Biography

River City Grant Writing was established in May of 2018 by Tricia Smith-Mulder who has had a lifelong passion for serving and supporting the compassionate people of the world.  No matter what profession I was in, I found a way to help.  Fourteen years in the mortgage industry found me spending a lot of time teaching homeownership classes at a Grand Rapids based non-profit.  During this time, I obtained my Bachelors in Business Administration from Grand Valley State University and my Masters of Business Administration from Cornerstone University.  Next, I transitioned into the financial services and insurance sector and worked with my local branch office to do outreach for those who needed financial literacy education.  However, in 2011 my career took a very different direction, and I found my true calling; working with children and adolescents. 

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This was when I took a director level administrative job at the Gerald R. Ford Job Corps Center in Grand Rapids where I spent the next 6 ½ years working with disadvantaged youth ages 16-24.  It was during this time I was introduced to grant writing techniques.  Using this information, I procured more than $500,000 worth of additional funding for the Center in 2016 and 2017.  When I left Job Corps in early 2018, I began to look for my next adventure and was inspired when watching the evening news.  A story on Grand Rapids based charity outlined their financial struggles and announced they were planning to close for good in April.  I began to see the needs of non-profits obtaining additional funding from multiple sources.  Next, a chance encounter with a former Job Corps colleague directed me on my path, and a few weeks later, River City Grant Writing was formed.