Hi, my name is Shavonn
GRANT CONSULTANT + SPEAKER + TRAINER
Hi, I'm Shavonn, your dedicated grant consultant. With a passion for empowering colleges and universities, nonprofits, and local government, I specialize in offering specialized strategic guidance and grant writing support to help you achieve your goals and unlock your full potential.
Shavonn
BIO
MY FOUNDERS STORY
I saw a problem in the grants industry and decided to do something about it.
- Shavonn Richardson, MBA, GPC
When I founded Think and Ink Grant Consulting® almost 10 years ago, it was because I saw a real problem—one I had experienced from both sides of the funding table.
The truth is… I was tired.
I had been a nonprofit leader chasing funding. I had also worked at a corporate foundation, helping distribute over $1.2 million each year to Atlanta nonprofits supporting incredible organizations.
From that vantage point, I saw a pattern. Too many amazing organizations were missing the mark—not because their work wasn’t worthy, but because their grant strategy wasn’t strong enough. I saw it happen over and over:
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Rushing to apply without a clear plan or “why”
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Misreading what funders were actually asking
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Not meeting the level of detail and execution funders expect
I knew then what I know now: the game is strategy.
That’s why at Think and Ink Grant Consulting®, we don’t just write grants—we lead with strategy. We help our clients slow down, think deeply, and develop a tailored grant-seeking approach before the first word is written.
This is how we help organizations craft stronger, more competitive proposals—and secure the funding they need to continue their invaluable work.
It’s why our name says it all: we help you "think" strategically and then "ink" winning proposals. How we do it is summed up in our Think.Ink.FUND.® Framework.
Let’s create the strategy—and the proposals—that make funders say yes.
"Organization must 'think' strategically about grant proposals before they 'ink' if they want to be successful."
- Shavonn Richardson, MBA, GPC
LET'S CREATE SOMETHING AMAZING
My Bio
Shavonn Richardson, MBA, GPC
Founder and CEO, Think and Ink Grants ®
Shavonn has over 20 years of experience as a grant writer, nonprofit leader, program manager, and federal grants reviewer. She started her career as Co-Founder of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Blue Flowers Org in 2014 after losing her grandfather to prostate cancer. Her work involved developing community solutions to address social determinants of health, patient advocacy, and advancing prostate cancer research. Shavonn also worked as a Corporate Social Responsibility Program Manager for a corporate foundation, where she helped distribute $1.3 million in grants and sponsorships to Atlanta nonprofits each year.
Now, as Founder and CEO at Think and Ink Grant Consulting, Shavonn and her team help organizations transform their grant-seeking strategies by providing customized, real-world solutions to "think" through grant-seeking and "ink" competitive proposals.
"Learn to do good. Seek justice. Relieve the oppressed."
Isaiah 1:17
Shavonn holds a Grant Professional Certified (GPC) credential - an achievement earned by fewer than 1,000 grant professionals nationwide. Administered by the Grant Professionals Certification Institute (GPCI), the GPC certification is based on rigorous standards and ongoing research to meet the real-world demands of grant professionals. GPC-credentialed grant professionals demonstrate excellence in the grants profession. She is a Grant Professionals Association (GPA) Approved Trainer, demonstrating a grant professional skillset as well-prepared, credible, and skilled in helping people build their grant knowledge base. Shavonn is also a Forbes-published author, speaker, and industry voice on LinkedIn through her bi-weekly newsletter, Get.Grants.Better.®
As a Certified B Corp, Shavonn leads Think and Ink Grant Consulting® to meet the high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. She actively balances profit with purpose, considering the impact of decisions on workers, customers, suppliers, the community, and the environment. Think and Ink Grant Consulting® is a GPCI (Grant Professionals Certification Institute)-Approved Education Provider offering, Get.Grants.Better.®, our educational subsidiary, supports emerging leaders who lack access to high-quality professional support. Furthering her commitment as a Certified B Corp, she creates and contributes to the community, and her firm is a member of Independent Sector and House ATL.
Shavonn is the immediate past national President of the Grant Professionals Association (GPA), and is committed to advancing the industry as an industry thought leader and a GPCI Endorsed Employer. She is a Sustainer member of the Junior League of Atlanta, and a member of Jack and Jill of America. In 2017, she was recognized as an Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Diversity Fellow. In 2023, she received the "Business Women to Watch" Award from the Atlanta Business League.
Shavonn earned an MBA in Finance from Emory University in Atlanta, GA, and a BBA from Howard University in Washington, DC. She resides in Atlanta, GA, with her husband and two children.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/shavonnrichardson
Website: www.thinkandinkgrants.com
