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The Discovery is excited to announce that Melanie Dolezal, Senior Development Officer, Grants & Foundations, has been awarded the Grant Professional Certified (GPC) credential.
Accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), the GPC is awarded to grant professionals who meet eligibility requirements and successfully demonstrate proficiency in the required competencies and skills of the grants profession. The GPC credential is based on rigorous standards and ongoing research.
Individuals who receive the GPC credential must meet GPCI-set standards that include education, professional experience in the grants field, professional development, and community involvement. They also must pass a two-part written examination testing the competencies and skills required of grant professionals, which include building an effective grant application as well as project design, funding research, organizational development, ethics, grant management, funder cultivation, and professionalism. All GPCs must uphold the Grant Professionals Association (GPA) Code of Ethics.
GPC recipients are awarded certification for a three-year period. To maintain certification status, certificants must demonstrate ongoing professional employment and experience, continuing education, contributions to the field, and professional service. They must apply for recertification every three years to uphold their GPC credential.
Melanie is one of only five professionals in the state of Nevada to hold the GPC credential, and one of just three located in Northern Nevada—underscoring her commitment to excellence and leadership in the grants profession.
Grant funding makes up a significant portion of The Discovery’s philanthropic support, enabling the museum to serve our region with new and exciting ways to experience science. Melanie’s GPC credential is certain to help her guide and shape the outcomes of The Discovery’s grant funding endeavors, helping to increase the museum’s impact and long-term sustainability.