About | Services | Let's Talk
$50M+
in federal grants and community investments directed
20,000+
community members reached through large-scale activations
10+ Years
of cross-sector experience across DC and the Mid-Atlantic
Our Story
We Ground Good Deeds in Dollars.
Grounded Civics is a strategic advisory practice founded in Washington, DC, in 2015. For over a decade, I have designed and executed programs that connect responsible business strategies to tangible community impact. Grounded Civics operates where CSR commitments meet the real actions that truly support communities.
I bring operational precision, stakeholder engagement, and a proven track record of results across corporate, nonprofit, and government sectors. Whether developing a community activation for 20,000 people, managing over $50 million in grants and investments, or creating a multi-year engagement plan, my work is always grounded in both purpose and performance.
Key Focus Areas
Corporate Social Responsibility
I partner with companies to design and implement CSR programs that connect business strategy to authentic community investment. The result is stakeholder engagement, brand trust, and social impact that your leadership team can actually report on.
Corporate Social ResponsibilityCross-Sector Partnership Development
I build and manage partnerships between corporations, government agencies, and community organizations. Aligning stakeholders around a shared goal and coordinating everything it takes to make the work real
Retail Activations and Community Programming
I design and produce large-scale community activations, retail programming, and small business development campaigns that drive foot traffic, community investment, and commercial corridor vitality.
Why Grounded Civics
What Sets Us Apart.
What sets Grounded Civics apart is a dual background most consultants don't have: deep business development experience alongside real arts programming and storytelling work. I've designed retail activations and small business campaigns in the same practice where I've produced public arts events, written impact narratives for foundation leadership, and built audience segmentation strategies for commercial corridors.
That combination gives me a distinctive lens on how corporate social responsibility actually lands in communities — not just what the strategy says, but what people feel when they show up. I bridge the gap between your high-level commitments and the on-the-ground program management, marketing integration, and stakeholder engagement that makes impact real.
I've managed federal grant portfolios, administered over $4 million in American Rescue Plan funding across 300 organizations, secured six-figure grants for commercial corridor revitalization, and produced activations drawing 20,000 people. I don't just write the plan. I help you build it, run it, and measure what matters.
Our Services
Grounded Civics offers strategic advisory and program management for companies and organizations ready to move from commitment to action, spanning CSR strategy, community engagement, cross-sector partnerships, and nonprofit fundraising.
CSR Program Design and Implementation
We design end-to-end corporate social responsibility programs that turn your company's values into community-facing initiatives with measurable outcomes, from strategy and execution through grantee reporting and impact storytelling. Programs we've built have supported multi-year, six-figure giving portfolios.
Ideal for: Companies and foundations building or scaling their community impact and corporate giving programs. [Learn more about our CSR consulting →]
Community and Retail Activations
We produce community events, retail activations, and public arts and culture programming that drive foot traffic, engagement, and brand visibility, built to serve business goals and social impact commitments together. Our work spans commercial corridors, downtown districts, and citywide campaigns.
Ideal for: Sponsors, Main Street programs, BIDs, and commercial corridor initiatives.
Stakeholder Engagement, Strategic Planning & Cross-Sector Partnerships
Using our proprietary Constellation of Stars methodology, a structured approach to stakeholder mapping, we run interviews, focus groups, and listening sessions to build the strategic framework your organization needs, then identify partners, structure agreements, and manage relationships across sectors. Our partnership work spans public safety, workforce development, affordable housing, and arts and culture.
Ideal for: Organizations navigating complex stakeholder landscapes, building public-private partnerships, or refreshing strategy with genuine community buy-in.
Fundraising, Development Planning & Impact Storytelling
We build and strengthen nonprofit revenue pipelines through grant portfolio management, development strategy, and impact storytelling that keeps funders engaged. Our team has secured six-figure grants and administered multi-million dollar federal portfolios.
Ideal for: Nonprofits, foundations, and corporate giving programs that need grant writing support, development infrastructure, or compelling impact communications.
Let's Talk
Corporate & Large Organizations
For companies, foundations, and large organizations ready to connect their social impact commitments to real community outcomes. Whether you're building a CSR program, planning a large-scale activation, or navigating a complex stakeholder landscape, this is where we start.
Freelancers & Entrepreneurs
For independent consultants, small nonprofit teams, and entrepreneurs with 1 to 3 staff or contractors who are ready to strengthen their operations and fundraising strategy. Whether you need help getting your infrastructure in place to receive funding or you're building out your development pipeline, this is where we start.
Ready to move from commitment to action?
Past Projects
Every engagement reflects a commitment to purpose, partnership, and performance. From national initiatives to local community activations, our work transforms strategy into meaningful, measurable impact.
Partner: District Bridges / DC Department of Transportation (DDOT)
Scope: Produced a large-scale street activation along 3 miles of Georgia Avenue NW in Washington, DC — coordinating 45 activations, 7 corporate sponsors including Pepco Holdings, Lyft, Bird, and Lime, 191 volunteers, and multimodal programming spanning fitness, arts, and public health.
Outcome: 20,000 attendees. 464,733 total media impressions across digital, transit, and print. 72% of attendees reported a more positive opinion of the corridor after the event. 70% discovered a new local business.
Partner: Montgomery College Foundation — Rockville, Maryland
Scope: Served as editorial contributor for the Foundation Focus annual campaign magazine, writing donor profiles, impact narratives, and feature stories in support of the Foundation's $50 million Our College, Our Community, Our Future comprehensive campaign. Work included reporting, interviewing, and storytelling that connected donor generosity to student outcomes.
Outcome: Contributed multiple feature articles published in Foundation Focus Summer 2025, including the $50M campaign launch story and donor impact profiles. Supported the Foundation's public campaign communications during its most ambitious fundraising effort to date.
Partner: Preservation of Affordable Housing, Inc. (POAH) — Washington, DC
Scope: Designed workforce development curriculum and materials for the Barry Farm redevelopment — part of the District's New Communities Initiative. Created the RAMP (Resident Roadmap) program framework connecting residents of a 900-unit mixed-income development to construction trade jobs, apprenticeships, training programs, and financial coaching through a structured 5-step pathway.
Outcome: Delivered a resident-facing engagement program and curriculum connecting affordable housing residents to construction trade employment pathways through public-private partnership with POAH's community impact team.