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This episode, Jen Bowen explains how to become a freelance grant writer, get grant writing clients and secure your first grants.
Jen Bowen is a member of the Freelance Grant Writer Academy and successfully transitioned in her career to become a full-time freelance grant writer.
Jen joins us to discuss everything she’s learned about freelance grant writing, how the academy helped her progress in her grant writing skills, and the different grant writing support systems available in the academy.
She also talks about why she changed career to become a freelance grant writer, how grant writing has affected her life, and the benefits of being a freelance grant writer.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
- How to become a freelance grant writer.
- Securing your first grant and onboarding your first grant writing clients.
- How to pivot your career towards grant writing.
- How fulfilling it is being a freelance grant writer.
- Resources to help you get your first grant writing clients.
- The support systems in the freelance grant writing academy.
- The power of having a grant writing support system.
- The community of grant writers in the freelance grant writing academy.
About Jen Bowen
Jen Bowen, with 25 years of experience at HBO, most recently served as Senior VP of Worldwide Content Sales, selling iconic Original Programming globally.
While she loved the creativity and storytelling she was surrounded by, her motivation to continually take on new challenges and contribute more meaningfully to society for the second half of her career led to a career pivot.
She began immersing herself in the nonprofit world, including becoming Board Chair for Chance 2 Dance, an inclusive and accommodating dance studio for students of varying physical and cognitive abilities. The passion and creativity of nonprofits fueled her, but having an inside look into nonprofits, she quickly realized that the chaos of the nonprofit world could benefit from some of the structure of corporate organizations.
With an education in journalism and a passion for writing and research, Jen chose to capitalize on her diverse skill set by specializing in grant writing. Her extensive experience in sales at HBO honed her skills for crafting compelling pitches, as well as listening to clients’ needs and figuring out the best approach to collaborate. Jen’s goal is to connect funders seeking to make a positive impact with nonprofits poised to leverage their support for transformative change.
With a blend of corporate acumen and a heart for social impact, Jen Bowen is dedicated to bridging the gap between profit and purpose, creating a lasting legacy of positive change.
Connect with Jen Bowen:
Quotables:
- “I experimented with my first grants and I was amazed that it did really well and we ended up winning the grant for two hundred thousand dollars.”
- “I’m only going to do it for companies I feel connected to.”
- “There’s so much work to go around and it doesn’t feel competitive. Every single grant writer I talked to just wants to help other grant writers.”
Resources mentioned in this episode:
OTHER RESOURCES:
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Thanks for listening!
Warmly,
Holly Rustick
Leading the $1 Billion for Good Movement: By 2030, aspiring and seasoned grant writers inside the Freelance Grant Writer Academy & Grant Professional Mentorship will 1) WIN $1 Billion in Grants, and 2) MAKE $30 Million in their Grant Writing Businesses. We are on our way already.
What is Grant Writing & Funding?
Quit your toxic nonprofit job and replace your full-time income while writing grants part-time, from home! Join our students in the Freelance Grant Writer Academy to create Financial Stability and Flexibility through writing grants for causes you are passionate about: https://grantwritingandfunding.com/freelance-grant-writer-academy
World-renowned grant writing expert and Amazon bestselling author Holly Rustick provides coaching that helps new and experienced grant writers replace their full-time income while writing grants part-time from home (or anywhere they want to live or travel in the world).
She coaches changemakers to master grant writing and start to grow 6-figure+ grant writing businesses on part-time hours via her signature group program, “Freelance Grant Writer Academy."
As an unapologetic feminist, Holly’s work in coaching female grant writers to master grant writing, find their cause-area niche, and navigate value-based pricing and nonprofit sales is breaking glass ceilings for women all over the world.
Every week, she coaches thousands of people through the top-ranking podcast, Grant Writing & Funding, books on grant writing, and inside the Freelance Grant Writer Academy.
Holly has 20 years of experience in grant writing, and began her freelance grant writing journey back in 2005. While teaching in Kuwait and Indonesia, and then earning a Master’s Degree in International Political Economy in Belgium, Holly saw the light of setting up a virtual-based business in grant writing back in the mid-2000s. Having secured more than $45 million of dollars for nonprofit organizations, and then setting up a multi 6-figure freelance business, Holly has a mission to help female grant writers break out of toxic nonprofit J-O-B-S and create high-level income while freelance grant writing.
Inside the Freelance Grant Writer Academy, students have secured more than $225+ million in grant funding and $4+ million in revenue in their grant writing businesses within two years.
To amplify this work, she is past-president of the Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce and was appointed to the Guam Business Advisory Task Force as an advisor to the first female governor of Guam. Holly lives on the island of Guam with her beautiful daughter, Isabella.
If you are interested in replacing your full-time income while writing grants part-time from home (or from anywhere in the world!) join the Freelance Grant Writer Academy!
www.grantwritingandfunding.com.