Hello, I’m Kristin Olson, the owner of Grants Galore. I began writing grants in 1998 when I was a graduate student. After earning my Master’s degree in non-profit organization management, I worked in the non-profit sector for seven years. As Project Coordinator of two county-wide programs, I was responsible for renewing the grants that supported program operating costs, including salary support for me and my staff. I also secured grant funding for new agency initiatives.
I discovered I enjoyed grant writing, so I took classes and attended workshops to develop my skills further. Most notably, I completed the five-day grantsmanship course conducted by The Grantsmanship Center, an internationally renowned leader in grant training. I was hooked! I launched Grants Galore three months later in March 2006.
Outside of grant writing, I have experience
- in education as a public-school teacher;
- in Latino-serving organizations as a coalition facilitator and board member;
- in faith-based, social service, and public health settings as a volunteer and employee;
- in youth development as an after-school program coordinator, camp counselor, and Girl Scout leader; and
- in music as a singer, instrumentalist, children’s choir director, accompanist, and piano teacher.
Trainer and Group Facilitator
I have more than 30 years’ experience facilitating group discussions and leading workshops in a variety of settings: from one-on-one instruction to small group sessions, from one-time events to multi-week series, from site-specific staff training to statewide conferences. Topics have included cooperative learning, computer literacy, Microsoft Office applications, faith-based leadership development, Bible studies, planning and leading Sunday School lessons, effective after school program strategies, implementing violence prevention curriculum, mentoring, strategic planning, and a variety of topics related to grant writing.