Business Spotlight: Social Ink LLC

BY REGINA DONATO

Writing is something that when harnessed correctly, can be a powerful tool for growing a business or nonprofit. Many are not aware of the potential funds they could have access to, made available by grants. Grant writing is the process of creating a written proposal to request funding or financial support from organizations, institutions, or government agencies, with the goal to convince the potential funder that a particular project or program is worthy of financial investment. Grant writers are skilled at researching and understanding the requirements of grant opportunities and then crafting a compelling proposal that outlines the project or program’s goals, objectives, budget, and expected outcomes.

Social Ink, founded in 2010 by Rebecca Hunter Tam, is a trailblazing small business committed to using grant writing to promote social good. Through strategic partnerships and alliances, Social Ink’s work has made a significant impact on municipalities, universities, nonprofits, and school districts in Delaware and beyond, having secured over $490 million in funds since the business’ inception. Social Ink started as a “side-gig” for Tam, but once she saw how much she enjoyed the work, she took to grant writing full-time. She moved to Delaware with her husband and two children in 2020 and has been committed to working here ever since.

Grant writing is a competitive process, as many organizations vie for limited funds. Therefore, a well-written grant proposal is essential to stand out from other applicants and increase the chances of securing the funding needed for the proposed project. “I love writing and am happy doing it, day in and day out,” explains Tam. “I take pride in instilling big-vision projects down to activities, objectives, and deliverables, while also thinking about the larger picture and how projects can intersect and leverage one another.”

The grant writing process can be a lengthy one, depending on the project, grant amount, and situation. Social Ink works with your business throughout the entirety of the process, both the pre-award period of finding, writing, and applying, and the post-award period of following up and reporting on what the received funds were used for. This also may involve helping organizations with corresponding press releases and marketing materials to promote the reception of the grant.

To secure funding for clients in Delaware, Tam has strategically applied to a wide range of public and private sources for funds, including HUD, USDA, COVID Relief funds, Delaware Office of Highway Safety, Highmark, The Longwood Foundation, Delaware EDGE Grants, Bank of America, Citizens Bank, Discover, PNC Bank, WSFS Bank, and Perdue, to name only a few. Her experience with federal grants is also quite attractive to her clients.

Tam’s passion for the craft shines through in her dedication to producing high-quality work for her clients. Social Ink worked closely with Tri-State Community Partners in securing funding for the groundbreaking Nylon Shopping Center in Seaford. “The best grant writers are the ones who care about the subject,” says Will Horrocks, president of Tri-State. “She fully embraced her move to Delaware and wanted to impact the community that she’s in and around. Her ability to masterfully weave together a data-based story is remarkable. We will absolutely be working together again in the future.”

Social Ink’s goal for the future is to continue creating social good for the state and its neighboring communities. “I’ve learned that Delaware is a state of neighbors,” remarks Tam. “Everybody knows each other, and everybody knows somebody who knows them. I’ve found that people here aren’t applying for grants, but I’m hoping that word will soon spread about the positivity applying for grants can create for businesses and the Delaware community as a whole.”

Want to discuss a project? Contact Rebecca at rebeccatam@socialinkllc.com, visit Social Ink's website at www.socialink.com, or schedule a free consultation at www.calendly.com/rebeccatam.