Our Team
Emma Jones, Co-Founder and Principal Consultant
Emma earned a PhD in philosophy before entering the nonprofit sector. She began her nonprofit career first as a volunteer crisis counselor and then as a full-time grant writer for nonprofits with a focus on family violence and trauma-informed therapeutic services. Later, as Director of Grants and Contracts for a multi-service Bay Area organization, she built a successful Grants Department from scratch - increasing foundation funding by 30% and attracting $4 million in funding from new governmental sources in just two years. Emma has worked as a consultant for multiple nonprofit organizations since 2017. In addition to her deep experience in grant writing, fundraising, and leadership, Emma is a practicing Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, bringing knowledge of mental health service delivery, trauma-informed care, and communication skills to her consulting work.
Kathleen Manis Johnson, Co-Founder and Principal Consultant
Kathleen is an experienced writer, project manager, and nonprofit executive with a background in equity focused policy analysis and advocacy. Kathleen began her nonprofit career as a local and state level policy advocate focused on civil rights issues in education, and then moved into institutional grants fundraising and strategy as a Grant Writer, Grants Manager, and Director of Grants for a large Bay Area social services agency where she was responsible for raising almost $6 million in grants annually. Kathleen has worked as a grant writing and strategy consultant for multiple nonprofits since 2020. She received her BA from U.C. Berkeley in Communications and Political Science, and her Master of Public Policy degree from UCLA, with post-degree coursework in Grant Writing, Project Management, Nonprofit Budgeting, and Nonprofit Leadership.