Trauma-informed
Grant Consulting & Coaching
Struggling to apply to grants?
You’re new to grants and don’t know where to start. Or you’ve tried applying to grants with no luck, or you want some guidance while you put together your next grant application.
I can help you strengthen your grant application. With a blend of consulting and coaching, I encourage writers and demystify the Canadian grant landscape.
I can answer the questions you have about where to get started, what grants you could be eligible for, what materials you need, and how to do the actual grant writing.
Your first step: read my article about grants at Hippocampus Magazine.
As you can see, there are many reasons to apply for funding, and many of them have nothing to do with whether you actually receive the grant. Organizing your materials and “thinking through” your project description and timeline can help you plan out how you will complete your project.
Your drafts can also be repurposed for residency applications, back-cover copy, or even your book proposal!
Now, if you actually do get the grant? That’s just a bonus! In a coaching call with me, we can talk through all your options. I can also read drafts of your grant writing (i.e. the answers to the funder’s questions) and even look over your entire grant application. Read on for the options!
Yolande House has received grants from the Ontario Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Access Copyright Foundation. She has received nine literary grants since she began applying for grants in 2020, and she has assisted others in successfully applying for grant funding.
Her creative writing has appeared in literary magazines such as The Rumpus, Grain, Joyland, PRISM international, Hippocampus Magazine, Plenitude, and The Fiddlehead. She has over a decade of teaching experience, and holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University and a Master’s in History from Queen’s University.
Her body of work deals with being disabled, hard of hearing, and bisexual, as well as healing from sexual assault and childhood abuse. She is the author of a popular series of craft articles through Hippocampus Magazine on writing about trauma in a safer way.
Yolande, your Hippocampus article is great writing advice! Thank you! As a mental health professional with advanced degrees and a real person with my own stuff, I sometimes have a hard time navigating the mass of “helpful” articles written by people who are not professionals, and often spread only partially correct information. Trauma is one of my areas of specialization, and it’s also one of the topics with the most potentially harmful “tips” out there.
I really appreciate the way you address this topic from the position of a writer. You’ve written genuinely helpful stuff from your area of expertise. Thanks!
Is this you?
- You excel when you have deadlines
- You're neurodivergent or disabled and need more support in the grant-writing process
- You like breaking up large tasks into smaller steps
- You're new to grant writing and want to save hundreds of hours figuring things out yourself
- You're familiar with grants and want guidance on submitting to multiple grants or dealing with rejection
I can help!
Check out the tables below for my grant services, or book an Ask Me Anything call where you can pick my brain about grants. Note that I specialize in Canadian grants but can help Americans and global citizens with general grant-writing elements like timeline and project descriptions.
MORE ABOUT ME:
I am a survivor of childhood abuse who now has C-PTSD and is disabled and chronically ill. I am hard of hearing and often operate on 'crip time' when my gastrointestinal or my nerve issues flare. Let me know your accessibility needs, and I would be happy to discuss if we would be a good match.
I use Zoom for the auto-captions. I'm happy to read email but must limit my typing time, so I may send you a video reply. I love meeting live on Zoom so you have the opportunity to ask questions.
The Options
Ask Me Anything
One hour of consulting- Ask me anything about grants!
- Comprehensive knowledge about Canadian literary grants
- Receive a recording and transcript of our call
- Paid upgrades available
- Doesn't include a read of your draft
The Quick & Dirty
Brief feedback on a draft- Brief written feedback on up to three of your grant application answers.
- My feedback will focus on two questions: Does this answer the question in full? What could help make this answer stronger?
- I will also include a brief video summarizing my feedback, because tone is important!
- You may ask one clarifying question after receiving your feedback.
The Full Read
Feedback on everything!- Verbal feedback on your entire grant application in a 1-hour Zoom call!
- This includes your grant writing, supplementary materials, and anything else you'll submit
- I'll send you a template you can fill in with your grant writing
- A recording and transcript is included.
- Does not include any written feedback
- I will not ghost write your application
The Package Deal
One of each!- Receive an Ask Me Anything call, a Quick & Dirty review of of your grant draft, and then a full read of your entire grant application for a reduced rate!
- We can change the order of these services, or do two AMA calls instead of the first two services
- BONUS: Ask up to three additional questions and receive a brief video reply
- Paid upgrades available
- Additional email support is not included in this package
GRANTS I CAN HELP YOU WITH
For my grant-specific feedback, I only consult on grants I've received myself. Those include:
- The Access Copyright Foundation
You can find direct links for each service below:
MORE Information
Quick & Dirty Feedback
Brief written feedback on up to three of your grant application answers. My feedback will focus on two questions: Does this answer the funder's question in full? What could help make this answer stronger?
