The Grantwriting In Valued Environments (G.I.V.E.) Project is a BTU Priority Investment within Towson University’s English Department’s undergraduate major and graduate professional writing program. G.I.V.E. teams up TU students with non-profit organizations in the Baltimore region to write and create content that will help the organization succeed in a competitive philanthropic economy. G.I.V.E. is embedded within TU undergraduate and graduate courses and offers internships and graduate assistantships.
G.I.V.E. participants have raised over $1 million in grants for non-profit organizations (NPOs) in the Baltimore area, and these experiences help students secure careers within the non-profit sector. Participating TU students have been hired as grant/proposal writers, project managers, and administrators by:
- Cal Ripken Foundation
- The CASH Campaign of Maryland
- Community College of Baltimore County
- Family Survivor Network
- FEi Systems
- Fly by Light
- The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation
- Johns Hopkins University
- Kittleson & Associates
- The Maryland Food Bank
- The National Center for Transgender Equality
- Parks & People Foundation
- Power52
- Safe Alternative Foundation for Education
- St. Vincent De Paul
- Towson University
- National Cancer Institute
- House of Ruth
G.I.V.E. students recently hired
Keala Travers ‘24, a family science major student, was hired as program manager at Neighborhood Companions, Inc., which offers transportation. companionship, and social services to older adults in Baltimore.
Kourtney Douglass, an English major, works as a grant writer at the House of Ruth Maryland, a non-profit organization that serves more than 600 women and children who are abused and homeless in Washington, D.C.
Justine Trybus ‘22, who studied English and marketing, received a position as grants management specialist at the National Cancer Institute, which coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health.
Hunter Wynne ‘24, a professional writing master’s student, is a grant specialist at St. Vincent de Paul. The organization is a leading provider of community services to people suffering from the effects of hunger, homelessness, and poverty in the Baltimore region.
Recent awards won by G.I.V.E. for area non-profits
- Neighborhood Companions, Inc. received $25,000 from the Leonard & Helen R. Stulman Charitable Foundation, due to the writings of Robin Konger (professional writing master’s student), Kelly Frazier, and Gianna Espinoza (accelerated BS English to professional writing master’s student). This will go towards organizing transportation programming for older adults in the Turner Station community.
- The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum (NGBIWM) was awarded $100,000 from the France-Merrick Foundation for renovations to the Bauernschmidt Mansion as part of the museum’s expansion project. This proposal was written by Robin Konger.
- The Northeast Towson Improvement Association (NeTIA) won a National Endowment for the Humanities grant, totaling $60,000, to develop a community archive with oral histories for Historic East Towson. This grant was written by Sam Park ‘24, a professional writing master’s student.
- The Northeast Towson Improvement Association (NeTIA) was awarded $10,000 by United Way and $25,000 by the National Parks Services for running a youth summer camp due to the writings of Shelby Cole (accelerated BS English to professional writing master’s student) and Jill Samaniego (BS English student).
- G.I.V.E. was awarded $150,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities to spearhead nonprofit undergraduate and graduate certificates.
Students learned valuable skills that will aid in their future careers, such as grantwriting, project management, building professional relationships, improving professional communications, and more. We are continuing to work with these organizations for spring 2025, and are grateful for the support BTU and Towson University give us!
