Our Story
Meredith and Lukas met in 2023 while working remotely for a national grant consulting firm, where they collaborated on a large variety of projects. Their work together continued as they both moved into freelance consulting and reconnected while subcontracting for another grants company. Over time, they formed a strong working relationship based on their insistence on comprehensive strategy, integrated research, and long-term relationship building throughout the grant-seeking process.
Lukas and Meredith quickly realized that they were both approaching the development of their own consultancies with a similar focus: providing highly responsive work to an intentionally limited roster of established small and mid-sized nonprofits. Based on several role models in the industry — Amanda and Kimberly at HayDay Services and Ellisha and Lynn at Shoestring Solutions — they determined that they could best serve their communities as a team. In 2026, they formed Congruent Grant Partners with a shared vision for a boutique grants firm serving values-driven clients with equally values-based services. (That also means they can now take vacations and recharge while the other monitors the company inbox and upcoming deadlines!)
Collectively, they have raised $20.1 million in grant awards, including successful federal applications for the American Rescue Plan Act, Center for Disease Control, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Health Resources and Services Administration, Institute of Museum and Library Science, National Endowment of the Arts, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Ryan White, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and Violence Against Women Act. Lukas’s background in general nonprofit development practices and his understanding of the role of grantseeking within a diverse fundraising portfolio complements Meredith’s broad experience with grant funders and knowledge of nonprofit finance practices. Together, they can provide better resources to clients than as individuals, improve each other’s work, and create more impactful grant applications.
About Meredith
Meredith Burke Hammons, PhD, GPC has over 15 years of experience in grant development, instruction, and research. After she wrote her first funded grant application in 2017, she was hooked. Meredith is one of only 31 grant professionals in the state of Georgia who have earned the Grant Professional Certified (GPC) credential, the only nationally recognized certification for grant professionals.
As a member of the Grants Professional Association, she currently sits on the Ethics Committee. Meredith previously served on the Finance Committee, the Georgia Chapter Equity Roundtable, as Treasurer of the Georgia Chapter, and on the planning committee for the 2022 Southern Regional Grant Conference. She reviews scholarship applications for GPA and GPC, mentors through the GPA Mentoring Program, coaches through the Georgia Chapter Diversity Fellows Program, and sponsors a scholarship for Early Career Membership to the GPA. Meredith also volunteered on Vu Le’s Book Launch Team for his newest book, Reimagining Nonprofits and Philanthropy. She maintains an active schedule training and presenting around the country.
Meredith holds a Ph.D. in Religion from Vanderbilt University, a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Religion from Davidson College. When she isn’t advancing nonprofits’ missions, you can find her reading, traveling, volunteering at her daughter’s school for the theater program, and cheering for Kentucky basketball.
About Lukas
Lukas Schroeder, GPC has spent over a decade mobilizing resources for nonprofits with missions in the arts, education, social services, and community development. Since 2020 and the normalization of remote work, he has been proud to support the development and capacity-building of nonprofits across the nation.
Lukas is one of 14 grant professionals in Michigan who have earned their Grant Professional Certified credential. He currently serves on the Grant Professional Association’s Board Task Force on Advocacy, reviewing and refining how advocacy is defined and implemented within GPA’s strategic framework. He also served on Vu Le’s Book Launch Team for his newest book, Reimagining Nonprofits and Philanthropy.
Lukas earned a Leadership Certificate in Arts Management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and degrees in Public and Nonprofit Administration and Music from Grand Valley State University. Raised in Iowa and Michigan, Lukas is a staunch advocate for the Midwest and its cultural offerings. Outside of work, you can find him gigging with his polka quartet or traveling with his family.