Alex Barkley
Founder, Grants Specialist

Alex founded Forward Written to help make grant writing, and grant funding more accessible to nonprofits, municipalities, farms, and grassroots community groups. He brings over a decade of experience working on all aspects grants within nonprofit organizations and public institutions. Prior to forming Forward Written, Alex was Development Director at a comprehensive community center in Columbus, Ohio called Central Community House where he was primarily responsible for raising funding through grants, sponsorships, and private donations. Prior to that, Alex worked for the nonprofit arm of an affordable housing provider called Community Properties of Ohio, where he led a community initiative called Family-Centered Community Change (FCCC) in the Weinland Park neighborhood of Columbus. The project was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and involved six different nonprofit and community organizations coming together to integrate services to help families break the cycle of multi-generational poverty. Across all of these roles, Alex has written grant proposals, managed grant-funded projects and reporting requirements, and collaborated with many community-based organizations. Alex holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Northern Illinois University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business and Organizational Communication from The University of Akron. Alex currently lives in and runs Forward Written from the quiet mountain town of Bakersfield, Vermont, where he moved with his wife, son, and two hound dogs in 2022.