Darla Brown

Pre-award Responsibilities:

• Maintain strong working knowledge of organization priorities, convenes and facilitates meetings with key stakeholders for concept development on priority topic areas, and coordinates resources for proposal development.
• Gather information for proposals, including organizational capacity, statistical and qualitative data, potential sources of funds, partners and staff, and other information to support the grant proposal idea.
• Direct the preparation of proposal budget development and prepares the final budget.
• Develop and write proposals for submission to potential grantors, including government and non-government agencies.
• Submit proposals to all major systems.

Post-award Responsibilities:

• Review all awarded grants and sub-awards and supports implementation for the full grant lifecycle.
• Monitor the health status of all grants monthly, including working directly with the Finance Department to monitor the budget for overall health and alignment with program plans and support accurate submission of invoices and reports.
• Work with the program staff to identify and document implementation progress and/or roadblocks and support timely submission of required grant communications and program reports, plan for site visits, etc.
• Work with other departments to support the collection of data, feedback, and impact of grants for analysis, operational implications, communications, and contribution to agency reports and dashboards as needed.
• Coordinate grant end process including supporting planning for grant end, problem-solving to ensure execution of all deliverables including reporting, facilitation of carryforward requests as needed, coordinate with Finance Officer and Operation Officer for spending down, closeout, and documentation requirements.

Year-round Responsibilities:

• Train and coach new program managers, project directors, and others as needed on how to effectively manage a grant.
• Maintain database and files to house information on grant health, deliverables, reporting schedules, and key stakeholders to facilitate project management and communication.
• Support the development of needs assessment information annually for use in grants and the development of an annual grant development plan to support FAKH's strategic priorities.
• Support the development of policies, procedures, tools, and communications for grants administration and train staff as needed.
• Support communications, planning, and analysis of grants portfolio as needed.

• Recorded information, shortages, and discrepancies to keep records current and accurate.
• Labeled, organized, and located inventory items in staging areas or on shelves according to quantity, size, or type of material.
• Utilized Excel and Citrix Workspace to prepare and maintain records and reports of inventories, price lists, shortages, shipments, and expenditures.
• Strengthened inventory processes to balance supply needs with budget and space limitations.
• Collaborated with Store Manager to maintain levels of quality and on-hand inventory.

• Acted as the lead grant writer for USA Cares.
• Secured over 1.2 million in grant funds for various programs.
• Worked effectively with program staff to research and design program elements, generate drafts for review, and lead meetings to create high-quality proposals and reports.
• Wrote grant proposals and reports for foundations, corporations, and government agencies.
• Communicated accomplishments of existing programs to funders through reports.
• Identified and solicited new funders.
• Managed grant fulfillment, including writing acknowledgment letters, and sending grant agreements and sponsorship packages to donors.
• Served as a liaison to all funding agencies or organizations, developing collaborative relationships with grant funding representatives.
• Utilized Salesforce to track all prospects, donors, proposals, reports, deadlines, and relationships.

• Organized VISTA events.
• Promoted VISTA events to the community.
• Mentored VISTA Members as they navigated their service year based on experience as a VISTA Member.
• Identified learning and growth opportunities for VISTA Members.
• Created a VISTA Member resource page using Google Sites.
• Recruited and screened new VISTA Members.

• Secured over 3 million in grant funding.
• Collaborated with program staff to facilitate the writing, editing, and submission of grant requests.
• Sought support from institutional funders for assigned programs.
• Assisted in all stages of grants management and helped track all grant-related data in the database.
• Built social media calendar and created posts for all social media platforms.
• Kept up to date on social media best practices and trends.
• Managed Google AdWords account and developed a strategy for effective use of the Google AdWords Grant, i.e., Pay Per Click Advertising and Search Engine Optimization.

• Reviewed, monitored, determined eligibility, and/or administered the SNAP, Kentucky
  Transitional Assistance Program and the Medical Assistance programs in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
• Followed all State and Federal regulations when reviewing, monitoring, and determining eligibility for each program.
• Maintained strict confidentiality and followed all protocols related to the protection of client information.
• Provided additional resources or referrals to clients when appropriate.
• Performed other duties as assigned.