Guest Speaker: Brenda Noel

The Arts Administration program is proud to welcome Brenda Noel as a guest speaker in the Grant Writing class. Ms. Noel is a decades-long development professional, including managing the grant office for the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance and the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. She has applied for, received, and management numerous grants, including those to family, corporate, and government agencies. Ms. Noel started her own fundraising firm, Brenda Noel Consulting, to more effectively respond to sector challenges in the arts, social service, education, and women’s rights.

Ms. Noel discussed with AR 550 students the basics of grant writing entrepreneurism, including starting your own grant writing business, filing for an LLC, ethics, billing, best practices in working with clients, conflict of interest, staying relevant in a rapidly changing grant environment, and marketing yourself as an independent grant writer and consultant, including word of mouth and electronic strategies. Finally, Ms. Noel discussed the strategic alignment between a foundation’s mission and the organization’s mission, relationship building with program officers, and a topical overview of recent ethical challenges in philanthropy and grant writing.