The Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy (VSHSL) serves an array of valued residents in King County: veterans and their families, seniors and their caregivers, and all persons or communities whose current or historical exposure to trauma, violence, poverty, isolation, bias, racism, stigma, discrimination, disability or chronic illness makes them vulnerable to reduced health, financial, housing or social stability. To achieve the goal of serving the full diversity of King County and the organizations that support them, the VSHSL aims to reduce barriers that small, community-based organizations may face in applying for levy funding. We contract with consultants to offer application assistance (also known as technical assistance) to qualifying community-based organizations needing support in applying for VSHSL funds.

To qualify for application assistance organizations must:

• have fewer than 20-full time equivalent staff.
• have an operating budget less than $4 million in the fiscal year prior to applying.

To get help with your application:

• Contact one of the application assistance providers listed below.
• Include the RFP name you’re seeking assistance for in the subject line of your email. 
• Contact the application assistance provider at least 14 business days prior to the RFP’s closing date.

Meet the application assistance providers

Crux Consulting Consortium – Danielle Baer

Danielle Baer is a consultant in the Crux Consulting Consortium and has worked in the nonprofit and public sectors for the past 20 years in the areas of direct service, policy and advocacy, project management, communications, and fund development. She is deeply committed to leveraging her skills and experience to uplift organizations and provide the technical support to advance their mission and contribute to equitable, healthy, and vibrant communities. Through her collaborative approach, she partners with community-based and nonprofit organizations to develop and implement a grants strategy to build the capacity to share their story in the most authentic and impactful way to funders and other partners. She centers racial equity and social justice in her approach to supporting organizations led by and serving communities of color, immigrant and refugee communities, and other groups historically marginalized by systemic inequities. She has worked in many sectors, including youth development, education, early childhood development and early learning, arts and culture, and policy/systems change. 

To arrange for assistance, contact: Danielle Baer at Danielle.baer@gmail.com or 206-351-6141.

Verrenti Consulting

Catherine Verrenti is thrilled to assist agencies with innovative ideas and strong community connections in applying for VSHSL funding. She offers skills and insights gained from her 20 years of hands-on experience, including her work at Neighborhood House and YouthCare. This expertise includes grant development plus managing a wide range of culturally responsive services, including homelessness and housing stability, family support, basic needs, case management, and health and transportation programs. She has provided technical assistance to large and small grassroots organizations in applying for government grants, including King County funds through VSHSL and Best Starts for Kids. She approaches this work by first listening to what mission-based organizations want to accomplish in their communities, then customizing an approach to focus on the support they seek to reach that vision with VSHSL funding. This might be understanding the RFP requirements, articulating a strong needs statement, helping to develop partnerships or forming a compelling grant narrative. She can be uniquely helpful in fine-tuning program designs, projecting achievable performance targets and developing budgets. She is particularly excited to help agencies think through all parts of their program to ensure strong program launch and implementation.

To arrange for assistance, contact: Catherine Verrenti at Catherine@verrenticonsulting.com or 206-637-3154