Professional background · writing runs through it

The experience behind the work.

My work brings together grant leadership, independent proposal development, nonprofit fundraising, journalism, and evidence-led research.

Career history

Where have I done this work?

My roles move between the close work of research and writing and the larger grant system around an application.

I do not present confidential proposals or organization-owned writing as portfolio samples without permission.

Oct 2018–May 2026

Grants Manager

People’s Self-Help Housing · San Luis Obispo, California

I led the grants function for supportive services at an affordable-housing nonprofit. The work spanned government, private-foundation, and corporate funding, competitive public procurement, grant budgets, reporting, and program-data analysis.

Responsibilities and disciplines

Funding research, evidence development, proposals, budgets, reporting, program-data analysis, staff coordination, funder strategy, compliance, and supervision or mentoring of grant writers.

May 2013–May 2018

Grants Consultant

Independent practice · various locations

I led discovery, research, stakeholder interviews, proposal development, grant calendars, submission, and reporting across health sciences, higher education, and community-serving institutions.

One documented example

For Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences, I conducted the literature review and worked directly with a university dean on a successful HRSA proposal supporting medical residencies in rural communities. The award amount is not presented here because the exact award date still needs confirmation.

Jan 2016–Mar 2018

Consultant

The Ostara Group · Seattle, Washington

I worked within a small-firm capacity-building consultancy serving nonprofits, carried multiple concurrent grant calendars, and contributed to grants and development strategy.

What the role added

Experience alongside specialists in grants, individual giving, events, evaluation, capital-campaign strategy, donor stewardship, and major-gift cultivation.

1996–1998

Writer, then Editor

Perfect World · Anchorage Daily News · Anchorage, Alaska

I wrote published copy for a weekly two-page section and advanced to overseeing selection, structure, and editorial review.

2002

BA, Creative Writing

University of Redlands Johnston Center · nonfiction emphasis

A formal foundation in observation, structure, revision, and writing for readers—disciplines that continue through the grants work.

Grant practice in concrete terms

What has the work required?

Research, proposal writing, budgets, reporting, funder analysis, compliance, and coordination are connected parts of the same grants function.

Build the case once; keep improving it

I developed a master case for support so verified facts, citations, program descriptions, and new proposal language could be maintained and reused rather than reconstructed at every deadline.

Work across funding systems

My experience includes government, foundation, corporate, and competitive procurement work, including administration of multiple Community Development Block Grant awards.

Learn the subject well enough to write it

I have developed funding cases in affordable housing, supportive services, health sciences, higher education, youth education, and other community-serving work.

June Eastham · authored work

The Fundraising Compass

Typographic presentation · not a reproduced cover

A public workbook · released March 2025

How can a nonprofit plan before urgency makes the decisions?

I wrote The Fundraising Compass for fundraisers, executives, board members, and program leaders examining funding disruption, service demand, organizational knowledge, and practical options under uncertainty.

The full manuscript includes organizational assessment, networks of support, revenue strategies, program evidence, ethical storytelling, contingency planning, and capacity. Its questions and worksheets are designed to turn scattered knowledge into a shared planning baseline.

Look back

What did a past funding disruption reveal about the organization?

Look across

What could partners do together that one organization cannot sustain alone?

Look ahead

Which services are most exposed, and what decisions can be made early?

This is a typographic title presentation, not an invented cover. The downloadable file is an unchanged copy of the v1.1 source manuscript.

Other authored work

What else have I written?

My writing includes public-facing work and organization-owned material beyond grant applications.

Annual report contributions

I wrote the grants section of People’s Self-Help Housing’s annual report and contributed facts, figures, analysis, and copy to its donations section.

Newspaper writing & editing

I wrote for and later edited Perfect World, a weekly section of the Anchorage Daily News.

Only approved excerpts or links should be added here. This site does not reproduce organization-owned material or confidential proposals.