About
Our Team
Dr. Ginny Blankenship, CFRE
Ginny is Founder and Lead Strategist of Lightmaker Grants & Strategy (formerly the Blankenship Group, LLC). Her magic power is using the right words to raise money, advocate for good people and causes, and get things done.
Ginny has over 20 years of experience working with nonprofits, schools, universities, and federal and state governments. She began her career as a communications director in the U.S. Congress during 9/11. After falling in love with education policy, she was awarded a fellowship to complete her doctorate at the George Washington University.
Since then, she has led advocacy campaigns and raised over $9 million for schools and nonprofit organizations across the country. As a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), she is one of the few nonprofit pros to have reached the highest credential in the field. She leads one of the only agencies in the country that specializes in grant writing for education, youth, and workforce development programs.
Our Results
A few of our grant wins include:
Alliance for Early Success
Annie E. Casey Foundation
Arkansas Black Hall of Fame
Arkansas Community Foundation
Arkansas Department of Commerce
Arkansas Department of Education
Charles A. Freuauff Foundation
Charter School Growth Fund
Dollar General Literacy Foundation
First Book
JPMorgan Chase Foundation
Kinder Morgan Foundation
KIPP Foundation
Louis Calder Foundation
Mary Alice Fortin Foundation
Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation
Roy & Christine Sturgis Charitable Trust
THEA Foundation
Walmart Foundation
Walton Family Foundation
Windgate Charitable Foundation
Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation
U.S. Department of Education
U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Program
