Bio

For more than ten years, Elaine Gast Fawcett has worked as a writer and communications consultant for grantmakers, nonprofits, philanthropy associations, and social- and environmentally conscious businesses and individuals. A published author of seven books for grantmakers, Elaine has educated philanthropists nationwide on governance, management, strategies and more. She has provided pivotal needs assessments, analysis and evaluation on statewide grantmaking initiatives. She has also helped foundations manage the grant process from start to finish – designing request for proposals and grant guidelines, reviewing proposals and conducting due diligence, designing funding formulas and overseeing payment processes, reviewing grant reports and evaluating results.

Elaine has presented training sessions and panels at national philanthropy conferences, and planned events on a national and state level. She has crafted marketing, ad and web copy, and prepared reports, articles and newsletters for national distribution. She has also worked extensively with the media—coordinating news conferences, preparing press kits, and writing and distributing news releases. In addition, she has researched and written numerous grants and government contracts for nonprofit organizations, private businesses and individuals.

Elaine holds a Masters in Professional Writing from Towson University in Baltimore, and a Certificate in Nonfiction from Charles University in Prague. In 2005, she served as a travel writer for Fodor’s Travel Publications. She has published articles in a number of national magazines and local newspapers, and is a member of the National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers.

As a volunteer, Elaine serves as project director for Voices of the Earth: An Interview Project of the Earth Medicine Alliance, an online media interview series featuring elders and community leaders who engage in earth-honoring ways. She engages regularly with local community groups, as well as abroad. In 2009, she traveled to Tibet to participate in a service project with a local orphanage there.

Elaine lives in the Palo Alto area of San Francisco Bay – Silicon Valley (Menlo Park to be exact). She travels on request and offers her services nationwide. When away from her laptop, Elaine is a certified yoga instructor and certified natural foods chef. She founded Fruition Organic Catering and co-founded Ocean Oasis Retreats. Along with her husband Ted and shiba inu Rogue, she enjoys traveling, hiking, biking, and adventures of every kind.