Lydia has 18 years of subject matter expertise in grants administration, policy development, program management and implementation, compliance monitoring, budget development, audit resolution, and organizational leadership at the Federal, State, and local levels. As a Certified Grants Management Specialist (CGMS), she has managed federal funding upward of $48 billion, and has led several teams of grant managers while ensuring compliance with all laws and regulations. She is the founder of Grant Our Community with a mission to support organizations, scholars, leaders, and initiatives that focus on environmental, economic, and social justice. Her experience includes management of local, State and Federal grant programs, management and leadership of local government resources and staff, disaster preparedness, mitigation, as well as response and recovery. She has extensive experience in implementing government business practices by providing innovative solutions, to reduce the complexity of federal funding and state processes, programs, and policies, and deep expertise in helping clients maximize their federally funded projects and navigates the complexities of reporting and federal resources.
Lydia Vollmann, Founder
A Tribal Community aimed to revolutionize its transportation system by replacing outdated petroleum-fueled buses with electric vehicles as part of a $1.6 million Net Zero Vehicle Electrification Project. Grant Our Community played a pivotal role in ensuring the project adhered to federal FTA guidelines from start to finish. Beyond helping the community secure funding, Grant Our Community oversaw the implementation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and facilitated the seamless integration of state-of-the-art electric buses. This partnership was about more than buses—it was about enabling a sustainable, cleaner future, and the results were a testament to the community’s vision and Grant Our Community’s expertise.
Grant Our Community has extensive experience managing EPA-funded initiatives, including a $5 million award focused on creating a transformative web-based tool for ready-mix concrete, cement, and aggregate facilities. This innovative platform, developed for regions 3, 5, 6, and 10 (including IN, NY, OR, PA, TX, and WA), is designed to streamline the production of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) while enabling real-time adjustments to operations. Once publicly available, this tool will set a new standard for carbon accounting and decision-making, empowering manufacturers to adopt sustainable practices and enhance industry-wide environmental competitiveness.
Grant Our Community brings significant experience in managing Department of Energy (DOE) projects, including contributions to a cement manufacturers' groundbreaking $500 million Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) initiative . This project, the largest of its kind in the US, represents a critical advancement in reducing industrial carbon emissions. By supporting the planning and compliance phases, Grant Our Community helped ensure the seamless integration of cutting-edge technologies while adhering to stringent DOE funding requirements. The initiative sets a benchmark for sustainability in the cement industry, showcasing the transformative impact of public-private collaboration.