About the founder
Meet Ayla Baker
Founder & Principal Consultant
Starling Grant Partners grew out of roughly a decade spent inside the grant lifecycle — writing federal proposals, managing large grant portfolios, and steering awards through the compliance and reporting that follow a win.
That work spans grants across safety and security, education, health and human services, social services, aviation, and international projects. The through-line: proposals succeed when they meet funder guidelines exactly, and awards succeed when someone minds the compliance details after the celebration.
Clients deserve honesty about the odds and discipline in the details — never a promise dressed up as a guarantee.
Why ethics-first
Starling is built to reject contingency fees outright — no compensation tied to whether a grant is awarded. It's the standard the Grant Professionals Association's Code of Ethics sets, and it's what most public funders and nonprofit boards require. It also keeps the incentives honest: the goal is the strongest possible application and a clear-eyed read on your odds, not a hard sell on a long shot.
Credentials
- M.S., Nonprofit Management — Regis University
- B.A. — University of Central Florida
- APMP Foundation certification
- AI Anthropic Training in Fluency and Foundations
- Active member, Grant Professionals Association (GPA)
Let's see if we're a fit.
A free 30-minute discovery call is the best place to start.
Book a discovery call