National Nonprofit, Founders First CDC, Awards $100,000 to Illinois Businesses
Founders First CDC Awards 25 Grants to Minority Businesses Throughout the State to Create and Promote Premium Wage Employment Opportunities in Underserved Communities.
As the in-house Communications Manager at Pearl Consulting Group, I wrote and applied for grant funding to help the business hire more staff and create new growth opportunities. This work was central to Pearl's mission: building a consultancy that gave people the opportunity to pivot, whether into tech, project management, or a new stage of their career. Through that lens, I researched and wrote the application for the Founders First CDC Job Creators Grant, translating Pearl's growth plans and the impact of new hires into a clear, compelling case, securing $100K in funding.
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Pearl Consulting Group is a technical project management and software development consultancy supporting enterprise IT clients, including Kraft Heinz. As Digital Marketing and Communications Manager, I led creative direction for ChiBrrCon 2024, a cybersecurity conference founded by Kraft Heinz's CISO. Throughout that process, I reported to ChiBrrCon's board of directors, which included CISOs from Kraft Heinz, StoneX, Old National Bancorp, Chicago Trading Company, and Prove.
Beyond the event itself, I wrote Pearl's sales and lifecycle copy, lead magnets, and grant narratives, translating complex cybersecurity services into clear, compelling value propositions to support business development efforts.