Past Projects

Leading a Workshop on Solving Community Food Problems with Federal Funding & Partnerships, Minneapolis, August 2017

“Allison made the USDA grant process go as smoothly as it could! I completely enjoyed working with her, and the grant she wrote for us was by far the best we’d ever seen from a consultant. I really appreciated how Allison worked to really understand our work and to make the best connection possible between our work and the funding opportunity. The grant was extremely well written and she handled all the details clearly and with grace.” ~ Cathryn Couch, Executive Director, Ceres Community Project

“Allison is a true professional and did a great job supporting us to submit a large USDA grant proposal. She managed the process, our staff, and helped us write and submit an amazing grant. I highly recommend her.” ~ Jim Slama, Executive Director, FamilyFarmed

“Allison is a great strategic thinker. She asks challenging questions and is fabulous at connecting program ideas to big picture concepts. In our work together, there were so many times that I left our discussions with new energy and perspective. I recommend her work highly.” ~ Sophia Lenarz-Coy, Associate Director, Hunger Solutions

“Allison’s expertise with numerous grant programs and ability to effectively navigate the strategic and detail-oriented aspects of writing successful grants has been a great asset for Urban Oasis. Allison is a consummate professional and a pleasure to work with.” ~ Tracy Sides, Executive Director, Urban Oasis

Current Project: National Technical Assistance on the USDA’s Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP)

I am serving as a key partner and technical advisor to New Entry Sustainable Farming Project and the USDA’s National Institute of Food & Agriculture (NIFA) to provide training and resources to new applicants to BFRDP. Resources we have developed and recordings of webinars offered to date can be found here. This project will continue for at least one more year with more webinars and workshops to come!

Funded Project: Farley Center and Peacefully Organic Produce

A proposal I wrote for the Farley Center, which included a veteran-owned farm as a partner (Peacefully Organic Produce, or POPs CSA) received funding in FY15 for a paid internship position for a veteran interested in learning organic vegetable farming. For the 2016 season, that intern is Crystal Colon. Here is a recent feature on her story that was aired on Wisconsin Public Television as part of the Veterans Coming Home program:

Funded Project: Urban Oasis

In FY15 a proposal I developed with the team at Urban Oasis was selected to be one of the first pilot projects in the country funded by the USDA’s new Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentives (FINI) program. The program design paired healthy cooking skills with financial incentives for fruit and vegetable purchases, using unique partnerships with a local, organic CSA (Big River Farms) and a locally-owned cooperative grocery store (Mississippi Market). Photos below are of recent cooking sessions at the Kitchen on the Bluff on the East Side of St. Paul.