Not just grants.

Strategy for a new era.

You don’t need to just submit more proposals.

You need funding models built to thrive in the face of shifting policies, rising costs, and new expectations.

That’s why we created Leverage: to help education and nonprofit organizations design funding ecosystems that deliver growth, resilience, and long-term impact.

The Problem We Saw

Most “grant consulting” is transactional: develop a proposal, manage compliance, close the report.

But, funding isn’t a transaction. It’s a lever for transformation.

At Leverage, we saw that education and nonprofit organizations needed more than a service vendor. They needed a partner who could connect strategy to funding in a way that lasts.

Our Distinction

We bring a combination few others can match.

  • Funding is treated as an engine of organizational growth, not an afterthought.

  • From community colleges to research universities to mission-driven nonprofits, we know how organizations operate because we’ve been inside them.

  • We don’t chase one-off wins. We build portfolios that sustain you when policies and markets shift.

  • No cookie-cutter solutions. Every ecosystem we design reflects your organization’s identity, ambitions, and constraints.

Black and white photo of a smiling woman wearing glasses, a white blouse, and pearl earrings, sitting on a sofa with a cushion behind her.

Hi, I’m Maya!

I’ve served as faculty, staff, and administrator across community colleges, private four-years, and large public universities. I’ve managed multimillion-dollar budgets, led national benchmarking studies, and launched cross-campus initiatives that delivered results when the stakes were highest.

Through that work, I saw a gap. The funding was there, but the ideas weren’t always ready. Leaders had vision, but they needed help shaping those visions into fundable, strategic initiatives. Too often, organizations outsourced grants as a back-office function, when in reality, funding should be part of their growth strategy.

That is where I come in. I’ve led institutional growth strategy, built the structure, budgets, and buy-in behind bold initiatives, and restructured grant offices to thrive. I’m also a certified grant writer with a proven track record securing state and federal grants. I know what it takes to get funded and what it takes to succeed after the grant is won.

That combination is what sets Leverage apart: deep knowledge of education and nonprofits, sharp strategy instincts, and fluency in every phase of the funding process.

Founder of Leverage Education

Maya Anjelou Evans, Ph.D.

A woman with short dark hair and glasses stands smiling in front of a whiteboard during a presentation, while her audience, including a woman with blonde hair typing on a laptop, listens in a conference room.
Two business people, a man with glasses and a woman with curly hair and glasses, are working together at a desk looking at financial charts and graphs.

What We Believe

  • Strategy must come before proposals.

  • Organizations deserve funding models as resilient as the people they serve.

  • Grants aren’t the goal. Transformation is.

  • The best ideas fail without the right ecosystem.

Our Name

Leverage is what every organization needs more of:
Leverage to pursue your biggest ideas, secure funding with confidence, and execute with clarity.

We help you do just that.

Ready to build boldly?

The future won’t wait. Neither should you.

Let’s connect.