The College of the Canyons Office of Grants Development will host its ninth annual “Meet the Grant Makers” panel presentation and seminar event on Friday, Oct. 4, offering Santa Clarita Valley’s non-profits an opportunity to learn how to improve their fundraising efforts and see their organizations thrive.

With the participation of representatives from The Wells Fargo Foundation and the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the event will feature a range of interactive discussions focused on helping attendees:

* Engage in dialogue with potential donors about their organization’s major priorities and goals.

* Understand how to make their grant applications stand out.

* Learn how to build meaningful relationships with organization representatives.

* Network and form partnerships with other non-profit professionals.

* Successfully secure grants and other forms of aid.

In particular, the panel presentation will be focused on current giving priorities, as well as both targeted and precise grant requests.

The featured panel speakers for this year’s “Meet the Grant Makers” event will be Jonathan Weedman, Senior Vice President, The Wells Fargo Foundation, and Lindsey D. Schoenholtz, Grants Manager, Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

In his position with The Wells Fargo Foundation, Weedman is responsible for managing the charitable contributions of the company’s largest market, which includes an annual budget in excess of $25 million for Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, and the State of Arizona.

Weedman also serves as Commissioner for the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Commission, and is a board member of the California Heritage Museum, the Getty House Foundation, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and The Colburn School.

Prior to joining the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Schoenholtz — who is graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago — worked with the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs, where she managed grant programs for individual artists and teaching artists.

“We invite every non-profit organization staff member in the region to attend the Meet the Grant Makers program,” said Elana Helgesen, a grant writer at the college. “Having this type of direct access to organization representatives, with the ability to ask questions and share ideas on the spot, will be an extremely beneficial experience.”

In addition, the program will provide attendees with the opportunity to network with other non-profit organizations to create partnerships and explore the possibility of future collaboration projects. Representatives from more than 30 local non-profit organizations are expected to be in attendance.

“Meet the Grant Makers will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, in the Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook University Center, Room 258, located on the college’s Valencia campus (University Center Drive entrance).

Admission to the event and parking in the University Center lot are both complimentary, however attendees are asked to RSVP in advance in order to receive a free parking pass. Attendees that do not register in advance will need to purchase a one-day parking pass for $2 from one the lot’s automated kiosks.

For more information about “Meet the Grant Makers” call (661) 362-5871 or email elana.helgesen@canyons.edu or theresa.zuzevich@canyons.edu. To RSVP for this event visit www.canyons.edu/GrantMakers.