About Us
Our Purpose: Red Cypress Strategies was founded on a simple belief: small nonprofits and non-501(c)(3) projects are essential to community health and safety and they deserve access to funding. Too often, grantmakers overlook these organizations, especially in rural areas, leaving critical needs underfunded.
Our Approach: We use an Asset-Based Community Development model. This means we recognize that communities already possess the people, organizations, and strengths needed to succeed.
Many consultants make the mistake of acting like the experts in room, creating an unhealthy power dynamic. We take a different approach. We enter community spaces with deep respect, recognizing that local leaders already hold the trust and expertise needed to solve their challenges.
Our Commitment: We don’t replace local expertise, we uphold and enhance it. Red Cypress Strategies equips community-based organizations with the knowledge, tools, and funding strategy they need to sustain and expand their impact.
Red Cypress Strategies equips small nonprofits and non-501(c)(3) projects with tailored tools and strategies to competitively secure grant funding.
Mission
A world where grassroots organizations and small nonprofits are recognized as essential partners in an equitable funding landscape—and no community is left behind.
Vision
Collaboration: We partner with organizations and projects of all sizes, honoring their unique local expertise.
Equity: We prioritize tools and support for organizations serving the communities with the greatest needs.
Accessibility & Inclusivity: We deliver clear, jargon-free tools and training designed to be accessible to everyone, regardless of language, background, or ability.
Asset-Based: We recognize that communities already possess the people, organizations, and strengths needed to succeed.
Mutual Learning: We recognize that community leaders are the true experts, and we commit to learning from every organization we work with.
Values
Who We Are
Andrew Brown
Co-Founder and Principal Consultant
Andrew is Co-Founder and Principal Consultant at Red Cypress Strategies. His career in community-based work began in 2011 at the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation in Washington, DC. During his 11-year tenure, Andrew served in grants management and as an interim program officer, working directly with local nonprofits to strengthen their capacity, funding, and long-term sustainability across the Greater Washington region.
In 2022, Andrew joined the American Red Cross’s Community Adaptation Program, bringing his passion for hyper-local nonprofits to a national scale. While there, he created and launched the Grantseeker 101 workshop, delivering grant-seeking strategies to rural and under-funded communities across the country from California to Florida.
Ally Brown
Co-Founder and Education & Operations Consultant
Ally is Co-Founder and Education & Operations Consultant at Red Cypress Strategies. She has worked in association and nonprofit management since 2014, with a career focused on adult education, professional development, and building programs that help people and organizations grow.
Over the past decade, Ally has led the development and modernization of education and training programs, combining instructional design, learning technology, data, and program strategy to make complex information practical and accessible. Her experience spans curriculum development, learning management systems, certification and credentialing programs, program operations, and organizational strategy.
At Red Cypress Strategies, Ally brings that expertise to both grantseeking education and organizational capacity building. She helps organizations think strategically about how they educate their staff, communities, and stakeholders; use learning and program data to understand what's working and demonstrate impact; and build the systems, processes, and technology needed to support sustainable growth.
