GrantExec - The PR Lift & Crafting a Story

Sparkworks Advisor: Patricia Brooks

Engagement Type: Execution

Now that Ryan had identified his ICP, the next step was to figure out how to reach them. What publications are his ideal customers reading? How does he solidify GrantExec’s credibility as an organization in their eyes? What is the right vehicle to get to where they are?

Enter Patricia Brooks, PR and Communications Leader for SparkWorks, earned and strategic media specialist, and founder of MatchMap Media.

“People often think that ‘media’ means journalists or news outlets,” Patricia says. “It actually refers to the tool or method that’s used to deliver a message to your intended audience.” Patricia helps companies figure out the best roads to take as well as craft the story of what the business is about.

Patricia knew that GrantExec’s story was uniquely positioned given the current state of events. In 2025, the grant ecosystem underwent major tumult under the Trump Administration. At a time when grants were being cut and uncertainty around funding was on the rise, GrantExec could be pitched as a resource for real-time data and information.

GrantExec’s data advantage was profound. But shaping a strong narrative was only one component of outreach strategy. In thinking through who in her vast mental rolodex she could connect him with, Patricia also weighed Ryan’s character and personality. “Ryan screams D.C. to me — he has a total Northern Virginia Washington D.C. vibe,” she says. “He can speak very well about the federal government, he asks a lot of smart questions, and is highly adaptable. It was important to me to place in touch with people he could sit down with and speak at their level.”

The Outcome: After consulting with John to make sure her approach was aligned with his overall strategy, she secured:

• A Federal News Network podcast interview

• Mentions in the Chronicle of Philanthropy

• Mention in CBS News

Patricia leveraged GrantExec’s raw ingredients to position the company as a credible and robust data authority during a highly fraught period of uncertainty. So much so that one of the most prominent news distribution agencies in the world had requested to formally partner with GrantExec.

“I’ve been in PR for twenty years, and I’ve never seen this happen before with this agency,” she says. “GrantExec had the technology, the diligence, and the ability to get information with ease that other companies did not have.”