This episode, Jen Bowen explains how to become a freelance grant writer, get grant writing clients and secure your first grants.
Jen Bowen is a member of the Freelance Grant Writer Academy and successfully transitioned in her career to become a full-time freelance grant writer.
Jen joins us to discuss everything she’s learned about freelance grant writing, how the academy helped her progress in her grant writing skills, and the different grant writing support systems available in the academy.
She also talks about why she changed career to become a freelance grant writer, how grant writing has affected her life, and the benefits of being a freelance grant writer.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
- How to become a freelance grant writer.
- Securing your first grant and onboarding your first grant writing clients.
- How to pivot your career towards grant writing.
- How fulfilling it is being a freelance grant writer.
- Resources to help you get your first grant writing clients.
- The support systems in the freelance grant writing academy.
- The power of having a grant writing support system.
- The community of grant writers in the freelance grant writing academy.
About Jen Bowen
Jen Bowen, with 25 years of experience at HBO, most recently served as Senior VP of Worldwide Content Sales, selling iconic Original Programming globally.
While she loved the creativity and storytelling she was surrounded by, her motivation to continually take on new challenges and contribute more meaningfully to society for the second half of her career led to a career pivot.
She began immersing herself in the nonprofit world, including becoming Board Chair for Chance 2 Dance, an inclusive and accommodating dance studio for students of varying physical and cognitive abilities. The passion and creativity of nonprofits fueled her, but having an inside look into nonprofits, she quickly realized that the chaos of the nonprofit world could benefit from some of the structure of corporate organizations.
With an education in journalism and a passion for writing and research, Jen chose to capitalize on her diverse skill set by specializing in grant writing. Her extensive experience in sales at HBO honed her skills for crafting compelling pitches, as well as listening to clients’ needs and figuring out the best approach to collaborate. Jen’s goal is to connect funders seeking to make a positive impact with nonprofits poised to leverage their support for transformative change.
With a blend of corporate acumen and a heart for social impact, Jen Bowen is dedicated to bridging the gap between profit and purpose, creating a lasting legacy of positive change.
Connect with Jen Bowen:
Quotables:
- “I experimented with my first grants and I was amazed that it did really well and we ended up winning the grant for two hundred thousand dollars.”
- “I’m only going to do it for companies I feel connected to.”
- “There’s so much work to go around and it doesn’t feel competitive. Every single grant writer I talked to just wants to help other grant writers.”
Resources mentioned in this episode:
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