organization. Many organizations benefit from a fundraising plan that outlines different fundraising strategies and how and when to implement them. Example strategies might include individual/major donors, special events, grant funding, and sponsorships.
   
• Event Planning. The Grant Plant recently added event planning to its services at the request of one of our clients. We provide complete event planning services including logistics, preparation, implementation, and follow-up, and provide professional assistance related to event conceptualization, management, and fulfillment.

STAFF
We have 14 combined years of experience with various types of nonprofit organizations, and truly enjoy witnessing the passion that, in many ways, is unique to the nonprofit sector. As consulting grant writers, we appreciate seeing the exciting, innovative, and essential programs implemented by the citizens of New Mexico that enhance our state. We are proud to be part of this effort.

We have grant writing experience in a variety of fields, including the arts, economic development, technology, education, health, and youth programs. With a repeat client rate of 75%, we are always excited to see what new projects our clients are implementing - and with an innate enthusiasm for variety, we enjoy working with new clients to learn about their programs. Our diverse backgrounds serve to complement each other's writing style and strengths, so we work closely together to develop outstanding, compelling proposals.

• Tara O'Keefe Gohr. Tara has eight years of experience in the nonprofit sector and two direct years of experience in grant writing. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Arts from New Mexico State University and will be awarded a graduate-level Certificate of Resource Development from the Master of Nonprofit Management degree program of Regis University this fall. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Tara is a strong advocate for the arts, particularly the performing arts, and her experience as a stage manager has proved advantageous in setting objectives, evaluating programs, leading groups of people, reporting, and event planning and managing. Tara also enjoys volunteering for The Grant Plant's clients as the occasion presents itself.
   
• Erin Hielkema. Erin has six years of experience in the nonprofit and governmental sectors and two direct years of experience in grant writing. She holds a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of New Mexico and a Bachelor of Business Administration from New Mexico State University. Erin's background in Speech-Language Pathology has proved valuable to many of our clients, particularly for children, education, and health programs. She is highly efficient and thorough in prospect research, budgeting, and event planning and managing, in addition to all other aspects of resource development.
   

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