Grant Strategy Case Study, Johanna St. John
Urban Oak Initiative, a Georgia-based nonprofit dedicated to transforming community food systems, approached Resurgens Impact Consulting (RIC) in early 2025 to strengthen its grant-readiness and long-term funding strategy. As a growing organization with a visionary model for food justice, health equity, and economic opportunity, Urban Oak had already demonstrated early success in securing key grants. However, with its programs still in their early stages, the organization faced a pressing challenge: securing the startup capital needed to bring its ambitious plans to life and build a bridge toward long-term sustainability through earned revenue.
To build on this early momentum and prepare for larger-scale funding, Urban Oak engaged RIC to assess and elevate its overall grant strategy. Led by Grant Consultant Johanna St. John, RIC conducted a comprehensive grant readiness and strategic funding analysis that included an in-depth organizational assessment. This review examined Urban Oak’s internal infrastructure, impact measurement systems, and funder relationship management capacity—among other key factors—to identify both organizational strengths and priority areas for investment and growth.
In addition to the organizational assessment, RIC completed a digital competitiveness analysis to evaluate how Urban Oak’s online presence aligned with funder expectations and public engagement best practices. The project also included targeted prospect research that identified 30 highly aligned funding opportunities, prioritized by fit, timing, and strategic value. The partnership produced clear, actionable insights and a step-by-step roadmap for strengthening Urban Oak’s positioning as a competitive, data-informed, and funder-ready organization.
Since the engagement, Urban Oak has already implemented several recommendations, including refining its digital storytelling and applying to multiple grant opportunities surfaced through the strategy report, with outcomes pending. Most importantly, the engagement empowered the organization with a focused action plan—clarifying which strategies to prioritize for maximum impact, when to pursue new opportunities, and how to communicate the high social and economic return of its work.
This project illustrates how RIC helps emerging organizations transform short-term grant momentum into long-term capacity building. By coupling analysis with strategy, RIC enables vision-driven nonprofits like Urban Oak to build the strong operational foundations needed to sustain and scale their impact.
