Clients & Projects
Reviewers’ comments
on an IMLS 21st Century Museum Professionals grant proposal:
“This proposal hits the nail on the head…”
“This is a very thoughtful and thorough project…”
“The carefully-developed proposal…”
on an IMLS Museums for America
grant proposal:
“A straightforward, well-written grant.”
“Project design is thorough and the benefits to the institution are clearly spelled out.”
“The project narrative is well-written and the project thoughtfully designed.”
on an NEH grant proposal:
“I like this application and the project it champions. It is straightforward, solid work that has been executed with thoroughness and passion for the subject.”
“...presented a well-researched and engaging proposal. The subject is scholarly, lively, and does a wonderful job of explaining one part of industrial history.”
“This application’s strength lies in the clear, concise, exposition of the industrial and cultural history of …”
Success stories
Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology
Since 2005 the leadership team has raised over $4 million in support for disadvantaged students interested in careers in technology. We built up from a small list of private funders to a full array of gifts and grant income from private foundations, corporate supporters, and local and federal agencies. In the process the institution has more than doubled enrollment and brought its graduation rate to more than double the national average and triple the state averages for two-year colleges. The institution now receives invitations to apply from major funders and is considered a key partner in technology education in New England.
Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum
In grant awards alone this historic garden estate has gone from limited funding to nearly $2 million raised through grants in eight years. The highlights include
- rehabilitation of a 1901 Lord & Burnham glasshouse for public tours and for propagating plants for the garden’s future. Three grant proposals raised $225,000 for the project, including $100,000 from the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission.
- an $800,000+ slate roof replacement project also supported by the Commission with a grant of $100,000 two years later.
- exterior restoration of the Carriage House and renovation of the first floor as an education and conference space
- a grant of $32,000 from the Institute of Museum & Library Services' program Museums for America: Sustaining Cultural Heritage. The staff and consultant will created a collections management system with GPS integration for masterful intellectual control of their expansive, historically important, living collection.
New England Aquarium
We won a NOAA grant (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) for nearly $100,000 to fund a marine mammal rescue team in Massachusetts, and the study of causes of stranding and death in marine mammals.
Grants for the Museum's expansion and renovation totaled over half a million dollars, including a $440,000 Challenge Grant award from NEH, one of only seven given to historical societies and museums in the country that year. This was significant for an organization that had not previously pursued institutional support and operated on an annual budget of $500,000.
Some major donors that have funded proposals created for clients
(* indicates multiple awards)
Anonymous Foundations
The 1772 Foundation
The Angell Foundation
Awards 4 All UK
Bafflin Foundation
The Boston Foundation*
The Champlin Foundations*
Chesapeake Bay Trust
The City of Boston – Jobs & Community Services
Felicia Fund*
France-Merrick Foundation
The Hartford Courant Foundation
Institute of Museum and Library Services*
Kendall Foundation
Liberty Mutual Foundation*
Maryland Heritage Areas Authority
Maryland Historical Trust*
Maryland State Arts Council
Massachusetts Cultural Council*
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management
Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities *
Massachusetts Historical Record Advisory Board
Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund*
Massachusetts Society for the Cincinnati
Millipore Foundation
National Endowment for the Arts Stimulus Grant
National Endowment for the Humanities*
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Science Foundation
National Trust for Historic Preservation*
New England Foundation for the Arts
Prince Charitable Trusts*
Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission*
Schrafft Charitable Trust*
The Thomas B. and Elizabeth M. Sheridan Foundation, Inc.
Sovereign Bank*
Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust*
State of Rhode Island, Human Resource Investment Council
State Street Foundation*
Sunfield Foundation
Yawkey II Foundation
Sample Client List (past and present)
American Association for State & Local History, TN
Barrier Islands Center, Machipongo, VA
Benjamin Franklin Institute for Technology, MA
Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum, RI
Connecticut Landmarks Society, CT
Connecticut League of Historical Organizations, CT
Dumbarton House, Headquarters National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, DC
Friends of Teackle Mansion, MD
The Frost Place, NH
Habitat for Humanity (Talbot and Dorchester Counties), MD
House of the Seven Gables, MA
Marine Engineers Benevolent Society, MD
Maryland Historical Society
New England Aquarium, MA
Sandwich Glass Museum, MA
Stepping Stones, NY
University of Colorado Museum, Boulder, CO
Vermont Law School, VT