Congratulate our Opportunity Grant recipients!
Find out about recipients of YNPN Atlanta's Opportunity Grants, and consider applying for the next round!
Remember, only YNPN Atlanta Members can apply and receive funds - so join today for just $35!
2021 Grant Recipients
The 2021 Opportunity Grant funds went to Jasmine Burton (left), who used her funds toward her MBA at Emory’s Goizueta business School with a focus in social impact strategy, and Hershey Millner (right), who used her funds for the Assessing Culturally competent Spaces Course with Intimacy Directors & Coordinators.
Jasmine Burton: Wish for WASH
Jasmine [she/her] is a designer, impact entrepreneur, global health practitioner, and current 1Y MBA candidate at Emory who is using design thinking, business acumen, and evidence-based research to build a more inclusive world. With 7 years of experience leading Wish for WASH and 8 years of diverse global health and gender equity experiences, Jasmine is passionate about accelerating innovation in the water, sanitation, and hygiene sector because #everybodypoops and #menstruationmatters.
Hershey Millner: Georgia State University
Hershey Vazquez Millner is a producer and arts administrator with experience in casting, dramaturgy, and engagement. She has worked with organizations such as: the Alliance Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company, and the Sappho Project. In addition, she is a former member of the BOLD Theater Women’s Leadership Circle. Hershey is particularly passionate about community partnerships, intimacy education, and anti-racism/anti-bias work. Currently, she is pursuing her MA in Religious Studies with a Concentration in Non Profit Management at Georgia State University. She received a dual-degree BA in Archaeology and Religion at Lycoming College.
2020 Grant Recipients
The Fall 2020 Opportunity Grant funds went to Elizabeth Carson who used her funds for professional development graduate degree program at Florida State University.
Elizabeth Carson: Kate’s Club, Atlanta, GA
Liz Carson started her nonprofit professional career in September 2014 when she first joined the staff at Kate’s Club, an Atlanta nonprofit that provides social, recreational, and therapeutic support for grieving children and families. In her current role as Program and Outreach Manager, Liz manages community and school-based programming including professional trainings, grief education for children, grief support groups for students, and crisis response. Liz is trained in QPR suicide prevention and Youth Mental Health
First Aid. Outside of work, she has volunteered with Camp Kesem since college, an experience that cultivated her interest in nonprofit work. Liz also volunteers with Paint Love and Free99Fridge, is a regular at dog parks, and has a love for sending snail mail. She has a BS in Anthropology from Emory University and is currently in the process of obtaining her Master of Social Work degree from Florida State University.
The Spring 2020 Opportunity Grant funds went to Kiana Lawrence, who used her funds for the Georgia Center for Nonprofits Certificate of Digital Fundraising, Julie Barwig, who used her funds for the Georgia Center for Nonprofits Brand Management Course, and Heather West, who used her funds for the Georgia Center for Nonprofits Certificate of Grant Fundraising.
2019 Grant Recipients
The Fall 2019 Opportunity Grant funds went to Kelli Colter and Bradley Firchow.
Kelli Colter: United Way of Greater Atlanta
Kelli Colter works on the Donor Engagement team at United Way of Greater Atlanta as a Corporate Relations Associate. She completed her MPA from the University of Colorado Denver in August 2019 with a concentration in Nonprofit Management. While in Denver she worked at ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Field Operations, and was on the Young Leaders board for Warren Village, a Denver-based nonprofit. She also volunteers with La Amistad, Inc. in Atlanta and worked as the social media lead for 48in48.
Previously, Kelli worked in communications at Phase 3 Marketing and Communications and Weber Shandwick Worldwide. She worked with a variety of clients including Bank of America, IHG, True Story Brands, city of College Park and city of Dunwoody.
Bradley Firchow: Childspring International
Bradley Firchow is a case manager and public health researcher who is passionate about rural medicine. He is excited to improve health
outcomes for patients in medically underserved areas. His interest stems from spending his formative years in Appalachia and the rural
South. Someday, he will practice medicine as a family doctor in one of these regions to give back to communities that made him who he is.
As a student at Oglethorpe University, Bradley studied Biopsychology and Public Health and was a Supplemental Instructor for Genetics. He held a two-year internship at the Centers for Disease Control in Prevention doing child development research and psychometric tool
development and validation. Bradley worked on development of the web-enabled version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children V (DISC-V), CDC’s Legacy for Children Project, and the Vanderbilt Attention Deficit Parent Report Survey validation study.
The Spring 2019 Opportunity Grant funds went to Aaron Lichkay, Angel Mills, Catherine Warren, Haley Carlson, Nia Darville, Nisa Floyd, and Sarina Marsh.
