Cassandra Grimes
Founder & Principal Consultant
Recognized as one of Influential Women’s Most Influential Women of 2026
Phone:
315 - 761 - 6412
Email:
Address:
Millbrook, AL 36054
A Bit About Me
Welcome to Accelerate Change, where we believe that fundraising is a strategy, not merely luck. With over 12 years of experience in the nonprofit sector I’m dedicated to empowering mission-driven organizations to grow with clarity and confidence. Our approach combines strategic, data-informed growth with an equity-centered lens, ensuring that relationships are honored and impact is truthfully communicated. Join us in transforming mission into momentum and strategy into sustainable results.
Proven Fundraising Leadership Across 17+ Nonprofits
​Most nonprofits don’t struggle because of effort—they struggle because fundraising lacks structure.
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Over the past 10+ years, I’ve worked with 17 organizations ranging from $2M to $43M in size, helping them move from reactive, inconsistent fundraising to more structured and reliable approaches.
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Across this work, I’ve raised over $19M directly and supported more than $22M in funding secured—but more importantly, I’ve helped organizations build the strategies, systems, and pipelines that make those results repeatable. This includes expanding grant pipelines by 25–30+ opportunities (valued up to $4M+) and improving success rates by up to 30%.
Previous Clients
2023 - Present
2019 - 2023
2014 - 2019
Through English-Hudson Consulting I have worked with:
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District Alliance for Safe Housing, Inc
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Women's Prison Association
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Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
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CareMessage
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Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs
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LPGA
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United Way of the National Capital Area
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Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts
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21 Dreams Arts & Culture
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Safe House Museum
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​Alabama State University
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Syracuse University
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Point of Contact Gallery
Case Study
A Select Example
We recently worked with a regional nonprofit organization to strengthen their institutional fundraising approach and build a more structured grant strategy.
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At the start of the engagement, fundraising efforts were largely reactive, with no clearly defined grant pipeline or long-term plan. I developed a targeted grant strategy, identified aligned funding opportunities, and implemented a more structured approach to managing and pursuing grants.
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As a result, the organization secured five-figure, multi-year foundation support, while also establishing a more consistent and focused grant pipeline moving forward.
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Beyond the immediate funding outcome, this work helped shift their approach from ad hoc grant seeking to a more intentional and sustainable fundraising model.
