McGill Celebrates International Grant Professionals Day 2024
International Grant Professional Association
The International Grant Professional Association (IGPA) was founded 26 years ago to recognize and show appreciation to all grant professionals. This year, IGPA celebrates International Grant Professionals Day on March 8th.
McGill recognizes our grant professionals who contribute to a better future in their communities and are the reason many municipalities and organizations have the means to re-invest in community infrastructure. Our grant professionals provide a high standard of ethics, quality program development, and financial stewardship that extends beyond financial assistance and offers long-term solutions and sustainable programs that build lasting relationships with the clients we serve.
McGill’s Grant Professionals
Our team of qualified professionals are highly experienced in grant research, development, writing, and administration. We have a deep understanding of federal, state, local, and foundation funding regulations, policies, procedures, reporting requirements, and deadlines. We work closely with our clients to understand their needs, stay updated on funding opportunities and challenges, and provide needed services to help shape the community.
We talked with team members, Dale Schepers and Leah Martin, about their roles on the McGill team.
Dale Schepers has over 25 years of experience working as a water and sewer utility manager. So he understands the importance of rate studies, grants, and capacity studies. Dale’s extensive experience as a utility manager has motivated his active involvement in our funding team. His main objective is to assist utility directors and managers in understanding the significance of these studies and using the grants to support their projects.
Dale explained his role in support of securing grant funding for our clients’ projects: “On the days that I support the folks who are administering grants and applying for grants, there are a number of things that go into the equation. There are certain financial analyses that must be done for the funding applications. I do those things in support of that effort.”
Dale’s expertise also plays a significant role in accomplishing the financial analysis of utility enterprise funds which are often one of the key deliverables of a grant-funded utility system planning effort.
“A revenue and rate analysis is a key requirement for running a utility. My mantra is what gets measured, gets managed. So, if you can’t measure it, you can’t expect you can manage it very well. I see my job as helping people to understand how we’re measuring, what we’re measuring, what it means, and then we can see what our options are and address the needs of the utility from a financial perspective,” Dale shared.
Leah Martin worked for Western Piedmont Council of Governments for 29 years. Her responsibilities included managing capital financing for infrastructure and economic development projects, as well as overseeing project management and funding administration.
Leah spoke about working with local governments: “A trusting, committed working relationship with each local government unit (LGU) is necessary to find out what an LGU needs to accomplish – whether it takes a grant application or not. A writer needs to know the LGU. Grants require resources not only from the writer but also the LGU. If it isn’t a project they need, I don’t recommend pursuing; however, we are a resource to do the work necessary to help us and the LGU ascertain their needs and how to accomplish them.”
Leah shared valuable insights for aspiring grant professionals:
“The primary goal for funding approval is to make it as straightforward and transparent as possible for the funding reviewer and agency to see that your project meets their goals and objectives. The adage – read and follow the directions – holds true here! Don’t be afraid to ask the funder questions, especially if questions are encouraged. The relationship with the funders is critical. Read the funding agency material provided, especially the application and guidance carefully, and then follow it to the letter. Review, review, review your responses. I don’t recommend assumption of correct recall. Don’t be afraid of using past applications as resources. Consistency and accuracy are important because, without them, the funding reviewer doesn’t trust the documentation provided and a simple omission early in the application could cloud their overall review.”
Reach out for Assistance
If your community needs help with grant funding, you can read more about our consulting services and contact RJ Mozeley, PE, Senior Project Manager, at 828.328.2024.
