Heather Caillier, Founder & President
My Vision
My vision is to combine my professional skills and personal experience, with my passion for the empowerment and equitable treatment of women, children and marginalized people, to positively impact individuals and the community.
Since founding Ascend in 2009, my expertise and professional experience has predominantly focused on the intersecting issues of sexual exploitation and trafficking, sexual and domestic violence, poverty, and youth and adults experiencing homelessness.
+ Bio
Heather Caillier, Founder and President of Ascend Consulting has been supporting nonprofits and state agency leaders since 2009. She is a sought-after Marketing & Development Consultant, Grant Writer, and an accomplished Event and Conference Producer. To date, she has secured over 13 million dollars in grant funding for Ascend clients, and helps raise an additional 2 million dollars annually through marketing and development support services.
Heather has specialized her expertise on the intersecting issues of sexual exploitation and trafficking, sexual and domestic violence, poverty, and youth and adults experiencing homelessness. She provided leadership on the statewide Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force Steering Committee and Co-Chaired the Communications Subcommittee for 5 years. She has produced significant anti-trafficking Public Awareness Campaigns for the MN Department of Health Safe Harbor Program for Sexually Exploited Youth, as well as the Men As Peacemakers Don’t Buy It Project (featured during the 2018 Super Bowl and nationally).
Heather has also played a critical role in developing and producing multiple Safe Harbor projects, trainings, videos and conferences across the state.
The Ascend Consulting Team
Ascend Consulting has an experienced team of grant writers that collectively have over 25 years of experience with federal and state public sector funding, statewide and national private sector funding, and a track record of numerous successful grant applications resulting in millions of dollars in awards to non-profit organizations. Please see the Our Work page for a list award-winning applications.
In addition to our grant writers, Ascend Consulting has a diverse group of copywriters, graphic designers, web developers, marketers, and communication professionals who will help develop messaging and strategies to effectively share your story with a wider audience and get people excited about your cause or project.