Meet the Sunflower team

Chase has been involved in grant writing for 15 years. He started working in Emergency Management for a small coastal NC municipality and wrote a few successful grants. He loved the fact that he was able to connect his writing experience with improving the service of local community resources. It was then that Chase decided to focus on working with nonprofit organizations, higher education, and local governments in all things grant writing.

Chase loves connecting generous foundations, government agencies, and private funders with impactful organizations that truly make a difference in the communities they serve. He is grateful to have the privilege to assist these organizations in reaching their missions and making a powerful change in their communities and audiences. Chase loves getting to spend his time working with amazing people and missions.

Fun Fact: Since 2016, Chase has been a hobbyist glassblower. He is also an ordained minister that has performed weddings, and he makes an amazing lasagna!

Jason has been grant writing since 2012. Grant writing combines two things Jason loves; writing and his commitment to advocating for our communities. Jason enjoys learning about the work our clients do and then presenting that work in the best way to secure funding. At the end of the grant writing process, he loves to brag about our clients and is so proud of the work they accomplished together.

Fun Fact: Jason loves The Crown on Netflix, which has sparked a bug to know everything about the British royal family.

Elif has worked in development for nine years, wearing different hats in non-profits and collectives. They started writing grants in 2015 while working for a reproductive rights non-profit in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Elif loved the mixture of strategy and creativity it demanded. Since then, they have worked in gender justice, Jewish organizing, youth development, and community arts, getting people the support they need for their wonderful work.

Elif loves that being a grant writer puts them in touch with fascinating people and projects. Grant writing broadens their sense of what people are busy with and passionate about.

Fun Fact: Elif is an avid cook – currently busy perfecting their Massaman Curry and Chicken Musakhan recipes. 

Larissa started grant writing 25 years ago for a community center called Sunflower House. She quickly started working with a variety of nonprofits, including homeless youth art programs, the largest classical Chinese garden in the United States, a Waldorf school, several local library systems, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Larissa helped nonprofits raise grants as small as $500 for gas to bring a medical van to uninsured communities and as large as millions of dollars to create a soaring riverfront building for Portland Opera. She loves learning from passionate people about subjects that are new. She gets personally invested in every project and does everything she can to help people fund their dreams.

Fun Fact: Larissa once threw out the first pitch at a Seattle Mariners game, fulfilling a lifelong dream of appearing on a JumboTron!

Laura has been doing grant writing since 2005. She worked as an Independent Contractor as well as doing grant writing while working as a nonprofit executive. Laura got into grant writing because she saw first-hand the real need that many organizations have for funding. Laura was especially drawn to small to mid-sized nonprofits, as they often did not have the staff to dedicate to grant writing and fund development. The missions and values of these organizations spoke to her, and she wanted to help them succeed in their service to their communities.

Laura loves seeing organizations thrive and grow, often in ways they never saw possible. She thrives on seeing just how impactful organizations can be when they have financial security. 

Fun Fact: For years Laura lived in large-scale metro areas in Michigan and Minnesota. She now owns three small cabins in the middle of the national forest where her husband and her live with their 6 kids and 4 dogs. 

Guin brings lots of research, writing and publishing knowledge to the Sunflower team. She has a background in biological research and has helped fellow researchers and peers in a collaborative setting to develop and prepare grants for research.

Guin loves the challenge of new opportunities. She enjoys the research process and learning about new topics.

Fun Fact: Guin has described two new species of parasites and completed hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine.

Craig has been involved in grant writing since 2020. He completed his master’s degree in public administration and has always had a love of public policy and grants are a natural extension of how policy can impact funding.

Craig loves a good challenge. He is always amazed by the fact that he can find grants for each of our clients where their mission aligns with funders giving priorities!

Fun Fact: Craig played trombone professionally for 30 years in the United States Air Force.