GRANT CONSULTING & PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS
Services for Mission-Driven Organizations
I help non-profits, foundations, grant-makers, local governments, economic and community development organizations, human and social services providers, and consulting firms generate actionable evidence, strengthen program performance, and improve learning and decision-making. My work is grounded in methodological rigor, clear communication, and a deep understanding of the policy, social, and human contexts in which programs operate. My services integrate sound methodological expertise with a commitment to local context, ensuring that every program design, evaluation, or grant leads to measurable, sustainable results.
How I help you
GRANT LIFECYCLE
Support across the full lifecycle of a grant — finding the right funders, writing proposals that win, and managing awards so they stay compliant through closeout.
Grant Prospect Research & Funding Strategy
(Pre-award) Identify and prioritize the funders that genuinely fit your mission, capacity, and track record — before you spend months on proposals that were never going to land. Includes federal, state, local, and private/foundation sources, with a realistic assessment of what you’re competitive for. Deliverable: a ranked funder list and a funding strategy and calendar.
Proposal Development / Grant Writing
(Pre-award) Competitive proposals built the way funders expect: a clear statement of need, sound program design, theory of change, logic model, budget, and evaluation plan. I write the proposal and work with your team to make the case evidence-based rather than aspirational. Deliverable: a submission-ready proposal or concept note.
Grants Management & Compliance
(Post-award) Winning the grant is half the work; keeping it is the other half. I set up and run awarded grants—reporting calendars, funder communications, compliance requirements, subrecipient monitoring, and closeout—so nothing is missed, and your next application isn’t undermined by this one. Deliverable: reporting and compliance systems, and ongoing grant management.
PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS
Independent evidence about whether your programs work — evaluation, measurement systems, and the needs assessments that justify new initiatives.
Program Evaluation
(Mid-cycle / Post-award) An independent assessment of how your program is working, or whether it worked — formative (strengthen a program in progress), process (is it being delivered as intended), or summative/outcome (what it achieved and whether results last). Mixed methods: interviews, surveys, focus groups, site visits, and document/data review. Deliverable: a comprehensive evaluation report with findings, practical recommendations, and an action plan.
M&E Systems Design
The capacity to measure results yourself, so you’re not commissioning a study every time a funder asks. I build monitoring and evaluation frameworks, key performance indicators, data-collection tools, and tracking dashboards, and coach your staff to run them. Deliverable: a customized M&E framework, indicator tracking matrix, and staff coaching.
Needs & Feasibility Assessment
Evidence gathered before you launch or fund: what your community really needs, and whether a proposed program is warranted and workable. Interviews, surveys, and focus groups conducted directly in English and/or Spanish. Includes Community Health Needs Assessments for health organizations. Deliverable: a data-driven needs assessment or feasibility study with recommendations.
STRATEGY & PROGRAM DESIGN
Facilitated planning and program design that turn intentions into a plan your team can act on — and measure.
Strategic Planning & Facilitation
Facilitated planning grounded in evidence rather than opinion — board retreats, staff and stakeholder sessions, environmental scanning, and goal setting. Most strategic planning gathers what the room already thinks; mine starts with what your data and your community actually show. Deliverable: a multi-year strategic plan and implementation roadmap.
Program & Project Design
Design programs and projects that are ready to fund, implement, and measure — theory of change, logic models, work plans, and performance indicators, backed by certified project management practice (PMP®). Deliverable: a fully designed program and implementation plan.
Who I work with
- Foundations and grantmakers — evaluation of grantees or portfolios · M&E systems · community needs assessments.
- Nonprofits — proposal development · grants management and compliance · program evaluation · strategic planning.
- Health organizations and FQHCs — Community Health Needs Assessments · outcome evaluation · grants compliance.
- Education organizations and higher education — program evaluation and applied research · needs and feasibility studies · proposal support.
- Local government and economic development — needs assessments · evaluation of workforce and economic programs · strategic planning
- International development organizations — team leadership on performance and final evaluations, monitoring, and applied research (see my Experience page)
How I work
- You work with me, not a team you never meet. Every engagement is delivered personally. The senior person who scopes your project is the one who conducts the interviews, analyzes the data, and writes the report.
- I price by the project, not by the hour. You know the cost before we start, and you are not billed for my learning curve. Engaging me per project gives you senior, independent expertise exactly when you need it, at a fraction of the cost of a full-time in-house grant writer or evaluator.
- I use AI responsibly, and it lowers your cost. AI accelerates analysis, drafting, and reporting in my work. It never replaces judgment, and I remain accountable for every finding and recommendation. (Applied Generative AI certificate, Johns Hopkins University.)
- I work in English and Spanish. I conduct interviews, surveys, and focus groups directly in Spanish — reaching the communities your programs serve, without a translator in the middle.
- I tell you what I find. I work alongside your team, not above it, and I report honestly — whether the findings are flattering or not. That is what makes an independent assessment worth commissioning.
Servicios en Español
Luis Bernal Consulting, ofrece servicios en español para apoyar a instituciones sin fines de lucro y organizaciones sociales/communitarias que prefieren comunicarse en su idioma nativo. Nos especializamos en la redacción de propuestas de subvenciones, informes y evaluaciones de programas, asegurando que nuestros clientes hispanohablantes reciban el mismo nivel de excelencia y atención al detalle. No dude en ponerse en contacto con nosotros para discutir cómo podemos ayudarle a alcanzar sus objetivos.
Let’s talk about what you’re trying to achieve
Whether you need to find funding, strengthen a proposal, manage an award, or find out whether a program is working, the first conversation is free and carries no obligation.
If I’m not the right person for your project, I’ll tell you — and where I can, I’ll point you to someone who is.