Tamara Leonard leads grant consultancy that has raised $625 million

By AI, Created 12:12 PM UTC, June 03, 2026, /AGP/ – Tamara Leonard, MA, CFRE, founded Grant Staff, Inc. in Orland Park, Illinois, and built it into an international nonprofit consulting firm focused on grant writing, governance, and fundraising strategy. The firm says it has helped organizations secure more than $625 million for community services, while Leonard also leads a hunger-relief foundation and mentors nonprofit leaders.

Why it matters: - Tamara Leonard’s work has helped nonprofits secure funding for hunger relief, health care access, education, homelessness prevention, behavioral health, domestic violence services, and crisis intervention. - The organizations supported through Grant Staff, Inc. have served more than 21 million people, including children, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, low-income families, and people experiencing homelessness. - Leonard’s combined consulting, training, and direct-service work shows how one nonprofit leader can shape both fundraising capacity and frontline services.

What happened: - Tamara Leonard, MA, CFRE, is the founder and president of Grant Staff, Inc., an international grant-writing and development consulting firm based in Orland Park, Illinois. - Grant Staff has helped nonprofit organizations secure more than $625 million in grant funding. - Leonard is also a doctoral student in organizational leadership at Indiana Wesleyan University. - She co-authored an article on nonprofit board engagement and leadership succession.

The details: - Grant Staff began as a small consulting practice and expanded into a globally recognized firm serving nonprofits across multiple sectors and regions. - Leonard has donated more than 6,000 hours of pro bono consulting to nonprofits that could not afford professional services. - She mentors emerging grant writers and nonprofit leaders. - Leonard trains nonprofit boards and teaches grant writing and fundraising seminars for community organizations. - Her consulting work has supported agencies serving vulnerable populations and helped them build sustainable programs. - In 2011, Leonard co-founded the One Love Global Wellness Foundation during a period of rising hunger and financial hardship. - The foundation helped launch Mission Meals, a volunteer-driven outreach program that provides sit-down meals to people and families facing food insecurity and hardship. - Since its founding, the foundation says it has served more than 25,927 individuals and distributed over 316,618 pounds of food. - The foundation expanded to include Mission Meals on the Street, which distributes Blessing Bags with food, toiletries, blankets, gloves, and emergency supplies. - The foundation also runs the Family in Crisis program, which provides emergency food, clothing, medical supplies, and direct assistance. - Collectively, those efforts have distributed about 4,900 Blessing Bags and assisted more than 10,597 people through emergency support services. - Leonard has completed six marathons to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities. - She volunteers in her church and local schools.

Between the lines: - Leonard’s profile blends fundraising expertise with direct service, which can matter for nonprofits that need both capital and operational support. - Her focus on board engagement and leadership succession points to a broader interest in nonprofit sustainability, not just short-term fundraising. - Her breast cancer survival experience shapes the public-speaking work she does on early detection and support for people facing serious illness.

What’s next: - Leonard continues to lead Grant Staff while mentoring leaders, training boards, and speaking in churches, schools, and community settings across Chicagoland. - She is expected to keep using her platform to promote early detection, compassion, and nonprofit capacity-building. - More information is available through Tamara Leonard’s Influential Women profile and Grant Staff’s website.