From Story to Strategy: Writing Fundable Grant Proposals Rooted in Community 

Description

Strong grant proposals do more than request funding; they clearly communicate community priorities, lived experience, and long-term impact. 

This interactive virtual training is designed for Tribal Nations, First Nations, and Indigenous-led organizations seeking to strengthen their grant writing skills while staying grounded in their values and sovereignty. Participants will learn how to craft compelling problem statements, design fundable programs, identify aligned funders, and build sustainable fundraising systems.

Through guided writing exercises and practical tools, participants will leave with draft proposal components and a clear next step for moving their funding strategy forward. 

Participants will learn

• To center community values and reframing deficit-based narratives.
• To integrate lived experience and data to write compelling need statements.
• To structure persuasive proposals and articulating a clear funding request.
• To connect activities, outcomes, and impact in a way funders understand.
• To write measurable objectives and strengthening impact language.
• To identify aligned funders, strengthening grant systems, and outlining clear next steps.

Who this is for

• Designed specifically for Tribal/First Nations governments, Indigenous-led nonprofits/NGOs, and Indigenous-focused conservation and environmental organizations.
• Wilburforce grantees and CLF/FGN Partners

Presenter Biography

Onawa Haynes, Esq., (Diné/Mescalero Apache) is the Founder and CEO of Hozhonigo Consulting, a Native woman-owned firm providing grant writing and strategic fundraising support to Tribal Nations and Native-led organizations. Through Hozhonigo Consulting, she partners with communities to secure federal, philanthropic, and private funding while ensuring proposals remain rooted in sovereignty, cultural values, and lived experience. 

A former public defender, Onawa brings a deep commitment to equity and access to her work. She saw firsthand how under-resourced Native communities were navigating complex systems without adequate support — and turned her love of writing into a vehicle for change. Today, she helps Tribal governments and Native organizations translate community priorities into compelling, fundable proposals that bring critical resources home. 

In addition to leading Hozhonigo Consulting, Onawa serves as President of the Hozhonigo Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on increasing equitable access to funding in Indian Country. She is also the founder of the Tribal Funding Registry, a software platform designed to help Tribes and Native-serving organizations more effectively track and pursue funding opportunities. 

Onawa’s work is grounded in the belief that communities closest to the challenges are also closest to the solutions — and that grant writing should strengthen sovereignty, not compromise it.