Bring

Energy - Expertise - Interaction

to your next event

Are you ready to take the stress out of grants? Diane H. Leonard, GPC, RST, is ready to prepare attendees to master their next grant proposal.

Our expert practitioner. Ms. Leonard, a Cornell University graduate, has extensive expertise in securing grant funding for nonprofits. As a Grant Professional Certified (GPC) and a principal consultant whose firm has secured more than $161.95 million in competitive grant awards, Ms. Leonard brings a level of proven success that is credible and inspiring to any audience involved in nonprofit work. Attendees won’t just hear theory; they will learn real-world strategies that have consistently turned ambitious goals into funded realities. Her background as a former Program Officer for the Michigan Women’s Foundation also provides a meaningful “behind the scenes” perspective, helping attendees understand how to “think like a reviewer” for dramatically increased proposal success.

An uncommonly winning approach.

Beyond her formidable grant-writing track record, Ms. Leonard offers a unique and modern perspective by integrating Agile frameworks into the nonprofit and grant-seeking worlds. As a Registered Scrum Trainer (RST) through Scrum Inc.©, she champions a fresh approach to project management that will change the way you think about efficiency and productivity, and will foster better team collaboration while also reducing stress. She offers a relevant and feasible solution for any organization struggling with too little time, too much to do, and not enough people to do it all.

Meet the Writers

This dual expertise in grants and Agile methodology allows her to deliver content that isn’t just about securing funds, but is also about fundamentally improving an organization’s processes to achieve “less stress from grants and twice the impact in half the time.” This focus on operational excellence makes her keynote valuable not only for grant professionals but also for executive leaders and program staff.

Powerful keynotes tailored to you.

Ms. Leonard’s engaging presentation style and dedication to customization make her the perfect fit for any audience. Testimonials consistently praise her dynamic nature, infectious passion, and ability to make grant writing “approachable” rather than intimidating.

She is known for tailoring her presentations to ensure that the audience feels “heard” and comes away with actionable steps, whether they are beginners or seasoned professionals. By booking Diane H. Leonard, you are guaranteed a keynote that is not only masterful and forward-thinking but also interactive and designed to leave every attendee feeling confident to apply best practices to their grant seeking and project management.

Diane H. Leonard, GPC, RST, is a Grant Professional Certified (GPC) and Approved Trainer of the Grant Professionals Association, Certified Virtual Presenter through espeakers, Registered Scrum Trainer, Registered Scrum Master, Registered Product Owner, and Scrum@Scale Practitioner through the Agile Education Program powered by Scrum Inc.

Offering 30–90-minute keynote opportunities to energize your audience.

Ms. Leonard specializes in grant readiness, grant research, relationship building, grant writing, mock review, Agile practices, and more.

Don't Let Grants Stress You Out

Diane Leonard is a knowledgeable and skilled presenter. I would highly recommend taking ANY topics offered by her.
CharityHowTo
Federal Grants 201
How to Feel Confident and Competitive as You Click Submit
As someone who teaches part-time, I recognize a natural born instructor when I see one. Diane is such an amazing instructor--a gift that not many possess. She is very knowledgeable, welcomes questions ( seamlessly working them into her lessons) and prepares a flexible curriculum that allows her to switch to topics relevant to her audience/class. However, the best thing about Diane is her passion for her work and her very dynamic nature. Her energy and attitude are contagious and, she makes you think about grants differently. I have taken Basic and Intermediate courses with Diane and she has a consistent teaching style across courses, which I love. I hope to have another opportunity to work with Diane! I can't say enough good things about her. Thanks so much Diane for making me a better grant professional
Rachel Davis, MPH
Project Manager, Social Determinants of Health Survey Bureau of Epidemiology Services | Surveys and Data Analysis Unit NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Intermediate Grant Writing course (with DOHMH)
Diane led a terrific custom webinar, "Grant Budgets that Tell a Story" for our Grant Professional of Lower Hudson members. The information presented was thorough and covered many different grant application budget formats and budget topics. Diane provided useful tips about how to design a budget that will lead to grant success. We especially liked Diane's references to actual organizations and how their budgets were constructed. Diane is a warm and engaging speaker and we would love to have her back again soon!
Joanne Stewart
GPLH - Consultant for Nonprofits, Foundations and Corporate Citizenship programs at goodworks advisory group, llc
Grant Budgets that Tell a Story
Even after years of work as a grantwriter, Diane's webinar provided actionable ideas to help me take my grantmaking relationships to the next level. I'm usually happy if I get one or two good ideas from a webinar or workshop, and I got several!
CharityHowTo
Grantmaker Relationships
Expressing Next-Level Gratitude
Thank you to you and Diane for yesterday's presentation. While I'm very inexperienced at grant writing, Diane left me with more confidence that I could actually take a stab at it. I've been to these kinds of workshops before and they felt more like the presenter's perspective was a "I'll give you some information, but not enough so that you'll need to call me for future grant writing efforts." Thank you for giving us great tools, too!
Terri Morse
LMHC, Master CASAC Director Essex County Mental Health and Essex County Director Community Services
AHI Training
Diane made what can be an intimidating topic approachable. She broke down some practical steps that give one confidence to move forward.
CharityHowTo
Grant Maker Relationships 101
How to Get Started
Diane Leonard conducted an amazing webinar for our GPA chapter titled "Think Like a Reviewer." The material was easy to follow, but introduced new strategies that beginners and veteran grant professionals could implement almost immediately. Diane structured the presentation so it was interactive and caused the audience to think. I look forward to her presenting to our chapter again in the future.
Ashaki Sorrell
GPA Michigan, Chapter Secretary

We are excited to help your organization by strengthening your grant readiness and enhancing your grant-writing skills and practices to increase your chances of securing grant funding. Contact us today to schedule Ms. Leonard for in-person keynote speaking, virtual keynote speaking, webinars, and custom trainings tailored to fit your organization’s needs.

Schedule a call or email Megan Martin (megan@dhleonardconsulting.com), our Marketing and Training Product Owner, to book your keynote opportunity

View Diane at the GPA Conference

Professionals Trained Since 2014
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