Stacy N Fitzsimmons, MBA

Strategic Thinker | Coach | Speaker | Trainer | Grant Pro


I coach small business owners and grant professionals to identify what is important and move quickly through the decision-making, planning, and writing process! 

This site is dedicated to content and resources to make your business development and grant seeking more efficient and fruitful.

A little about me: I am an established project management and grant-writing professional with expertise in federal and state proposal writing. I love to spend my time speaking, coaching, and training others to build careers with an eye on navigating the flow of personal and professional commitments. Over the last decade, I have averaged a win rate of 70%. I have been a federal grant specialist, having written winning applications totaling over $500 million in funding to several federal agencies.

Join me on the journey of small business ownership, consulting, and navigating the world of grants! It doesn't matter where you're starting, it's that you're on the path.

Products section

Leadership and Communication Strengthening

Stacy is dedicated to building sustainable capacity in your organization. For the evolution and sustainability to take hold, you need to have strong leaders who not only communicate, but also connect with their teams and community in an environment of vulnerability with accountability. Stacy Fitzsimmons, MBA is a certified speaker, trainer, and coach with the Maxwell Leadership Team. She is available to help build, renew, and evolve your teams in ways that will serve them best.

  • $50

Mastermind - Nov 6 Weekly Thurs - ECFC

  • Webinar
  • Nov 6, 2025 at 12:00 PM EST
  • 90-day access

John C. Maxwell says if you want to succeed, you must learn how to connect with people. Connection lays the groundwork for success. Without connection, relationships will be transactional and obligatory, but with connection comes common ground and a full-hearted pursuit of goals. In this 10-session mastermind we embrace the conecting principles and practices to successfully move from communication to connection.

  • $50

Mastermind - Jan 7 - Weekly Wed - Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn

  • Webinar
  • Jan 7, 2026 at 12:00 PM EST
  • 90-day access

Each of us has experienced a disappointing setback in our personal growth or leadership. How we have responded to those mistakes, errors, slips, or simply missing the goal has shaped us even now. No bad experience has to defeat us! Join the 7-week (Wed @ Noon) mastermind to discover how every negative event or loss can become a valuable learning opportunity, propelling us to new and greater heights in our own lives.

  • $50

Mastermind - Jan 6 - Weekly Tuesday - High Road Leadership

  • Webinar
  • Jan 6, 2026 at 12:00 PM EST
  • 90-day access

“Everything rises and falls on leadership” is the basis for all Maxwell teachings. Today, it is causing people to fall into disputes, frustration, anger, and despair. His solution is to expose the problems of taking the low and middle roads when interacting with others. In this 6-week mastermind, explore the principles and practices of high-road leadership to enhance your influence and make the world a better place.

Decision-Making Made Easier

Data-Driven Decision Making

  • $127.99

Decision Matrix Tools BUNDLE - 20% Savings

  • Download
  • 4 files

Do you want it all? Access Granted! Here are all the tools I personally use in my decision matrix creation. Includes the editable Excel template, PDF worksheet for brainstorming, and a completed example.

Includes 1 Additional Product

  • $99.99

Decision Matrix Template - Editable

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  • 1 file
  • Includes 1 additional product

As described in the E-Book and presentation, this is the weighted rubric template in Excel ready for you to create your own decision-making tool.

  • $35

Decision-Making E-book Bundle: Two great resources 30% off

  • Bundle
  • 2 Products

A great pairing of "Decision Matrices and Rubrics: Tools to support effective decision-making" and "Not Just a Gut Reaction: Data-Driven Decision Making" to aid any organization in making more informed decisions without sacrificing agility or time.

  • $25

Federal Grant Concept Paper Template

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  • 1 file

This document provides a foundation for you to gather information needed to review an opportunity to determine the fit of a proposed concept with a funding opportunity, make a go/no-go decision for an opportunity, route a proposal concept for approval, and more. Through a Q&A format grant offices and organizational leadership solicit information from the program team to get a full sense of the proposed project.

  • $19.99

Decision Matrix Template-PDF Version

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  • 1 file

A quick example for you to use during your decisions making process. 

  • $10

E-book: Decision Matrices and Rubrics: Tools to support effective decision-making

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  • 1 file

Understand the premise of decision matrices with a step-by-step how-to for creating a decision matrix to suit your need.

