Meet The Team

imagination to see a better world

tools to help you make it happen.

Christine Schwitzer (she/her)

founder and principal

Before stumbling into a career in fundraising, I started my professional life writing legal briefs as a paralegal. Now, I combine my technical writing skills with activism. I see grant writing as a tool to connect community-driven leaders and solutions to wealth through grants. My sweet spot is helping visionaries and changemakers tell their story, quantify their impact, and raise more money through grants. I get into the weeds to understand what organizations need to be most effective, and then build the strategy to help make it happen. 

I’m a grant strategist, relationship builder, and action-oriented leader with over 14 years of experience in grant writing and management. Before starting Holistic Grants, I held leadership roles in both nonprofits and consulting firms, including as Director of Development and Communications for a Minneapolis-based organization serving youth experiencing homelessness, Grants Director for a Minneapolis-based fundraising consulting firm, and Grants Manager for the PBS Foundation in Washington, D.C..

Originally from the Philadelphia area, I am proud to now call Minnesota home. When I’m not thinking about grants, I’m probably playing in Minnehaha Creek with my husband and two boys, or curled up with a good book.

Sadie Rubin (she/her)

Lead Writer & Grant Strategist

As a born-and-raised Californian, I could never have imagined that I would end up living in Minnesota...but here I am: loving the Twin Cities, with no plans of leaving! Before taking a career break in 2018, I founded and directed an intergenerational creative arts program, where I managed: program and partner development, grant writing, strategic planning, vendor contracts, budgeting and finances, and participant and team needs. Though the program is currently on hiatus, I hope to one day reimagine it locally.

With over 12 years of experience working in nonprofit management and community programming, I thoroughly enjoy helping leaders achieve their goals through grant writing and strategic planning. When I'm not reading books, painting, or building Magnatiles with my two young kids, I'm probably snuggling with my dog or winning at the game of Carcassonne against my husband.

Kati Holland (she/her)

executive assistant

Driven by a passion for creativity and dedication to positive change, I've naturally gravitated towards the nonprofit world. Growing up, I volunteered at the Oregon Food Bank and provided care kits to the Portland homeless community. While attending college in Hawaii, I volunteered at Hakipu'u Lo'i Kalo, a wetland taro farm, in their Stream Restoration project. In 2022, I organized and hosted the I Am Woman Empowerment and Wellness Retreat, an event that brought together over 30 women from 5 states and included collaborations with 12 women-founded small businesses. With a strong focus on wellness and community impact, all profits were donated to The Policy Project, a nonprofit organization dear to my heart. Being involved in both my community and others has deepened my commitment to advocate for a meaningful and equitable future for all.

I'm thrilled to now join the Holistic Grants team in that same effort and contribute to their mission of connecting innovators and community builders with financial sustainability. With over 6 years of experience in the administrative field, notably implementing new volunteer programs at Brigham Young University-Hawaii and Idaho, I enjoy providing leadership with efficient solutions and support to ensure smooth executive and administrative operations.

Outside of my administrative work, I’m a freelance graphic and web designer and a registered yoga instructor. I'm also wife to my college sweetheart and mom to three wild little ones. I love design, holistic living, and nature connection, and I often spend my time reading a good book, writing, or adventuring with my family in Southern CA.

Lauren White (she/her)

grant writer

People consider me a relationship-based fundraiser with over 15 years of experience in empathetically mobilizing resources for change. I have expertise in individual and major giving, grant writing and management, earned revenue, and intercultural exchange. I am passionate about the intersections of creativity, shared experience, equity, identity, and place.

As a member of the Twin Cities arts community, I serve on the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (MRAC) and am a graduate of the University of Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Leadership Master’s Program.

I’m a dual citizen, and when I’m not writing for pleasure or work, I’m likely traveling, cooking, eating delicious food, or hanging out with my crew in the woods.

Originally from San Diego, I grew up with a love for the outdoors and am guided by a strong sense of optimism for the future that underpins the work that I do. With my background in grantmaking, project management, and writing, I have experience with storytelling in all its forms, whether journalism, creative writing, or grant writing. During my time in philanthropy, I managed grants to organizations that equitably address climate change and supported efforts to promote community-led conservation. I have master's degrees in conservation science and environment and development from Imperial College London and the London School of Economics, respectively, where my research focused on the intersection of community conservation and economic development.

When not working on grants, you can find me writing articles or taking photos, playing bluegrass mandolin, and exploring the great Minnesota outdoors (usually looking for birds and other critters). I am excited to bring my passion for project management and my knack for storytelling to the Holistic Grants team. 

Sarah Milligan (she/her)

grant writer