About us
Meet Lauren Tamboer, Founder and Lead Consultant
6 years in nonprofit consulting, 3.5 years as an in-house grant writer
200+ grant proposals written for clients
$10 million raised for environmental justice, social justice, and democracy causes
Growing up in Michigan near the Great Lakes fostered Lauren’s motivation to protect and defend natural resources.
Her background in grant fundraising, strategic communications, community outreach, and project management focuses on environmental and social justice issues. Lauren believes environmental progress is only effective when it centers on the perspectives of the people most impacted by pollution.
On the banks of the Red Cedar River, Lauren earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication from Michigan State University. She dedicated her graduate research to environmental justice and understanding how people see their relationship to the environment.
Lauren works as the Foundation Relations Senior Manager for Washington Conservation Action and collaborates with a stellar group of consultants at Cloudbreak Collective. She is trained in grant writing by The Grantsmanship Center.
Based in the south Puget Sound region, Lauren serves on the Thurston Climate Mitigation Collaborative Community Advisory Workgroup. When she isn’t writing grant applications, you can find Lauren searching for a well-spiced chai latte, skiing at White Pass, or hiking with her dog, Juniper.
Curious about our name?
We’re called Sowing Local because we believe place-based, community organizations should be the best resourced groups in our neighborhoods. Studies show 1.5% of foundation funding going to community organizing, and less than 2% going to environmental organizations. We don’t have to accept that.
Ask yourself: In your community, what are you sowing?
It all begins and ends with seeds. Seeds of gratitude, joy, resentment, compassion, anger, love, and many more can grow toward many possible futures for our communities. Which ones we choose to plant and sow depends on an ecosystem of things. Our decisions matter.