  • $10

E-book: Not Just a Gut Reaction: Data-Driven Decision Making

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  • 1 file

A detailed how-to guide for "Putting Data Behind Your Decisions for Improved Outcomes"

  • Free

Decision Matrix Presentation Slides

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  • 1 file

Presentation corresponding with Stacy's "Decision Matrix: Are You taking the Red or Blue Pill" and "Using a Decision Matrix to Focus Your Grant Pursuits" presentations.

Grow Your Career and Find Joy

Growth & Balance

  • Free

Growth & Balance - QRG

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  • 1 file

A visual Reminder of the "5 Concepts and a Mantra" from Stacy's Growth & Balance materials.

  • $15

Growth & Balance Workbook - Download

  • Download
  • 1 file

This is a workbook designed to accompany Stacy's presentation and upcoming ebook about finding your balance or flow in meeting your personal and professional obligations. It is for consultants, small business owners, and grant professionals to find a path for work and personal needs in life. The file can be downloaded and printed and works with Notability.

Learning Opportunites

Invest in your Professional Development!

Courses

  • Waitlist

FEDERAL GRANT WRITING 600 with Stacy Fitzsimmons, MBA

Beyond a 101 course, this is a 15-module, hands-on course on assembling a federal grant proposal from beginning to end, with tips and tricks for making your first (or hundredth) proposal successful. After completing this course, you can...(1) search for and select federal grants (2) write a responsive proposal to most federal opportunities and (3) prepare attachments and budgets to complete a competitive application.

  • $50

Grant Application Formatting and Final Touches

All the things you didn't think you didn't need to know when formatting your document! This course walks you through how to use Word to work for you, from setting up your document at the start to putting on the finishing touches with easy, consistent formatting.

  • $10

Guide to Search for and Evaluate Funding Opportunities on Grants.gov

A step-by-step guide on finding and evaluating funding opportunities on Grants.gov This quick course helps make your grant finding process that much easier.

  • Waitlist

Making the Leap into Consulting with Stacy Fitzsimmons

This 10-module, self-guided course is dedicated to setting up you and your consultancy for success! Once you have completed this course, you will have both personal and business plans to guide your way. After this course, you will have legally established your business, determined your services and delivery model, set preliminary pricing, have a start on your marketing and business development, and more!

Presentation Archive

  • Free

Decision Matrix Presentation Slides

Presentation corresponding with Stacy's "Decision Matrix: Are You taking the Red or Blue Pill" and "Using a Decision Matrix to Focus Your Grant Pursuits" presentations.

Time Saving Tools and Templates

  • $29

3 TIME SAVING LETTER TEMPLATES!

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  • 4 files

No one ever wants to be the one to start the letter, and we get it! You can pass the settles in this time because we've already got it started for you! This set includes three letters: partner, letter of support, and a letter of support with leverage (for organizations like municipalities and States that may have relevant programs to leverage but aren't a partner organization). Save time by purchasing these today!

  • $29.99

Timeline Worksheet 12-18-60 Month [Excel]

  • Download
  • 1 file

Not sure how to format your timeline/workplan? Here are 3 examples to get you started.

  • $5

5-Why's Worksheet

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  • 1 file

PDF worksheet to use when processing through the 5-Why's

Quick Reference Guides

Quick Reference Guides

  • Free

Growth & Balance - QRG

  • Download
  • 1 file

A visual Reminder of the "5 Concepts and a Mantra" from Stacy's Growth & Balance materials.

  • $5

Program Design Checklist

  • Download
  • 1 file

This Quick Reference Guide (QRG) provides a checklist to consider the elements of program design for new and emerging programming that will likely lead to a funding request.

  • $10

Quick Reference: Final Touches

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  • 1 file

You've finished the writing, now it's time to get ready to submit. Here is a checklist to help you prepare a federal grant proposal for submission.

Coaching

  • $150

ACCESS GRANTED: Quarterly Coaching

This entry-level coaching is ideal for grant pros, consultants, and small business owners who have not worked with a coach before or need accountability. Connect quarterly with Stacy via a 45-minute Zoom/Teams call with monthly follow-ups via texts or emails. Each session starts with agenda setting to focus on your needs, exploring the issue, and crafting an actionable plan. Price is for one quarter.

Includes 1 Additional Product