Nicholas Almanza

Nick has over 24 years of experience as a writer/editor and communications professional. For the past 12 years, he has focused on donor-centric and fundraising communications, and his materials have helped generate over $300 million in gifts, as well as provided key narratives in support of major philanthropic campaigns. He has a strong background in creating compelling, effective content and stories used to convey and interconnect organizational philanthropic goals. In his role at the Meadows Institute, Nick supports the Philanthropy Team in the development of successful funding proposals, including philanthropic proposals, government grant applications and consulting contract bids. He also works closely with the Chief Operating Officer and Policy Implementation Team to strategize, coordinate, execute and follow up on progress of submitted proposals.

Nick launched his career in Washington, D.C., as a legislative correspondent and speechwriter. He worked on multiple campaigns for public office and relocated to Houston where he wrote for a mayoral campaign. In 2009, he pivoted to nonprofit work and joined the staff at Health Care For All, a consumer health advocacy and policy organization in Boston. This led to a position as grants and foundations manager. In this role, he oversaw all aspects of the organization’s fundraising proposal program. He returned to Houston and worked for the University of Houston as a fundraising writer, ultimately rising to the position of director of donor and alumni communications. Most recently, Nick worked for The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center as a senior fundraising writer and program strategist specializing in principal gift proposal development, campaign communications and priority program development. While at MD Anderson, Nick was recognized by the 2022 Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) with an Excalibur award for excellence in feature writing.

Nick has a BSFS in International Politics from Georgetown University and is pursuing a Board of Editors in the Life Sciences (BELS) certification. He is a devoted writer and is working to revise, edit and publish a novel manuscript. Nick lives in Houston with his partner, Jessica, and their two children, Sebastian and Gigi.