
Grant Writing Certification Program
*Mondays & Wednesdays, 1:00PM - 2:30PM EST
February 14th – March 23rd, 2022
*Note Date Change in Week 2
Volunteer Florida is proud to host a six-week, 11-course Grant Writing Certification Program for Florida’s nonprofit organizations this spring. Our goal is to help Florida’s nonprofit organizations better prepare for the grant application process and increase their likelihood of selection for grant funding.
Each week, attendees will participate in a one-hour instructional learning session and a one-hour workshop. Instructional sessions will set the foundations of grant writing and the workshops are opportunities for nonprofit organizations to engage peers and get real-time feedback on projects.
This no-cost training is open to all nonprofit organizations in Florida and recommended for grant seekers, program directors, as well as executive and board directors.
CERTIFICATION
Participants who complete the training are eligible to receive a certificate of completion, which includes written feedback on a sample grant application. If several staff are attending from the same organization, please submit collaborative grant application materials.
To be eligible for a certificate, participants must:
- Attend all 11 courses
- Submit partial sample grant application materials (i.e. logic model, theory of change, executive summary, budget narrative)
* Certificate Request Deadline: Friday, April 30 at 5:00PM EST
Volunteer Florida will award preferential points on an upcoming grant application for any organization that completes the 11-course training.
TRAINING
All Sessions 1:00PM – 2:30PM EST
Week 1: Grant Preparation
This week’s sessions will focus on topics such as researching available grants and assembling a grant writing team.
Session 1.1: Monday, February 14, 2022
Session 1.2: Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Week 2: Logic Models
This week’s sessions will focus on topics such as logic models, determining your organizations inputs, outputs, and outcomes, and creating an evaluation plan.
Session 2.1: Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Session 2.2: Wednesday, February 23, 2022
Week 3: Writing the Proposals
This week’s sessions will focus on topics such as understanding the grant criteria, putting the proposal together, and writing tips.
Session 3.1: Monday, February 28, 2022
Session 3.2: Wednesday, March 2, 2022
Week 4: Budgets
This week’s sessions will focus on topics such as budget terminology, important expenses to include, and grant application platforms, such as eGrants.
Session 4.1: Monday, March 7, 2022
Session 4.2: Wednesday, March 9, 2022
Week 5: Best Practices Panel
Hear from the experts about writing a grant for Volunteer Florida!
Session 5.1: Monday, March 14, 2022
Panelists
Gina Griffin
Director of Development
Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches & Treasure Coast®
Gina Griffin resides in Boynton Beach, Florida, and is the Director of Development for Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches & Treasure Coast. She has served the mission of Junior Achievement for fourteen years through the organization’s Broward and Palm Beach County locations. Gina has over 20 years of non-profit experience having worked at other organizations like Kids In Distress, Caridad Center, and Habitat for Humanity. She grew up in Kansas and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Kansas State University. She is a graduate of Leadership Delray Beach, Leadership Boynton Beach, and currently is completing Leadership Palm Beach County. Gina is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Greater Lantana Chamber of Commerce, Boynton Beach Professionals, and Junior League of Boca Raton. 954-232-3806c / GGriffin@JuniorAchievement.com
Shannon Hagan
FPEM | Region V Recovery Coordinator
Florida Division of Emergency Management
Shannon Hagan currently serves as the Region V Recovery Coordinator with the Florida Division of Emergency Management, providing technical recovery and mitigation assistance for nine counties in Central Florida and the Treasure Coast. She previously helped administer the Hurricane Irma Disaster Case Management Program under Volunteer Florida, where in addition to acting as the Disability and Childcare Specialist and Data Monitoring Manager, she successfully wrote two time extension requests for the program. She also helped author the Hurricane Michael Immediate DCMP and full DCMP.
Gordana Krone
Associate Director of Grant Programs
Metropolitan Ministries
Gordana received her Bachelor of Science in Public Health from the University of South Florida. Following graduation she served two terms as an AmeriCorps VISTA member, building organizational capacity through program development and grant writing. She has managed the AmeriCorps programs at Metropolitan Ministries since 2016, during which time the organization received national recognition as the Outstanding Service Program of the year from America’s Service Commissions. Gordana also writes and manages corporate, foundation and government grants to support an $8 million annual grants budget.
Week 6: Grant Year Overview
This week’s sessions will focus on topics such as reporting, grant year deliverables, and next steps.
Session 6.1: Monday, March 21, 2022
Session 6.2: Wednesday, March 23, 2022
ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Marie Gress is a licensed master-level macro social worker with specialties in older adults and technology. She is the CEO at Kovir LLC, serves on Washtenaw County’s Commission on Aging, and provides supervision and mentorship to macro social workers in the aging sector.
Marie started providing grant writing and grant strategy services with the mission to increase the capacity and impact of small non-profits with limited resources, along with low-cost websites and outreach methods. Since then, she crafted a Grant Writing for Novices workbook and has made it available for free on various platforms, created a self-paced online course, and has led grant writing courses and seminars for groups like NASW-MI and NAAP.
ABOUT KOVIR, LLC

Kovir, LLC, is a woman-owned social enterprise practicing organizational and professional development, providing grant strategy services to increase the capacity of smaller nonprofits with limited resources.