Aaron Lichkay: Citizen Advocacy of Atlanta and Dekalb
Aaron Lichkay is currently the Associate Coordinator at Citizen Advocacy of Atlanta and DeKalb working to provide protection and advocacy for people with developmental disabilities through matching an ordinary citizen in a relationship with a person vulnerable to abuse, neglect, or social isolation due to a disability label. Before joining Citizen Advocacy, Aaron worked in the refugee community in Clarkston and received his masters in Public Administration: Nonprofit Management from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. His passion is to help create welcoming and inclusive communities for everyone in our society. Outside of work, Aaron is the current board chair of CISV Atlanta Area, which is the local chapter of CISV an international peace education organization and is a season ticket holder for the 2018 MLS champion Atlanta United.
Angel Mills: Georgia Organics
Angel is a trained journalist and intercultural communicator. She has a Masters of Education degree in Intercultural Communication from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from Howard University. She is passionate about education and food justice and has had the pleasure of traveling to Mali and Haiti to assist communities there in increasing educational opportunities for children. Currently, she is the Communications Coordinator at Georgia Organics. My work includes creating content highlighting the various stories and faces of food advocacy here in Georgia and helping to strengthen Georgia Organics’ brand.
Catherine Warren: Latin American Association
Catherine Warren is a native Atlantan and daughter and granddaughter of public servants. She currently is the Development Coordinator at the Latin American Association (LAA). Before that, she served as an Americorps VISTA at the LAA in their Economic Empowerment Department. Catherine also spent a year of service in Lima, Peru as a Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) for the Presbyterian Church (USA) working alongside two Peruvian NGOs, Joining Hands Network Peru and the Center for Development of Afro-Peruvian Women. She’s new to fundraising and development and is constantly learning. She graduated from the University of Georgia in 2015 with bachelor’s degrees in International Affairs and Anthropology. At the end of the workday, you can find Catherine at any Atlanta or Decatur independent bookstore or library.
Haley Carlson: Dream Warriors Foundation
Haley Carlson is a dedicated arts leader, advocate, and enthusiast, with a passion to advance opportunities for creatives in Metro Atlanta and beyond. She has worked at large and small arts institutions alike, such as Dia: Beacon, Southern Highland Craft Guild, BluBus Screen Printing, and the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. She received her master’s in Arts Leadership & Cultural Management from the LEAP Institute for the Arts at Colorado State University in 2017. Haley is the Firm Manager at the Seay firm, an independent contractor in the creative industries, and serves on the board of S.T.A.M.P. (Sustainable Touring for Artists, Musicians, and Performers). She is also the co-founder & co-executive director of the Dream Warriors Foundation, a public charity that awards four grants annually in the area of the Arts, Community Impact, Personal Crisis, and Entrepreneurship.
Nia Darville: Per Scholas
Nia Darville is a rising leader who is passionate about creating opportunities for others to follow their dreams. She graduated summa cum laude from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, MI, and serves as the Manager of Recruitment and Admissions at Per Scholas Atlanta. In her current role, Nia creates strategies to recruit, interview, and select unemployed/underemployed candidates from underrepresented communities in the tech industry for tuition-free technology training courses. She identifies and secures referral partnerships to establish pipelines of curious and motivated candidates for Per Scholas’ courses specifically targeting people of color, women, veterans, and young adults. Outside of work, Nia enjoys spending time in the sunshine and exploring new parts of Atlanta every chance she can get.
Nisa Floyd
Nisa Floyd is originally from Brooklyn, New York but moved to Georgia at the age of 9. She received her Bachelors of Arts in English from Georgia State University in January 2017. Floyd was published in Georgia’s Best Emerging Poets in 2017 and currently writes for The Morning After Zine. Upon graduating, she became a Programs Coordinator at the Montessori School of Emory, interned with Spirited Pursuit as an Editorial Intern, and is currently an Intern at Atlanta Contemporary (AC) working to enhance the educational programs. Outside of work she likes to attend festivals, visit museums, and spend time with her Grandma in Bed-Stuy.
Sarina Marsh: Big Brothers Big Sisters
Sarina Marsh is an Enrollment Specialist at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta, with a history of providing services to children, adults, and families in the nonprofit sector. Prior to joining BBBSMA, Sarina worked for the Urban League of Greater Atlanta supporting youth and young adults at the At-Promise Center in Atlanta’s Vine City. Sarina received a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Georgia State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of South Florida. Sarina is a licensed master social worker for the state of Georgia. In her free time, Sarina enjoys finding fun ways to stay physically active and spending quality time with family and friends.