History

Origin
Began 1999 in Fairbanks, Alaska, U.S.A.
Creators

Cynthia M. Adams

10 Investors

And three dedicated staff:

  • Julie Kaufman
  • Toni Kaufman
  • Steven Schellong
Timeline
1996
  • Launched our first searchable database of grantmakers (Big Data), which was developed specifically for Alaskan grantseekers and offered by the Alaska Funding Exchange
  • Work was done out of a 16 x 20-foot cabin in the woods about 12 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska, with no running water
  • Our electricity was provided by a plug-in on a power pole about 300 feet up the hillside from our cabin

1999

  • Incorporated the business as GrantStation.com, Inc., brought in ten investors, and started two years of research and development
  • Re-designed the database, began work on a new website, added federal and state funding information, and developed a set of tutorials to help individuals write grant proposals

2000

  • Launched the GrantStation website to serve grantseekers from throughout the United States
  • Hired additional staff and reluctantly moved the office "from the woods" into town

2001

  • GrantStation has nearly 450 full Members
  • Introduced the GrantStation Insider
  • By year-end, there are 4,000 readers and 30 Co-Brand Partners

2002

  • Circulation of the GrantStation Insider reaches 20,000

2005

  • Introduced a searchable database of grantmakers based throughout the world. Known as 'the international section'
  • Launched the Technical Assistance Program (GS-TAP), which combines complete access to all of GrantStation's grant research resources with customized online trainings for members of the partner organization
  • Circulation of the GrantStation Insider tops 100,000

2006

  • Contracted with USAID to develop the GrantStation International Insider
  • Circulation of the International Insider was approximately 4,000 by year-end

2007

  • Introduced the Membership Value Program (MVP), allowing organizations to purchase blocks of Memberships at a reasonable volume rate, thereby integrating GrantStation Membership into their membership benefits package
  • Membership hits 10,000

2008

  • Launched our Online Education sessions (webinars) in June
  • Provide over 75 webinars and have approximately 2,000 participants

2009

  • GrantStation has nearly 20,000 full Members
  • Introduced a new design and layout for the GrantStation website
  • Circulation of the GrantStation Insider is 225,000
  • Begin celebration of our 10 year anniversary

2010

  • GrantStation establishes a Facebook page and media blog
  • Circulation of the GrantStation Insider and International Insider is over 300,000
  • Over 10 different individuals now host webinars as part of our Online Education sessions
  • Introduction of Partner Depot Program
  • Began offering the Premium Access Program (GrantStation licensing)

2011

  • GrantStation releases first Vision2020 tool: Grants2020
  • Circulation of the GrantStation Insider and International Insider is over 375,000
  • Grant databases re-organized into U.S. Grants, International Grants and Canadian Grants

2012

  • GrantStation establishes a Twitter account
  • Circulation of the GrantStation Insider and International Insider is over 430,000
  • Closed physical offices in Fairbanks, Alaska
  • Moved the Company to the 'cloud';  all employees now work remotely

2013

  • Designed all new processes and systems for working in the cloud
  • Introduced Traveling CEO a new Facebook page for GrantStation
  • Built and launched Grants2020, a new interactive tool for our Members
  • Re-designed look and content of the GrantStation Insider and International Insider

2014

  • Developed a bi-monthly podcast, Talk2020
  • Hired four new staff, including a programmer to build the new website
  • Designed Pathfinder, to be introduced in Spring 2015

2015

  • Launched Pathfinder

2016

  • Launched TrendTrack
  • Hosted our first national forum: Innovations 2016
  • Received over 3,000 responses for the State of GrantSeeking™ Survey
  • GrantStation first surpasses the $1 million mark in sales while keeping our Membership prices low

2017

  • Launched rebuilt and revised website

2018

  • Launched the Personal Dashboard
  • GrantStation has over 60,000 individuals who have access to our website via licensing partners and individual members
  • Revised and expanded the Canadian and International searchable databases
  • Significantly expanded the Online Education Webinars series
  • Almost 60 Membership Value Partners

2019

2020

  • Created public database of COVID-19-related funding opportunities
  • Started sending alerts on updates to profiles of saved grantmakers
  • Launched the R3 tool for reviewing revenue and receiving recommendations

2021

  • Expanded state government listings with additional detail and organization
  • Introduced automated Decision Matrix for prioritizing grant opportunities
  • Launched the Benchmarker for personalized comparison of  State of GrantSeeking™ data

2022

  • Introduced LevelUP courses for in-depth collaborative learning
  • Surpassed 100 partners in our Membership Programs, such as PLP and MVP
  • Founders Cynthia Adams and Julie Kaufman retired. Cynthia remained as a corporate advisor and board president.
  • Created an Executive Team composed of Ellen C. Mower, CEO; Alice Ruhnke, President; and David Preis, Senior Vice President