07: How a Nonprofit Executive Director Won $30,000 in Senior Housing Grants on Her FIRST Try cover art

07: How a Nonprofit Executive Director Won $30,000 in Senior Housing Grants on Her FIRST Try

07: How a Nonprofit Executive Director Won $30,000 in Senior Housing Grants on Her FIRST Try

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As Canada's senior population surpasses 8 million, one in five Canadians, the pressure on nonprofit housing organizations to do more with less has never been greater. In this episode of Winning the Public Purse, David Kincade sits down with Tracy Elliott, Executive Director of the Sylvan Lake Lodge Foundation. Tracy shares her remarkable journey from hotel front desks to running a seniors' lodge, and how she used grant funding to solve a very real safety crisis hiding in plain sight. Today we explore what it looks like to walk into a leadership role with zero grant-writing experience and come out the other side winning nearly $30,000 in security infrastructure funding, all on your first serious attempt. Tracy also opens up about the growing demand for senior housing in Alberta, what transient summer populations mean for vulnerable residents, and why AI and lifelong learning have become her secret weapons. Nonprofit leaders, this one's for you. Tracy came in with no grant writing experience, a security crisis, and residents depending on her - and she figured it out anyway. Ready to transform grant writing into a predictable pillar of your success? David's students have already won over $67M in funding using the frameworks taught in the Advanced Grant Writing Course, and the next online class is coming September 24th, 2026. You can get started and grab your spot now at https://albertabusinessgrants.ca/grant-writing. To ensure you never miss an insight into the world of public funding, subscribe to Winning the Public Purse with David Kincade on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. If you found value in this episode, please consider leaving a rating and review to help other mission-driven leaders unlock the public purse. Highlights From This Episode: Tracy shares her path from hotel front desk to General Manager, and the way that decades in hospitality shaped her approach to senior living [6:22] How a six-year role overseeing 300 beds and 200 staff members became the career turning point that defined her leadership philosophy [8:10] The startling statistic that 30% of Sylvan Lake residents are seniors, and why the wait list for the Lodge has grown to 58 people for just 59 suites [16:31] The security crisis that prompted Tracy to go searching for grant funding [22:03] How Tracy discovered the Alberta Security Infrastructure Program and assembled a three-stream application totalling nearly $30,000 in her first major grant [24:13] The five-minute email that won Tracy a spontaneous $5,000 grant mid-conference, plus what being "grant-ready" actually made possible [28:20] LINKS: Tracy's LinkedIn Sylvan Lake Lodge Foundation Older Adults and Population Aging Statistics (Statistics Canada) Advanced Grant Writing Course Grant Gazette (Sign Up for a Pro Plan for Just $99/year) YouTube Book: Golden Grant Rules Website Email: davidk@albertabusinessgrants.ca Phone: 780-297-6177
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