You will receive my feedback in writing and with a short summary video, because tone of voice matters! Please submit your grant writing (your answers to up to 3 questions*) in a Word document. Formatting should be double-spaced and in 12-point font.
*Your answers must respect the funder's word count limit, i.e. 250 words or 750 words, etc. Please state the word count limit at the top of each answer.
Please email your work to me at least one week prior to your scheduled booking time. You will receive your feedback within one week of your booking time. Note the time you book simply reserves a slot with me to do the work. There is no live meeting. There are no refunds for this service.
The Full Read
Verbal feedback on your entire grant application in a 1-hour Zoom call! Recording and transcript included.
At least ten days before your booking date, send me your grant writing (your answers to the funder's questions) AND your supplementary materials for this application (these can be your CV, writing sample, budget; maybe also letters of reference, a reading list for a research grant, etc). Please let me know about any accessibility needs when you book.
My feedback will mainly focus on your grant writing, but I'll also read over your supplementary materials and I'll let you know if I see something in these that could be strengthened.
After you book, I'll send you an optional template you can use for your grant writing. Email your documents to me at least ten days before the date you book. For accessibility, please send me them in Word files, not PDFs.
There are no refunds for this service. If you need an extension, you must let me know at least one week before your booking time or your spot is forfeit.
The Package Deal
For a reduced price, snag an Ask Me Anything Call, Quick & Dirty Feedback on three of your grant questions, and then The Full Read of your entire grant application. This package can be spaced out over up to two calendar months. Let me know if you prefer to do the services in a different order.
If you'd like two Ask Me Anything Calls instead of one call and the Quick & Dirty Feedback, that works. In that case, you would receive two AMA calls and The Full Read for the same price as the original package.
I cannot change this package in any other way. If you'd like a different package, message me through my contact page and we can discuss pricing options.
Email me below and let me know which service you would like to start with! I will send you a private booking link for the full cost and booking date options:
Ask Me Anything Call
I can talk about any of the above grants, how to find grants to apply to in your area, discuss your project idea or timeline, or help you brainstorm ideas for the always-tough question on how your project will advance artistic practice or your career in particular. We can plan out a strategy for applying to multiple grants and I can share my experience with how to both successfully completing funded grant projects or manage the disappointment of getting a "no" and suggest next steps. Or anything else about this public and private funding!
Book a one-hour Zoom call and receive a private recording and a transcript.
There are no refunds for this service once you book, so please be sure the time and day you choose work for you!
Information
Examples of my feedback
I ask questions customized to each piece
- "How is the narrator feeling in her body in this moment?"
- "What does the narrator feel when they hear this? What are they doing here?"
- "This is a great place to add description of the setting. What kind of food is he preparing?"
I highlight what's working well in your draft
- "Fantastic description. I can see this clearly!"
- "Love this lyrical language."
- "A very effective way to show the narrator’s emotions here."
- "Fantastic summary writing! This is so clear to me. I can see the shrieking kids, especially after the setup earlier."
I suggest a next step
For essay feedback (or your writing sample), this is an example of what that could look like:
"The next step I would suggest is to review this piece to add more physical description and sensory details (taste, touch, hear, see, feel), especially in the places I’ve noted. I’d love to know more about what’s going on for the narrator internally. What sensations is she feeling in her body? Are there certain gestures or actions (like when she was staring at the tile) that can show us this, or ways to describe the physical surroundings that evoke this mood?"
Questions?
Testimonials
Yolande is a keen writer and a sensitive, trauma-informed writing coach. She knows how to hold space for you and your writing projects, which she will expertly help you transform.
Oh my gosh, Yolande. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I was so lost in the weeds with those alternating sections to the point that I wanted to just shelve this essay, but you’ve given me the perfect feedback I needed at this stage to keep working on this beast. Much, much thanks.
I so recommend taking Yolande’s fabulous workshop!!! It gave me great insights into the creative process for tough subjects. Yolande provided not only a safe space to write from a place of trauma during the workshop (which was such a nourishing experience), but she also walked us through ways to physically ground ourselves through breathing exercises and protective rituals that can help us tap into tough stories. I so recommend working with her!
I’ve shared your piece on how to write about trauma in a safer way with many writer friends. It’s wise and compassionate and full of caring advice for people writing from traumatized bodies & souls need to think about.
Yolande is an experienced and published writer. I, on the other hand, am making a transition from years of technical writing to fiction and memoir. Yolande has been a good source of course information, resources, and guidance to me during the early stages of my journey. Her experience can be of great value to other writers as well.
