Services

Your mission is too important to be held back by navigable obstacles.

I partner with nonprofits and mission-driven organizations to break through strategic, operational, and funding challenges — with solutions built around your specific situation, not from cookie-cutter templates.

Your unique challenges get right-sized fixes from 25+ years of local and global expertise.

Let me help you focus on your mission while I clear the path.

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Does this sound like your organization?

Your board is stuck

You need an actionable strategic plan your board will actually follow — not a document that sits on a shelf.

Your team isn't working as one

Staff have the skills but not the alignment. Training and coaching can build the shared language, trust, and working rhythms that turn a group of people into a real team.

Public funds feels out of reach

Federal, state, or local funding could transform your capacity — but navigating the applications, compliance, and reporting feels overwhelming.

You need leadership — now

A key role is vacant and you can't wait months to hire. You need an experienced hand in the interim.

Grants keep slipping away

Your programs are strong, but you're not winning the funding they deserve. That needs to change.

A project needs an owner

You have an initiative that needs full-cycle management but not a permanent new staffer.

How can I help your organization?

Strategic planning cycle

Leadership & strategy

Your organization has outgrown its last plan — or never had a real one.

I work with boards and executive teams to build strategic plans that are actionable, not decorative. That means honest assessments, prioritized goals, and clear accountability — so your leadership is rowing in the same direction.

Strategic planning · Board development & training · Organizational assessments · Change management · Advocacy strategy

Program design, grant writing & government funding

You have strong programs — but you're not winning the funding they deserve, including government contracts and public dollars.

I help organizations design programs that funders want to support and tell their story in a way that wins grants — from private foundations to federal, state, and local government sources. And when you do win, I help you manage the compliance, reporting, and administration that comes with it so the funding stays and your team doesn't burn out.

Program design · Grant & proposal writing · Government contracts & RFPs · Fractional grants administration · Compliance & reporting · Communications planning

Government funding — what I can help with

Attracting government funds — Federal, state & local grant applications; RFP responses; government contract proposals
Managing active awards — Compliance oversight, progress reporting, budget management, grant closeout
Building internal capacity — Training staff on grants administration, setting up tracking systems, developing policies
Navigating relationships — Government agency communication, site visit preparation, funder relationship management

photo credit: Emilio Albertini photography

Coaching & team development

Your staff have the skills — but not the shared language, trust, or working rhythms to function as a real team.

I work with nonprofit teams and staff at all levels to build the cohesion, communication, and capacity they need to do their best work together. Whether your team has grown quickly, gone through leadership changes, or simply developed friction over time, coaching and structured training can reset the dynamic and get everyone pulling in the same direction.

Team coaching & facilitation · Staff training & development · Organizational culture · Capacity building

Project, fractional & interim management

You need experienced leadership now — without a permanent hire.

Some projects need a dedicated owner. Some organizations need a steady hand in the gap between leaders. I step in as a true partner — managing the work, keeping things moving, and leaving you better organized than I found you.

Full-cycle project management · Grants administration · Interim executive leadership · Fractional program director

About Annisa

Annisa Wanat has 25+ years of experience working with mission-driven organizations around the globe. She designed programs and managed teams to support community economic development, public policy advocacy, civic education and engagement, local governance strengthening, and community organizing.

Annisa sits on the board of the Association of Consultants to Nonprofits and is a member of both the Grant Professionals Association and Forefront.

She is a writer, travel junkie, and democracy geek. Politics and the World Cup are her favorite sports.

25+

years with

mission-driven organizations

Global

Eastern Europe. Afghanistan, South Sudan & FSU

Local

Deep roots in the Quad Cities and Chicago

Technical Expertise

Community economic development — Local economies, small business ecosystems, neighborhood revitalization
Civic education & organizing — Issue advocacy, political organizing, voter engagement, democracy programs
Local governance — Government strengthening, public policy, institutional capacity building

Check out my LinkedIn for a detailed resume

See how I can help →

Start Your Custom Plan →

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