About our Nonprofit Grant Consultants
E&K Grants LLC is a mission-driven consulting business founded to strategically support nonprofit organizations’ grant writing and fundraising efforts, operated by co-owners Emma Jones, PhD and Kathleen Johnson, MPP.
Together, we bring 30 years of experience furthering the missions of social service and social justice nonprofit organizations. Combined, we've raised $40 million in grant funds, and we have implemented systems that significantly increased both efficiency and revenue at the organizations with whom we’ve worked.
Experience
While working together at Catholic Charities East Bay in Oakland in the 2010s, we honed our expertise in fund development, nonprofit operations and finance, executive management and resource allocation, designing and implementing grant writing and management systems, cross-departmental collaboration, and more. During this time, we used our combined skills in big-picture strategy, day-to-day operations, and quality assurance to drive successful outcomes, including:
Over a five-year period (2015-2020), we nearly doubled the agency’s grants revenue, with sustained growth from annual total grants revenue of $3.4M to $6M, and more than doubled the agency’s foundation grants revenue from $1M to $2.3M.
Designed, staffed, and led a full-scope Grants and Contracts Department from the ground up after significant organizational transition. This included creating all infrastructure: hiring staff; creating job descriptions, systems, and workflows; establishing data tracking and quality assurance systems; and implementing high-level strategy to achieve outcomes.
Designed and implemented streamlined custom Salesforce database for full-scope grants data tracking, project management, contracting, and post-award implementation/management.
Contributed critical grants fund development strategy and grant writing support to make lasting community resources possible through innovative public private funding partnerships:
Stand Together Contra Costa: https://standtogethercontracosta.org/
Keep Oakland Housed: https://www.keepoaklandhoused.org/
Drawing on this collaborative experience and these successes, along with each of our distinct backgrounds, we built E&K Grants as a vehicle to share our expertise and strategies with other social service and social justice-oriented nonprofit organizations. Check out the impacts we’ve achieved together as E&K Grants LLC!
Our Values
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We support equity- and justice-focused work.
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We write about communities, clients, and services in an accurate, respectful, and strengths-based manner.
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We tailor our approach to the client’s needs, goals, and unique voice.
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We deliver timely, organized, and comprehensive grant proposals of the highest quality.
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We ensure that all of our work is based in smart, efficient grants strategy and best practices.
Our Team
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Emma Jones
Co-Founder and Principal Consultant
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Emma earned a PhD in philosophy before entering the nonprofit sector and is the author of a 2023 book in feminist philosophy. She began her nonprofit career first as a volunteer crisis counselor and then as a full-time grant writer for nonprofits with a focus on family violence and trauma-informed therapeutic services. Emma has worked as a consultant for multiple nonprofit organizations since 2017. In addition to her deep experience in grant writing, fundraising, and leadership, Emma is also a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, bringing knowledge of mental health service delivery, trauma-informed care, and communication skills to her consulting work. View Emma’s resume here.
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Kathleen Manis Johnson
Co-Founder and Principal Consultant
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Kathleen is an experienced grant writer, editor, project manager, and nonprofit executive with a background in equity focused policy analysis and advocacy. Kathleen began her nonprofit career as a local and state level policy advocate and analyst focused on civil rights issues in education, before moving into institutional grants fundraising in 2016. Kathleen has worked as a grant writing, fundraising strategy, and editorial consultant since 2020. She received her BA from U.C. Berkeley in Communications and Political Science, and her Master of Public Policy degree from UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Policy. View Kathleen’s resume here.
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Samantha Gloss
Grant Writer
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Samantha Gloss joined E&K Grants in October 2025. Sam draws on 18 years of experience in nonprofit programs, government contracting, and education to create clear and compelling content. She has successfully launched new programs and secured significant funding, including multiple six-figure federal grants. Sam is particularly drawn to projects that advance physical and mental health, social equity, restorative justice, education, and connection with the great outdoors. She holds an M.A. in Teaching and a B.S. in English, with a concentration in writing.
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Grace Lovio
Grant Writer
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Grace Lovio joined E&K Grants in September 2025. For over a decade, Grace has partnered with nonprofit organizations — from the Bay Area to the European Union — to secure critical funding for education, gender justice, family services, and youth development initiatives. Grace’s work is grounded in a global, equity-centered perspective, informed by an MA in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action from Sciences Po Paris and a BA in Peace and Conflict Studies and French from U.C. Berkeley. Grace is bilingual in English and French.
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Katie Cording
Research Assistant
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Katie Cording joined E&K Grants in January 2025. Katie gained experience in writing, researching, and editing grants while completing her PhD in Neuroscience from U.C. Berkeley, which she received in 2024. After volunteering with a local harm reduction nonprofit for three years, Katie was interested in pursuing a career in nonprofit work following graduate school. In addition to her work at E&K Grants, Katie works at the Foundation Fighting Blindness as a Science Research Lead.
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Danielle Haley
Administrative Assistant
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Danielle Haley joined E&K Grants in August 2025, and has a background in event planning, marketing, and administrative support. Danielle brings a well-rounded skill set and a passion for helping small business owners thrive, with a deep dedication to her work and clients. She loves creating space for entrepreneurs to focus on what they do best.
Successful Government Proposals:
We have prepared successful applications to all levels of government, from local to state to federal, including:
Federal:
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
Office on Violence Against Women (OVW)
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
Office of Justice Programs (OJP)
Office on Victims of Crime (OVC)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)
Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
State of California:
CA Governor's Office of Emergency Services (CalOES)
CA Department of Public Health (CDPH)
CA Department of Social Services (CDSS)
CA Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC)
CA Department of Healthcare Services (DHCS)
Alameda County:
Social Services Agency (SSA)
General Services Agency (GSA)
Probation Department
Behavioral Health Department
Contra Costa County:
Employment and Human Services (EHSD)
Children and Family Services (CFS)
Public Defender’s Office
Probation Department
H3 Department
San Francisco County & City:
Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development
Department on the Status of Women
Grants for the Arts
City of Oakland
City of Richmond
City of San Pablo
City of Concord
City of Walnut Creek
City of Antioch
City of Pleasant Hill
Los Medanos Healthcare District
Successful Foundation Proposals:
We have successfully written grants to hundreds of private, corporate, community, and family foundations over the years, including donor-advised funds. A small selection of foundations for which we have written successful applications include:
Kaiser Permanente Foundation
Blue Shield of California Foundation
The California Endowment
William & Flora Hewlett Foundation
Walter & Elise Haas Fund
Evelyn & Walter Haas, Junior Foundation
William G. Irwin Foundation
Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative
Crankstart Foundation
Sunlight Giving
Monterey Peninsula Foundation
San Francisco Foundation
Richmond Community Foundation
Chevron Foundation
Western Digital Foundation
Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation
Wayne & Gladys Valley Foundation
Thomas J. Long Foundation