Legacy Grant Solutions began around a kitchen table, the place where our family gathered day after day to talk through life, challenges, hopes, and decisions. In our home, the kitchen table was where everything was discussed: school, work, finances, community, and how to show up for others. It was also where Brenda encouraged her own children to be involved in their community, reminding them that giving back not only helps others, it also shapes who you become.

When Samantha, Brenda’s youngest daughter and Cassandra’s only sister, was born with Down syndrome, the kitchen table became the place where our family learned, asked questions, and figured out how to best support her. Over time, our family relied on a network of community-based nonprofits that showed up at just the right moments in Samantha’s life. Each one met us where we were, offering guidance, opportunity, and genuine care as our needs evolved. From Equest Therapeutic Riding Center to The Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas, from a range of therapies and inclusive sports programs to specialized care through Scottish Rite Hospital, each organization played a role in helping us understand what was possible for Samantha’s future. Each experience brought new resources, reassurance, and kindness at exactly the right time for our family.

As Brenda built relationships with these organizations, both as a parent and an advocate, she began volunteering her time to help nonprofits secure grant funding, enabling them to continue serving families like ours. Many of those early conversations took place at the same kitchen table, where we reviewed drafts, discussed program needs, and celebrated wins together. What started as informal support grew as trust deepened and nonprofits recognized the value of grant writing expertise grounded in lived experience. Over time, this work became a new career, one centered on aligning strategy with mission, capacity, and long-term sustainability.

Cassandra grew up watching this work take shape, often from that same kitchen table. No matter where she lived, she found ways to stay involved in her community and volunteer alongside local organizations. As Cassandra looked for practical ways to support her own dreams after college, grant writing became a natural extension of what she had witnessed for years, collaborative, mission-driven work grounded in clarity, accountability, and respect for the important work being done. Today, Cassandra brings her strengths in research, strategy, systems building, and relationship management to nonprofits across the country, helping organizations build capacity, secure funding, and plan for long-term sustainability.

Today, Legacy Grant Solutions remains a family partnership rooted in lived experience, trust, and accountability. While our work has grown well beyond the kitchen table, the principles shaped there still guide how we operate, mission-first, in true partnership, and with a focus on sustainable impact rather than short-term wins. Our clients always know what we are doing, why it matters, and how it supports their mission.

Our work reflects both our personal story and our professional commitment to help nonprofits build sustainable funding so their impact can endure for generations.