Founder and CEO
And I want yours to have the support it needs.
If you’re working hard to keep your nonprofit going and wondering why funding still feels like an uphill battle, welcome home.
I’ve helped lots of nonprofits facing that struggle. I’ve experienced the burnout myself. And I don’t want your limited resources going toward things that won’t actually help your mission. We’ve got bigger work to do.
I’m Teresa Huff, Founder and CEO of Impact Innovations. I help you think strategically about what your organization needs so you can put your time, money, and energy to better use.
ACNP
Advanced Certified Nonprofit Professional, with a Master of Education.
TEDx
Speaker, “The Real ROI of Grant Writing.”
Top 5%
Grant Writing Simplified® ranks in the top 5% of podcasts globally.
25+ years
Across grant writing and training, special education, and business.
It’s easy to get caught up in the mission and miss the meaningful steps behind it.
Early in my consulting career, a new nonprofit asked me to help find grants. It was a good cause and I just wanted to help the client.
Then came the email: their nonprofit status was official. The client told me too as hard and fast as possible to get grants. Find anything and everything.
As I started working on applications, I realized they didn’t have a program running or funds raised yet. Grants matched their mission, but they weren’t ready for them.
I had gotten caught up in what they wanted to do without seeing what needed to happen first.
The “spray and pray” approach to grants was code for “crash and burn.”
Over the years, I heard from more nonprofits that had spent time and money pursuing grants with little to show for it. But I’ve also been blessed to help many whose programs were completely transformed by grants.
I started deeply studying the patterns, the failures, the successes, and the nuances. A few things consistently rose to the top. The teacher in me kicked in and I eventually developed a framework around the proven steps to growing stronger nonprofits.
That’s why our work at Impact Innovations begins with understanding what you need and helping you build in the right direction.
We often just need to move upstream a step or two. That can make ALL the difference in helping you build for generations.
I learned the hard way so you don’t have to.
I’ve spent more than 25 years working across special education, business, and grant strategy. McAllister & Quinn named Impact Innovations its 2025 Strategic Advisor of the Year.
That work matters to me because of what it makes possible: food for families, support for senior adults, books and technology for children, safe homes. I could go on and on.
It’s also why I teach. More than 5,000 students worldwide have taken my grant writing programs. I share what I’ve learned in my TEDx talk and on the Grant Writing Simplified® Podcast to help you put it to work.
I had to get that experience out of my brain so it can help others too.
Podcast
Grant Writing Simplified®
More than 150 episodes and 145,000 unique downloads. Top 5% of podcasts globally.
TEDx
The Real ROI of Grant Writing
The case for building capacity before chasing the next application.
How I work
Back in the day, I started as a special education teacher and got a Master’s degree. Then our first baby came along and the story changed. I wanted to stay at home and find flexible work that would let me use my shiny degree.
Since Google wasn’t a thing yet, a coffee meeting with a brilliant local grant writer turned into a generous invitation to join her team. I jumped into federal grants, learned a ton, and eventually started consulting on my own.
Throw in grant writing, training, strategic planning, program evaluation, real estate management (yeah, random but quite useful), online course creation, podcast, TEDx – you’ve got personal and professional growth like I never could’ve dreamed.
Each stage of the journey prepared me for the next.
Even though I never went back to the classroom, the teacher still lurks under the surface. I totally give my clients homework.
Plot twist most people don’t expect: that homework is intentionally designed to help your nonprofit move forward. To give you those light bulb moments that renew your energy.
You have a lot on your mind and a million hats to wear. We meet you where you are and make the work accessible. We’ll ask questions, work through decisions, and put that homework to use.
Action brings clarity
When I started the podcast, I didn’t know if anyone would listen. I was terrified, but I committed to an episode every week for a year. I knew that if I wanted different results, I had to take different actions.
That decision stretched me and helped me see a much bigger purpose. My faith was central to it. I couldn’t keep saying I believed in God while playing scared and small.
I want to steward the time and experience I’ve been given well. I can’t be involved in every mission I care about. But if I can help you better fulfill yours, then I will have fulfilled my purpose.
“You’ve been a real godsend for us. Working with you has made such a difference for our center.”
Don Peterson, Board President, Branson Hollister Senior Center
Traveling
I love traveling and exploring new places with this crew. Got a recommendation? Send it my way!
The Cake
My old-fashioned coconut cream white cake is nothing short of legendary in my family. It’s lovingly known as “The Cake.”
Jack
A couple of years ago Jack bee-bopped into our lives from the local shelter and has been making us laugh ever since.
I’ve brought together a team of stellar people who care deeply about this work and are top-notch at what they do. We’d love to help you move your mission forward.