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 Commerce, Sister Carmen Community Center, the Longmont Chorale, GrantsWest, the Ray of Hope Foundation, Colorado 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)