I’ve just completed the third day of writing briefly and privately about trauma based on Yolande’s coaching, and I feel 100% supported in the process. I’m generating work that feels honest and yes, emotional, but also restorative.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you offer refunds?
There are no refunds on any of my 1:1 services. When you book a time in my schedule, I make you a priority and say “no” to other opportunities as a result. As a disabled and chronically ill individual, I am unable to be flexible in this regard.
If you need to reschedule due to disabilty or illness only, I will consider requests if they come at least one week in advance of your appointment time (or two weeks in the case of The Full Read).
I don't need financial assistance. Why should I apply for a grant?
I was told in one grant webinar that even Margaret Atwood still applies for grants!
Grant funding is not given out based on financial need. Grants are awarded based on literary excellence. If you are a writer, you can apply for a grant!
If you have absolutely no use for an artist fee or “subsistence,” then explain that in your grant writing and use the money to pay other writers! Maybe you need a mentor, a freelance book editor, or want to pay a co-author who is not in the same financial position as you. Contact the grant agency to confirm what wording would be best of course, but don’t let this stop you from applying if this support could be of use to you!
Wait, literary? I'm not sure my project is "literary." Can I get a grant?
Read the guidelines for your preferred grant to learn what is and is not eligible. In Canada at least, journalism writing in newspapers and magazines is generally not considered “literary” unless it’s something like a personal essay. Academic writing does not count. For genre fiction like science fiction and fantasy, it depends. For any project, in your grant writing focus on the more literary elements such as giving voice to an underrepresented community of which you’re a member, fiction that is #OwnVoices, new and exciting craft, etc.
“Literary” is a problematic term but generally means something is well-written and “timeless.” Imagine someone reading your book one hundred years from now. Their technology and culture has completely changed. Will they still understand your book or essay project? Can you paint a scene with nuance and emotional texture, threading it to other scenes with clear and concise summary writing situating this event in an overall general context that would make sense to someone who hasn’t had this experience? (Assuming your intention is clarity; sometimes it’s important to break this convention for cultural or other reasons.)
So, will your writing stand the test of time? Are you creating art, not just churning out content? Are you spending the bulk of your “writing” time in revision mode, not generating mode? Even if your project doesn’t fit this perfectly, emphasize these elements in a grant application. (Pssst: If you’re a sci-fi or fantasy writer, just call it “speculative fiction”!)
I'm a Canadian living abroad. Am I eligible for a grant?
Check the guidelines of the grant you wish to apply for! Most Canadian grants have residency requirements in the local city or province. But check out the Canada Council for the Arts! Those grants are open to all Canadian citizens, living at home or abroad, as well as residents of Canada.
Can I have a discount?
If you sign up for my mailing list, I very occasionally offer a discount on my services. Sign up at the bottom of this page.
If you are disabled or chronically ill, you may be eligible for application assistance through your local arts council. (The Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council both offer application assistance, for example.)
I am available for application assistance! Contact me through my contact page so we can discuss whether we would be a fit; if so, then you’d email the grant council with our info. Note that approval can take 1-3 weeks. If approved, I would work with you for a couple of hours, and the grant agency would pay me directly. It would be free to you!
Other countries may have similar programs. If you know the program you want to apply for, ask them if they offer assistance to help disabled or marginalized writers!
What can I expect in a video call with you?
We meet over Zoom, and you will receive the Zoom link when you sign up. There will be a short intake questionnaire when you book. Depending on the service you purchased, this is where you can let me know what questions you want to ask me in the call, and any access needs or other info you want me to know.
My style is a blend of consulting and coaching. I can answer your questions or advise you on where to find the answers; I can also pep you up with excitement about the possibilities (I was a National Novel Writing Month volunteer for six years–that’s like a local cheerleader for writers). I will cheer you on! Simply setting the appointment offers you a deadline, if you’re like me and love breaking down large tasks by making smaller deadlines for yourself. Go you!
Do you offer unlimited support?
No. For each service you book, I offer only what is listed. I am not available for extra support over above what is included in a service. If you need more support, reach out to me over my contact page. Let me know what you’re looking for, and I can tell you if that’s something I can offer and quote you a price.
If you would like to do a larger mentorship with me, we can discuss adding asynchronous email and video support. Contact me to learn more!
I want to work with you on a grant, but I want something different than what I see above!
Great! Message me through my contact page and let me know what kind of support you’re looking for. If we’re a fit and if it’s something I can offer, then I will quote you a price.
If you want to include me as your mentor in a grant application, please ask me first! I can provide a letter of confirmation once we settle on the price and details of the mentorship. Outside of grants, I can also mentor on the topics of creative nonfiction, healing through writing, outlier forms like hermit crab essays, mindset work for writers, and more!
Questions?