I believe storytelling changes people. I believe stories change the world.
My story? I am a Southside Chicago native who has been writing since I was six years old. I started writing to escape a world shaped by racism, poverty, and sexism. By most accounts my story should have had a much different outcome. But prose and problem-solving are where I excel and I engaged both to rewrite my own narrative. I have spent my career working to realize a world where no one is forced to have their story dictated by violence and oppression.
To that end, for the last 15 years I have been helping organizations tell the stories of their work in creative and compelling ways. Those efforts have secured tens of millions in grant revenue for organizations in pursuit of equity, justice, and liberation.
My fundraising story?
- I’ve raised over $50 million in grant revenue across a variety of program area (racial justice, gender justice, health justice, economic justice, reproductive justice, disability justice, and abolition).
- I consistently win six and seven-figure awards from the nation’s largest funders
- I have a 100% rate of award for federal grants I’ve written (up to seven figures)
- I have developed and refined successful foundation fundraising systems for orgs of all budget sizes (local, state and national)
None of this is entirely altruistic. I do this work in part because the lives of the people who look, live, and love, like me depend on it. My input and outcomes will always reflect that.
In solidarity,
Kehinde
ulosgroup.com 