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Quarterly Impact Updates: July-September 2025
(From left) Brittany Chaber, Laura Tolley, Emily Brammer, and Tabitha Surface led the Grants 101 Workshop in Welch on August 13, 2025.

Summer 2025 was a busy season for the West Virginia Grant Resource Centers team, who led 10 trainings across the Mountain State and participated in 15 outreach events, including conferences, speaking engagements, and tabling opportunities. Our team traveled to Welch, Charleston, and Wheeling to led training opportunities and to White Sulphur Springs, Morgantown, Bridgeport, South Charleston, and Huntington for various outreach events. 

Second Advanced Grant Writing Microcredential Course completed

In mid-July, we launched our second Advanced Grant Writing Microcredential Course through the Marshall University Skills Exchange. Developed and led by Grant Centers’ Co-Director, Emily Brammer, this course provided students with opportunities to expand their existing grant writing knowledge and assemble their own competitive project proposals for submission. The eight-week course concluded in late September.

(Registration for our Essentials of Grant Writing Microcredential Course, however, is now open, but seats are going fast. Claim yours today: https://wvu.geniussis.com/catalog/LR10P3)

Smiling woman holding West Virginia Grant Resource Centers guidebook.
Grant Fellow Laura Tolley hosts Outreach Hours at the WV One Stop Business Center in Charleston on August 12, 2025.

WV One Stop Business Center, WVSOS partnership completed

This spring, the Grant Centers launched a new outreach event series in collaboration with the WV One Stop Business Center, an initiative of the WV Secretary of State’s Office. Between May and September, we co-hosted two Outreach Hours events monthly, one virtual and one in-person at the WV One Stop Business Center office in Charleston. Our team lent our grant writing and project development guidance to a variety of West Virginians entities interested in pursuing project funding. Although our six-month Outreach Hours series has concluded, the continued impacts of our partnership persist. We are grateful to the WV One Stop Business Center team for hosting us and for their efforts to make project development more accessible!

WV Grant Resource Centers Resource Roundup for community investment training.
WV Grant Resource Centers' Resource Roundup episode on community investment training program.

Resource Roundup interview series launches

In August, we debuted a new video interview series, entitled “Resource Roundup.” Through informal interviews with state and regional partners, we aim to help highlight the work they do and the resources they offer to help more West Virginians make their project goals reality. Our first episode, hosted by Grant Centers Co-Founder, Sara Payne Scarbro, featured Peter Dolkart and Jason Smith, two community development professionals with the Rural Investment Collaborative, an initiative of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. 

This interview provided insight into the RIC’s annual Community Investment Training Program, which provides rural communities with critical technical assistance and opportunities to access funding.

[TIP: Although the deadline has passed to apply for the 2026 CIT Program, it’s never too early to start preparing for next year. If you’re interested in learning more about the Rural Investment Collaborative’s CIT Program, give this episode a listen!]

Audience attending a presentation at West Virginia Grant Resource Centers event.
Co-Director Emily Brammer leads a Grant Centers overview presentation during the Grants 101 Workshop, co-hosted with the McDowell County Chamber of Commerce, in Welch on August 13, 2025.

Our Trainings

Grants 101 Workshops:

Grants 101 Workshops are comprehensive in-person and/or virtual training that guides participants through each critical step of the pre-award process. Developed and presented by our team of grant writing experts, these workshops aim to help West Virginians grow their independent application preparation and grant writing skills.

This quarter, we coordinated two Grants 101 Workshops in McDowell and Kanawha Counties. In August, we partnered with the McDowell County Chamber of Commerce team to host a workshop in downtown Welch. Nearly 40 people were in attendance for this event!

West Virginia Grant Resource Centers event with attendees at round tables.
Grant Writer Devon McDaniel leads a Grant Readiness presentation during the Grants 101 Workshop, co-hosted with the Charleston Area Alliance, in Charleston on September 18, 2025.

Last month, we collaborated with the Charleston Area Alliance to offer a Grants 101 Workshop at the Culture Center in Charleston. This event had the highest registration totals we’ve had for our training: 104.

Woman presenting financial data at West Virginia Grant Resource Centers.
Grant Writer Jessica Shaw leads a Budget Development presentation during the Grants 101 Workshop, co-hosted with the Charleston Area Alliance, in Charleston on September 18, 2025.

Live Grant Assistance Sessions: 

The Live Grant Assistance Sessions (LGAS) are biweekly webinars developed and presented by our talented team of grant writers that take a one-hour, deep dive into a single grant-related topic, specific funding opportunities, or other capacity-building resources. 

In July, August, and September, we led six Live Grant Assistance Sessions, which attracted approximately 280 attendees. These sessions were hosted by Grant Centers Co-Directors, Priscila Santos and Emily Brammer, and Grant Writers Jessica Shaw, Tabitha Surface, Laura Tolley, and Katie Cartwright. 

This quarter, we covered the following topics: 

  • Grant Readiness & Program Planning
  • Developing a Grant Budget
  • Resource Spotlight: WV Small Business Development Center (WV SBDC)
  • Working With a Grant Writer
  • Resource Spotlight: Rural Partners Network 
  • Developing a Project Timeline

Special thanks to our partners with the WV Small Business Development Center and the Rural Partners Network for taking time to participate in our Spotlight series!


Have an idea for a Live Grant Assistance Session? Send your suggestions to: info@wvgrantcenters.com with the Subject Line: LGAS.

Panel discussion at West Virginia Grant Resource Centers event with presentation screen.
Co-Founder Sara Payne Scarbro participated in a panel at the Accelerating Six Pillars of Excellence for West Virginia’s Economic Development event on Marshall University’s campus in Huntington on August 13, 2025.

Events Attended & Engaged

  • Conferences & Tabling Events: 2
    • WV Business Summit (White Sulphur Springs)
    • 2025 WV Brownfields & Main Street Conference (Morgantown)
  • Speaking Engagements & Presentations: 7
    • WV Association of Conservation Districts Meeting (Bridgeport)
    • Legislative & North Carolina Collaboratory Presentation (South Charleston)
    • Accelerating Six Pillars of Excellence for WV’s Economic Development (Huntington)
    • West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission Lunch & Learn (Virtual)
    • WV Public Health Association Conference (Wheeling)
    • Ground Up Gathering (Huntington)
    • 2025 Governor’s Conference on Tourism (Morgantown)
Woman at WV Grant Resource Centers table with informational materials.
Project Manager Moriah Taft shares Grant Centers’ resources during the 2025 WV Brownfields & Main Street Conference in Morgantown on September 10, 2025.
  • Outreach Hours with the WV One Stop Business Center: 6
    • July Outreach Hours (Charleston)
    • July Virtual Outreach Hours
    • August Outreach Hours (Charleston)
    • August Virtual Outreach Hours
    • September Outreach Hours (Charleston)
    • September Virtual Outreach Hours
Exterior view of West Virginia Grant Resource Centers building with brick and concrete facade.
The WV One Stop Business Center hosted the Grant Centers for bimonthly Outreach Hours at their office in Charleston between May and September.