Grant Writing & Stakeholder Engagement for Nonprofit

Challenge

Wonder Wood Ranch, a 501(c)(3) in Prunedale, California, provides equine therapy and nature-based programming for low-income, gang-impacted, homeless, and disabled youth across Monterey County. The organization serves approximately 1,000 youth annually through partnerships with local probation departments and youth programs. Leadership wanted to expand its TAILS Aftercare Program, a trauma-informed rehabilitation program serving youth transitioning back into the community, into additional cities across the region. To do that, Wonder Wood Ranch needed to grow its grant writing and administration capacity and build broader awareness and support for its programs among elected officials, government agencies, and community partners.

Approach

Wonder Wood Ranch retained CPRA Strategies on an ongoing basis to expand its grant writing and grant administration capability and to lead stakeholder engagement across the region.

On the grant writing side, we manage the full grant lifecycle, from identifying funding opportunities and coordinating pre-submission meetings with funders to developing program scopes, drafting narratives, preparing teams for interviews, and handling all post-award submissions and compliance.

On the stakeholder engagement side, we conducted outreach and held meetings with mayors, city managers, and city councilmembers for the cities of Salinas, King City, Greenfield, Gonzales, and Soledad. We also met with the Monterey County Board of Supervisors' office, the Monterey County Superintendent's office, California State Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas' office, State Senator John Laird's office, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren's office, the Monterey County Farm Bureau, Monterey County Workforce Investment Board, Hartnell College, and various other nonprofits and local government agencies. All of this outreach was designed to build awareness and support for Wonder Wood Ranch's programs and position the organization as a regional resource for youth services.

Result

Since our engagement, CPRA Strategies has secured $237,500 in competitive grant funding for Wonder Wood Ranch across four awards:

$150,000 from the California Natural Resources Agency through the Youth Community Access Grant Program, a statewide initiative expanding outdoor and cultural experiences for youth. The funding supports the expansion of the TAILS Aftercare Program into Greenfield, King City, Salinas, and Soledad, serving approximately 250 participants. The project runs through March 2027.

$50,000 from the City of Salinas through the Prevention and Wellness Grant, funding community services and programming for violence- and justice-system-impacted youth and their families.

$20,000 from the Central California Alliance for Health to expand the TAILS Program and engage Medi-Cal members in health promotion, disease prevention, and reducing disparities for underserved youth in Greenfield. The project runs through April 2026.

$17,500 from the California Arts Council through the Arts and Youth grant program, supporting arts-based programming for youth across Monterey County.

For an organization with an annual operating budget of approximately $280,000, the $237,500 in new grant funding represents a significant expansion of capacity, equivalent to roughly 85% of one year's revenue.