Founder & Principal Consultant
Connect on LinkedInI founded Poppy Philanthropy Studio after nearly a decade inside nonprofits managing complex, multi-million dollar funding portfolios across government, foundation, and corporate sources.
I didn't start as a grant writer who later learned about compliance. I built my career managing the operational complexity of grants: contracts, compliance, audits, reporting. That operational lens is now central to every proposal I write and every funding strategy I develop.
When I write a proposal, I'm thinking about what happens after the award. Can your team deliver what's promised? Does your budget reflect real costs? Will your systems support the reporting requirements? These aren't afterthoughts. They're central to sustainable funding.
I partner with mission-driven organizations to build strategic, sustainable funding systems that last.
In addition to my in-house roles, I have provided institutional fundraising consulting to multiple nonprofit organizations on a contract basis, supporting grant strategy, proposal development, compliance, and funder relationship management for clients across California and nationwide.
When clients need expertise beyond institutional fundraising, I connect them with a network of studio partners across legal, communications, digital marketing, and more.
Manager, Partnerships & Grants
Corporate partnerships, sponsorships, and grant development to advance NorCalBDF's strategic plan and grow sustainable revenue.
Manager of Development Partnerships
Institutional fundraising and grant operations across California and Nevada for the nation's largest Planned Parenthood affiliate.
Executive Administration through Director of Contracts & Compliance
Collaborated on building and led the Contracts and Compliance Department, managing a multi-million dollar portfolio of 60+ government, foundation, and corporate awards.
Membership Finance Director
Statewide membership programming, grant writing, fundraising strategy, and financial compliance.
Senior Associate
Public relations, communications, marketing, corporate grant proposals, advertising, strategic planning, and consulting for nonprofits, campaigns, elected officials, and entertainment entities.
Master of Public Affairs
University of San Francisco
Bachelor of Arts, Political, Legal & Economic Analysis
Mills College (Minor: History)
Palenque, Cartagena, Colombia
When I'm not building funding strategies, I'm exploring the world. This was taken in Palenque, the first free town in the Americas, just outside Cartagena, Colombia. Travel shapes how I see community, resilience, and what it means to build something that lasts.
A sample of the government agencies, foundations, and corporate partners I've worked with across my career.
Government
Foundation
Corporate
Select Project Highlights
Three independent regional cultivation strategies, each requiring distinct approaches. One region involved rebuilding a lapsed pre-pandemic relationship from scratch. Two others were cold outreach during a political climate where many corporate funders were stepping back from reproductive health funding. The work was cultivation: getting in the room, staying in the room, and giving each team a reason to say yes when the easier answer was to wait. Post-award, I stewarded each relationship through reporting and renewal. Invited to apply for all three.
A new program and a new funding source with no existing narrative to build from. The clinical nature of trauma recovery services required language I had not written before. I worked closely with clinicians and psychologists on staff to understand the program model, the therapeutic approach, and the population being served. I had to learn their language, earn their trust, and translate highly clinical concepts into a government proposal without losing the precision the program model demanded. Awarded a six-figure grant.
Secured $20,000 in corporate funding for a new nonprofit in the arts and culture sector through strategic stewardship and relationship cultivation.
What People Are Saying
"If your organization is serious about funding its mission, Charlette will find a way to make it happen. Her determination to secure resources for underserved populations is unwavering."
Malik M., M.Ed.
Youth Education Leader
"Charlette has a rare ability to build funder relationships that don't just open doors once. They keep opening them. Her instinct for identifying new funding streams, even when the path isn't obvious, sets her apart."
Ayana C., MPA
Workforce Program/Financial Analyst | Former Nonprofit Program Director
Studio Partners
Specialized expertise, available by referral.
Legal, communications, digital marketing, and more. When your needs go beyond institutional fundraising, Poppy connects you with trusted professionals.
In my spare time you'll find me at barre, somewhere international, or exploring vintage finds with Bela by my side.
