Background and Experience

I earned a Master of Public Administration degree, focused on Nonprofit Management from the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington. I also hold a Bachelor of Arts in International Political Economy from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA.

Current Consulting Practice

I have worked with a wide range of clients on Grants Management and Fundraising Consultant in the Boulder/Denver area since 2006. I support nonprofit clients with prospect research, grantwriting, grants management, and other communications and fundraising projects. Past and current clients include Growing Gardens of Boulder County, Intercambio Uniting Communities, Cal-Wood Education Center, Climate Justice Collaborative, Latino Chamber of CommerceSister Carmen Community Center, the Longmont Chorale, GrantsWest, the Ray of Hope FoundationColorado Therapeutic Riding Center, QuaLife Wellness Community.

Grants & Evaluation Manager: Intercambio Uniting Communities, Boulder CO, 2015-2024.

Created, managed, and implemented a fundraising strategy to secure $500,000 in annual grants from government and foundation sources. (Highlight: Awarded $2,000,000 in early 2024 from Yield Giving Open Call, a MacKenzie Scott grants process). Responsible for building and upgrading program evaluation systems for qualitative and quantitative evaluation, as well as grantwriting, funder cultivation, and grant reporting / monitoring.

Grant Writer: Judi’s House, Denver, CO, 2013 – 2014.

With the Judi’s House Development Director, CEO and Board Chair, I developed and implemented a grant strategy, including funder research, in-house communication processes, and writing and submitting grant proposals and reports. I worked with foundation program officers to address the specific needs of each funder. I brought together program, research, and leadership teams to collaborate on grant proposals and decisions about grant strategy.

Development Officer, Philanthropic Partnerships: Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights, Boulder CO, 2010– 2011.

At the Urgent Action Fund, I managed an institutional donor portfolio which raised over a million dollars annually from foundation and government grants. I frequently collaborated with program staff to help me communicate incremental social change and complex social justice issues to funders. Day to day, I wrote grant proposals and reports, communicated with foundation program officers, and worked with finance staff to monitor restricted funding allocations.

Development and Communications Associate: Global Greengrants Fund, Boulder CO, 2003– 2005.

With the Director of Development I helped raise $3 million per year from foundation and individual donors. I communicated the impact of our work to donors and prospective donors through grant proposals and reports, wrote profiles of grantees and their impacts on environmental sustainability worldwide.

Clients say:

She crafts compelling grant proposals and delivers insightful reports. Erika’s expertise … resulted in securing and increasing funding for our initiatives, an invaluable contribution to our development team’s success.

—Former Development Director and Interim Executive Director, Intercambio Uniting Communities

Erika has done a great job writing our grant applications. She has been very committed in becoming knowledgeable about our foundation, as well as being exceptionally responsive, and always within deadline. She is a concise, eloquent and persuasive writer.

—The Raymond Wentz Foundation (Now the Ray of Hope Foundation)