Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence

Krista Kurlinkus, founder of Grant Writing Made Easy and CEO of Krista Kurlinkus, LLC, has a background as a Ph.D. in english-rhetoric, composition and literacy studies. Her ten years in grant writing consulting and education have established her as a nationally recognized expert in the field of grant writing. She is also a GPA-approved grant writing trainer.

Through her groundbreaking online course, Grant Writing Made Easy, Kurlinkus has revolutionized grant writing education, equipping over 10,000 students with the skills to effectively articulate their organizations' mission and programs, secure crucial funding and bring their transformative projects to life.  Kurlinkus has written winning multi-million dollar federal grants; global development grants; state grants; multiple six-figure research grants; and corporate, private and community foundation grants for over 100 nonprofit, government and academic clients. As a sought-after educator and consultant, she continues to be at the forefront of grant writing and technology, providing aspiring grant writers with the tools they need to succeed.

Krista’s areas of skill include:

• Grant writing
• Grant readiness
• Prospect research
• Strategy development
• AI ethics
• Strategies for use of AI for grant writing
• Advanced AI techniques for grant seeking
• Persuasive storytelling