The Grant Professionals Certification Institute (GPCI) presented Lydia Howie, Founding President of the Grant Professionals of Lower Hudson (GPLH), with its 2019 Pauline G. Annarino Award, the grant writing industry’s highest national honor for impact on the grant writing industry and profession.

The award was presented on November 8, 2019 in Washington, DC, at the national Grant Professional Association’s annual conference attended by 880 attendees.

Ms. Howie was recognized for founding the Grant Professionals of Lower Hudson in 2008 (an organization that has grown to 234 members and “friends”) and for her many other contributions to the grant writing industry, including: regularly guest speaking on grant writing both locally and nationally; authoring numerous industry articles; encouragning and supporting more than 10 individuals who have become grant writers or consultants; promoting and assisting three others to obtain their Grant Profession Certification (GPC); and fielding hundreds of calls from nonprofit agencies, grant writers, and individuals considering a grant writing career.

Through the Grant Professionals of Lower Hudson, Ms. Howie has firmly established a grant writing legacy in Westchester County. GPLH has become one of the major regional nonprofit support agencies in the County providing: quarterly education; a Meet the Funders event; an internship program to “breed” grant writers; free counseling to individuals interested in becoming a grant writer as well as to nonprofits who seek grant writing advice; job/consultant referral; speakers bureau; free website resources; and networking.

Ms. Howie was the first in Westchester to earn her Grant Professional Certification - the “CPA” of the grants industry. Since 1999, she has been owner of Howie Marketing & Consulting, a grant writing firm that has raised over $40 million for area nonprofits.

About the Grant Professionals Certification Institute

The Grant Professionals Certification Institute (GPCI) administers the nationally recognized Grant Professional Certified (GPC) credential to grant professionals who meet eligibility requirements and successfully demonstrate proficiency in the required competencies. The GPC certification is based on rigorous standards and ongoing research to meet real-world demands of grant professionals. GPC-credentialed grant professionals demonstrate excellence in the grants profession.

About the Pauline G. Annarino Award

The Pauline G. Annarino Award acknowledges the efforts of an agency, group or individual who has elevated the status of the grants profession by promoting, steering, and/or marketing our profession as a significant contributor to our society. The awardee’s contributions have had a lasting impact on the grants profession and will serve as a foundation for the growth of the profession.