FUND DEVELOPMENT

What Is Fund Development?

Fund development is more than raising money—it’s the strategy and relationships that allow nonprofits to thrive. A strong program identifies funding opportunities, builds trust with donors and institutions, and creates systems that sustain growth over time.

At Lydia Sierra Consulting, we approach fund development as transformational. Our work combines research, cultivation, and proposal writing with the infrastructure needed to manage grants effectively—compliance, reporting, and storytelling. By treating it as a holistic, equity-driven process, we help organizations grow capacity, achieve stability, and focus on their mission with confidence.

Why hire a fund development team?

Building an in-house fund development team is costly and time-consuming. Even a small staff can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, with high turnover adding instability. For many organizations, fund development also consumes up to half of an Executive Director’s time, pulling focus from leadership.

LSC offers the expertise of a complete development department at a fraction of the cost. Our strategists, writers, and researchers identify opportunities, strengthen relationships, and manage grants from start to finish. By partnering with us, nonprofits gain a dedicated team committed to equity and sustainability, freeing leadership to focus on serving communities and advancing their mission.

Full-Service Fund Development

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At LSC, we don’t merely write and submit competitive proposals, we partner with organizations to build the systems and capacity necessary to win and effectively manage large funding contracts. With our signature, comprehensive fund development package, your organization will benefit from our team of experienced professionals, including a Development Director, Account Managers, Proposal Writers, Prospect Researchers, and Grant Management Specialists. We work as a cohesive team to take care of your fund development needs from A to Z, with the following services:

A thorough assessment allows LSC to customize a scope of work based on your needs. In addition to grant proposal development and submission, this might include pre-qualification in key government portals, organizational or program budget planning, Salesforce customization to strengthen grant management systems, and other services to help build organizational capacity over the short, medium, and long-term.

In addition to fund development strategy, our deeply experienced management team can offer input on program design, team management, and organizational systems to help you achieve sustainable growth. We empower grassroots leaders by providing solid guidance and mentoring on best practices, in addition to allyship, emotional support, and mentoring to help prevent burnout. 

We offer in-depth, targeted research to help your organization build a successful funding plan for future growth. After learning about your organization’s vision and funding priorities, we perform in-depth research, utilizing a variety of modalities and subscription-only databases to identify attainable funding prospects and create a successful annual grant calendar.

Based on our prospect research, we build an effective grants calendar for your organization. We prioritize attainable funding for your core work, support outreach to program officers, create warm connections, and help build your capacity and successfully compete for large, competitive funding opportunities.

We craft highly-tailored grant proposals that connect your vision to the funder’s vision and provide the greatest opportunity for success. Our writers work with your team to co-develop compelling language, supplemental materials that strengthen your requests, and budgets that tell your financial story to funders properly. Our experienced administrative team takes care of all pre-qualifications, packaging, and submission to ensure that applications are accepted without issue.

After you win an award, we still have you covered. We help you through the contract negotiation process, prep you for funder meetings and site visits, and keep on top of all funder requirements and renewal processes. Our team tracks reporting deadlines, helps you to write and submit required reports, and keeps your grants management system up to date.

LSC supports nonprofits with high-level organizational and programmatic budget development, forecasting, and analysis. We work with you to create budgets that tell your financial story to funders properly, provide guidance on systems and practices that allow you to manage complex contract funding, and work closely with your finance department to ensure proposed budgets fill your budget gaps to best advantage.

As your organization grows, we can provide enhanced services beyond fund development, including Salesforce customization and integration, executive coaching, individual donor campaigns, and monitoring & evaluation.

2021 – Present

FUNDS RAISED

Lydia Sierra Consulting is on a mission to raise $100M for historically underserved urban communities over the next ten years. With deep experience partnering with community-based organizations, cultural institutions, and advocacy groups LSC has a proven track record of securing transformative funding. We have won major government grants, national foundation awards, regional and corporate support, and resources from small family foundations. Our work helps clients expand their impact, strengthen capacity, and build thriving, resilient communities.

We are only just getting started!

Impact by the numbers

Raise the money you need to support your mission.

At LSC, we help grassroots nonprofit leaders become effective and confident fundraisers in their areas of expertise. We are proud that behind the dollars displayed is the dismantling of harmful systems and the promotion of social, racial, and economic justice in urban, under-resourced communities.

Government

$32.5M

$32.5M+ in government grants secured to advance equity, strengthen community institutions, and expand vital services.

Corporate

$1.3M

$1.3M+ in corporate grants secured for our clients to strengthen programs and expand community impact.

Foundation

$7.1M

$7.1M+ in foundation grants secured to fuel sustainability, innovation, and long-term impact for our clients.

Non Profit

$725K

$725K+ in nonprofit grants secured to strengthen partnerships and expand community-driven initiatives.

  • “Lydia Sierra Consulting has been a game-changer“

    “​​Partnering with Lydia Sierra Consulting has been a game-changer for Arts Ignite. Their team brings a unique blend of heart, strategy, and deep sector knowledge that has helped us sharpen our development approach and expand our reach.

    Thanks to their thoughtful guidance, we’ve uncovered new funding opportunities, deepened relationships with current funders, and been introduced to aligned grantmakers we may not have connected with otherwise. Their strategic support has not only enhanced our fundraising efforts—it’s also helped us tell our story with greater clarity and impact.

    We are so grateful for LSC’s partnership and look forward to continuing this important work together.”
    Lindsay Roberts Greene
    Executive Director, Arts Ignite
    • For a new client consultation or to discuss an annual contract, please email us at info@lydiasierraconsulting.com.