Portfolio

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

“We are highly satisfied with Allison; we are a very nuanced organization and Allison has helped us tremendously by taking on and learning some highly technical pieces of our work that many never grasp. Her key ability is asking for guidance in areas she feels she isn’t yet versed in; this quality makes her extremely reliable and trustworthy with a wide range of subjects. Allison has shown a level-headed, holistic mindset that prioritizes analytical thinking and uses a data-/metric-oriented approach, qualities as rare as they are essential in this field. We look forward to continued work with Allison, building our organizational messaging and making us stronger.” ~ Andrew Gunther, Executive Director, A Greener World

“I consider Allison a valuable partner in growing and refining our organization and approach. She is savvy, respectful, deadline-oriented, a planner, grounded in facts, data, and concrete results — and is also a pleasure to work with.” ~ Emily Moose, Director of Communications & Outreach, A Greener World

“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, Executive Director, The Food Group

“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

Funded Projects: The projects below resulted from unique program designs and applications I developed for USDA grant programs:

Community Food Leaders Program

SNAP Incentives in North Minneapolis

Conservation Innovation in Minnesota

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

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:

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.