What is Protea?

Protea is an AI-powered grant readiness platform designed to remove barriers for nonprofits, small businesses, and grant-dependent organizations by simplifying the grant-writing process, improving application success rates, and driving equitable access to funding.

The Origin Story

Protea was born out of a recurring problem I saw while working with clients: organizations weren’t grant ready. Many lacked the knowledge, processes, and tools to develop competitive grant applications, leaving critical funding on the table.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I learned of a heartbreaking story: an entity had surplus funding but couldn’t connect it with eligible applicants due to poor communication and outreach. Those who needed support the most—during a crisis—were left behind.

This is unacceptable.

To address this, I developed structured grant-writing prompts that became the foundation of Protea’s workspace templates. Over the past 8 months, these templates have been refined and proven to improve client success, including:

• A Texas-based organization that launched a fully funded artist residency program, submitted 3 grants, and established a nonprofit to expand their community impact.
• International traction with Greta, Your Grant Readiness Advisor GPT, who recently helped a community member in Poland secure a grant.

Protea isn’t just a tool—it’s a solution to connect untapped funding with the organizations that need it most.

The Problem

Each year, billions of dollars in grant funding go unused while organizations struggle to compete due to:

• Complexity: Writing a competitive grant takes an average of 80+ hours.
• Funding Inequity: Minority-led nonprofits receive only 4% of foundation funding.
• Capacity Gaps: Small nonprofits and businesses lack the staff, tools, and expertise to write grants effectively.

The result? Communities remain underserved, and funding sits idle.

The Solution