Briana (she/her/hers) has more than 15 years of experience working and volunteering in the nonprofit sector. In 2013, Briana shifted her professional focus from in-house fundraising to grant writing as an independent consultant, later co-founding Brightspot in 2018. Her diverse experiences in the sector, continue to inform how she collaboratively and compassionately works with her grant clients.

Acknowledging that there is much more to an effective grant program than the actual writing, Briana’s practice now focuses on full management of her clients’ grant programs (prospecting, grant writing, grant reporting, general grant program organization, advisory around annual grant program budgeting, and counsel around foundation stewardship and cultivation). Briana also offers funder scans to organizations with internal capacity to carry the grant writing forward.

Briana approaches her work with the intent to provide non-burdensome capacity and expertise to her clients, so they can focus more intently on their missions. In addition to direct client work, Briana occasionally provides grant writing workshops for the nonprofit community.

Education: B.A., Sociology, Bowdoin College

When not working: Briana lives in Kittery, Maine with her son, Max, and golden retriever, Willow. Her favorite pastimes include playing tennis and pickleball, running, enjoying the Seacoast’s culinary hotspots with friends, meditation, and spending time with family in her hometown of Sorrento, Maine. Briana is a big proponent of self-care and, together with her colleagues, is dedicated to an awareness around work-life balance. Briana is a current board member of Hospice Help Foundation and The Sorrento Library; and is a former member and Past President of the Seacoast Rotary Club in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.