3-part series: Getting your organization grant-ready
Getting grant funding isn’t just about writing a great proposal—it’s about making sure your organization is truly grant-ready from the start. That’s why FreeWill and Grant Ready Kentucky teamed up to create a three-part webinar series designed to help your nonprofit build a strong foundation for grant success.
In these 90-minute sessions, hosted by Melissa Vermillion, Chief Strategy Officer at Grant Ready Kentucky, participants learned how to assess their organization's grant readiness, craft a compelling case for funding, and develop a rock-solid implementation plan.
While this initial series is over, we invite you to complete the form on this page to receive invites to future webinars and sessions!
Below is an overview of each of the sessions that were covered as part of the series.
Session 1: Are You Grant Ready?
Winning grants isn’t just about writing a strong proposal—it’s about making sure your organization is truly grant-ready. In this session, we walked through the key elements nonprofits need to set themselves up for success, from identifying funding needs and assessing eligibility to building a strong team and gathering the right documentation. We also covered how to manage grants after they’re awarded, including financial tracking, reporting, and compliance.
Session 2: Granting Your Wishes
A great idea isn’t enough—you need a clear, structured plan to bring it to life. This session broke down how to create a strong grant implementation plan that sets your nonprofit up for success. We covered how to craft clear goals, set measurable objectives, and define the impact of your work to reassure funders that your project is both feasible and meaningful. Participants also learned how logic models can help you map out your plan, making it easier to communicate your vision to funders.
Session 3: Crafting a Compelling Needs Statement
Your needs statement is one of the most important parts of your grant application—it’s where you make the case for why your project matters. In this session, we walked through how to craft a compelling and data-driven needs statement that grabs funders’ attention. We also covered common mistakes, like being too vague or focusing only on organizational needs instead of community impact.
About Melissa Vermillion
Melissa Vermillion is the Chief Strategy Officer at Grant Ready Kentucky, a nonprofit committed to enhancing grant readiness and capacity-building across the Commonwealth. With a rich background in higher education and community services, Melissa has dedicated over 14 years to Hazard Community and Technical College, where she served as Director of Grants and Contracts and Dean of Institutional Effectiveness Planning and Research.
An educator in grant writing since 2016, Melissa is among only 12 individuals in Kentucky to earn the Grant Professional Certification from the Grant Professionals Certification Institute, marking her as a pioneer within the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS). Her ability to secure funding is demonstrated by her success in obtaining almost $50 million through federal, state, and private foundation grants.
Before her tenure at the college, Melissa was the Director for Aging Programs in Perry County, where she significantly increased program funding, tripling resources through her grant writing and fundraising efforts. She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and an MBA from Morehead State University and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Adult and Higher Education at the same institution. Melissa has been married to Kevin Vermillion for 36 years and is a proud mother to two adult children, Rebekah and Alex. Her extensive experience and dedication continue to drive her commitment to advancing grant readiness and resource accessibility for under-resourced organizations throughout Kentucky.