Empowering Kentucky’s Rural Future

In the heart of Kentucky’s rural communities, Hannah Conover is dismantling barriers to grant funding, empowering local leaders with the skills and support they need to turn their visions into reality. As the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Grant Ready Kentucky, Hannah has dedicated herself to empowering Kentucky’s most economically distressed communities through expert training, coaching, and support in the grantseeking process.

Only a few years old, Grant Ready Kentucky works primarily with small nonprofits and communities, aiming to eliminate barriers to federal and state grant funding. Hannah’s journey into nonprofit leadership was shaped by her diverse professional background, which blends expertise in finance, technology startups, and a deep-rooted connection to Kentucky’s rural areas.

Hannah’s path to nonprofit leadership is anything but conventional. A native of rural Kentucky, she graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a degree in finance and accounting. Early in her career, Hannah worked in financial institutions, auditing rural communities throughout the state, which gave her a firsthand view of the challenges many Kentucky communities face.

After becoming a certified public accountant (CPA), Hannah transitioned into the world of technology startups, serving as the director of finance for several companies. It was during this time that she met her co-founder, Lincoln Brown. They worked together on a for-profit startup that donated 30% of its revenue to nonprofit causes. Inspired by this work, Hannah became increasingly involved in the nonprofit sector, even earning a certification in nonprofit accounting.

"We really spent a lot of time talking to people in these communities, reading research about capacity building, and identifying gaps in funding," Hannah says. "We discovered that even though federal funding was supposed to prioritize rural and low-capacity communities, these were often the communities least likely to receive it."

This insight led Hannah and Lincoln to co-found Grant Ready Kentucky in 2020. Their mission is clear: to provide the grant-seeking support and expertise that Kentucky’s rural communities need to ensure long-term growth and sustainability.

At the heart of Grant Ready Kentucky’s mission is capacity building. Rather than simply writing grants on behalf of organizations, Hannah and the team provide hands-on training and coaching to ensure that these communities develop the skills they need to seek and secure funding independently. By empowering local leaders and nonprofits, Grant Ready Kentucky creates lasting change and helps bring community visions to life.

"We don't want to just do things for communities. We want to walk alongside them and help them realize their visions,” Hannah says. “It's about building their capacity so that they can take those next steps on their own."

Hannah highlights the importance of supporting local leaders—what she calls “local heroes”—who often wear multiple hats in their communities. These individuals might be county officials juggling several roles or nonprofit leaders working tirelessly to raise funds for essential programs. By offering these leaders the tools and knowledge they need to secure funding, Grant Ready Kentucky has seen remarkable success stories.

One such success story comes from a health department in Eastern Kentucky. A participant who had no prior grant writing experience attended one of Grant Ready Kentucky’s intensive workshops. Setting a personal goal of raising $1 million in grant funding within a year, they exceeded expectations by raising $800,000—80% of that goal—within less than a year. This funding had a profound impact on rural healthcare, helping ensure that community members didn’t have to travel long distances for critical care.

“It’s about more than just the money,” Hannah says. “It’s about rural healthcare. It’s about making sure people don’t have to take off work and travel for hours just to get the care they need.”

While the successes are plenty, Hannah acknowledges the challenges that come with this capacity building. One of the most significant obstacles is the misconception that securing grant funding is easy. Many individuals, particularly in rural areas, may be “voluntold” to seek out funding but aren’t always aware of the time, expertise, and effort required to successfully secure grants.

“Capacity building work is difficult to fund, and it can be hard to explain the return on investment of this type of work," Hannah says. “There’s no ribbon cutting for capacity building. It’s all about the behind-the-scenes work that makes the end result possible.”

Despite these challenges, Hannah finds deep fulfillment in the work. The most rewarding moments come when individuals realize they can succeed on their own with just a little guidance.

One aspect that sets Grant Ready Kentucky apart is its embrace of technology. With Hannah’s background in tech startups, she and Lincoln understand the importance of streamlining processes to increase efficiency. By leveraging automation and artificial intelligence, Grant Ready Kentucky has created systems that help rural communities access grant opportunities more effectively, all while keeping the process manageable and accessible. By balancing a human-centered approach with technological innovation, Hannah is helping Grant Ready Kentucky make a lasting impact on the region.

“We’ve done this before in other industries. We know where the low-hanging fruit is,” Hannah says. “Technology can help reduce barriers and help communities work more effectively with fewer resources.”

As Hannah looks to the future, she sees both challenges and opportunities ahead. With shifting federal priorities and the ever-changing landscape of funding, Hannah believes that local funders, including private and corporate foundations, will need to step up to fill any gaps left by the federal government. But with the right partnerships, training, and capacity-building initiatives, Kentucky’s rural communities can continue to flourish.

Grant Ready Kentucky is also expanding its reach by promoting the Kentucky Grant Professional Registry, an initiative designed to connect local nonprofits with high-quality grant writers. Through this registry, Hannah hopes to build a robust network of skilled professionals who can provide much-needed expertise to organizations across the state.

“We’re not just building Grant Ready Kentucky; we’re trying to build the grant writing profession in Kentucky,” Hannah says. “We want to connect communities with the best possible resources, whether it’s through our programs or through a local expert who can make a real difference."

Hannah’s leadership at Grant Ready Kentucky is making a profound impact on rural Kentucky’s ability to access vital resources. Through training, coaching, and building lasting partnerships, she is changing the way Kentucky’s rural communities think about and approach grant funding. Her work ensures that these communities not only receive the support they need but also develop the skills to continue moving forward independently—one grant at a time.