top of page

ABOUT ME

Melissa Ralston

Grant Writer and Strategist | Ice Cream Connoisseur

   

I love writing!

Did I mention that, yet?

Icon Mark-Hearts-blk.png

I’m not your average grant writer. I spent the first half of my career as an ambitious fundraising generalist with work smarter ethics. As a fundraising generalist, I learned donor strategies for every type of fundraising, because I had to. At the small organizations where I worked, every dollar was fundraised and every dollar mattered. I bring that sense of urgency into my grant writing and consulting business. Every dollar matters.

 

As I’ve grown in my career, I have had the opportunity to focus on the strategy aspect of grant proposal writing. When I think through a strategy for a proposal, I bring my 20+ years of fundraising experience into that strategy, plus a deep knowledge of the local funding community. I have raised over $32 million through private and corporate grants, family foundations, local government, and federal government funding opportunities.

Bio Photo 11.2025 png.png

​​Education

  • Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of La Verne

  • Certificate in Fundraising Management from the University of Washington

  • Master of Public Administration from Seattle University

​

Speaking Engagements

  • November 2021, Grants Professional Association Conference in Seattle, WA. Presented "Beyond Grant Writing: Managing Your Grants Process" alongside Kat Reuter, Mercy Housing Northwest.

  • March 2021, Puget Sound Grant Grantwriters Association Specialized Training presenter. Presented "Beyond Grantwriting: Managing Your Grants Process for Beginners" alongside Kat Reuter, Mercy Housing Northwest.

  • November 2018, Grants Professional Association Conference in Chicago, IL. Panel member for a session titled “Wearing Multiple Fundraising Hats: Exploding the Myth of the Sequestered Grants Professional.”

  • September 2018, Catalyst Kitchens and Feeding America National Summit, Winston-Salem, NC. Panel member for a session titled "Making the Case for Support: SROI and Framing Program Outcomes."

  • February 2018, FareStart’s national program Catalyst Kitchens consulting project with national locations of Catholic Community Services. A webinar titled “How Your Social Enterprise Fits Into Your Grant Proposal.”

  • November 2017 for FareStart’s national program Catalyst Kitchens. A webinar titled “Take Your Grant to the Next Level” presented in partnership with Tobin Scipione of Community Servings in Massachusetts.

  • January 2016, Puget Sound Grantwriters Association. Panel member for a program titled “Trends in Corporate Grant Making.”

​​

Professional Associations

Grants Professional Association 

Puget Sound Grantwriters Association 

Association of Fundraising Professionals

​

Bio

Melissa Ralston has more than twenty years of experience in grant writing, fundraising, event planning, and nonprofit marketing. She is a member of the Grants Professional Association, Association of Fundraising Professionals, and Puget Sound Grantwriters Association where she leads a monthly virtual networking for grant consultants. Melissa works with organizations throughout the US with an emphasis on the King County/Puget Sound region in Washington. In 2021, Melissa moved to Tucson, Arizona and has continued to work with clients in Washington State who value her 20+ years of knowledge of local funders.

Past Employers and Clients

  • Bellwether Housing

  • Ben D. Johnson Educational Center - Natchitoches, LA

  • BLKChip Inc. - Boston, MA

  • BrightSpark Early Learning Services (formerly Child Care Resources)

  • Business Impact Northwest

  • Center for Children & Youth Justice

  • Clay Arts for the Underserved - Tucson, AZ

  • Clothes for Kids

  • Cocoon House

  • Community Lifeline

  • Coyote Central

  • FareStart

  • First Place

  • Foundation for Edmonds School District

  • FUSION Housing Federal Way

 

  • Jobs for Washington’s Graduates

  • Keep Austin Beautiful - Austin, TX

  • King County Library System Foundation

  • New Commonwealth Fund - Boston, MA

  • North Bend Film Fest

  • Northwest Education Access

  • Northwest Outward Bound School

  • PAWS

  • Rainier Valley Food Bank

  • Seattle Youth Garden Works

  • Vashon Maury Community Food Bank

  • VentureLab - Austin, TX/National

  • Vine Maple Place

  • Washington Business Week

  • Wonderland Child & Family Services

To contact Melissa about grants, click here!

Let's stay connected on LinkedIn
Follow Melissa Loves Writing on LinkedIn

bottom of page