My Community Roots Commitment
10+ years in the Community. From Literacy, Arts-as-education, Advocacy for Arts in Public Schools and Community Gardens.
Follow My Community Journey
“I didn’t just write proposals for the community. I dug the soil, stocked the shelves, cheered from the wings, and showed up with my hands dirty.
Learn more about my Volunteer Journey. Visit me on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn: Daria Smith Giraud
My path of continuous evolution
Community by the Numbers
Our numbers speak for themselves
Areas of Service
Six pillars of community investment that shape every grant strategy, every narrative, and every partnership we build.
Urban Agriculture & Food Justice
DC · OREGON · AUSTIN
From the Washington Youth Garden at the National Arboretum to Portland’s Mudbone Grown and the Oregon Food Bank’s 33rd Street Learning Garden — community soil is sacred ground.
Literacy & Arts as Education
DC · GEORGIA
Volunteer writer and children’s literacy advocate at the Diamond Lakes Branch Library in Augusta, GA. Arts education champion connecting children to storytelling and creative expression.
Advocacy for Arts in Public Schools
WASHINGTON, DC
Long-time advocate for arts education in public schools, including participation with the Dance Institute of Washington and performance arts volunteer work at the Kennedy Center.
Community Gardening & Permaculture
OREGON · PORTLAND
Oregon State University Permaculture Certification graduate. Seed to Supper Program facilitator. Vestal Community Garden participant and Grow Portland Garden School community member.
Environmental & Green Initiatives
WASHINGTON, DC
Green Festival Expo volunteer (Photography & Social Media), Washington DC Convention Center, 2012 & 2017. Community voice for sustainability and environmental education.
Youth Health, Fitness & Wellness
GEORGIA
Child Center Volunteer at Quantum Gym, Augusta, GA — supporting youth and community wellness through fitness, CrossFit, HIIT training, and yoga programming.
10+years of Social Proof. →
Why This Matters
This Isn't Background. It's the Blueprint.
Most grant strategists bring credentials. I bring credentials and calluses.
The 20+ years of community service documented on this page aren't a footnote to my career. They are my career. Before I was writing million-dollar federal proposals for KPMG and Booz Allen Hamilton, I was digging soil in DC gardens, shelving books at Augusta libraries, and hauling produce at Portland food banks.
That experience — the kind that doesn't go on a federal résumé — is exactly what makes me different as your grant partner. I'm not translating your mission from the outside. I've been living it for two decades.
When I write your narrative, it comes from someone who knows what your community needs — because I've been that community. That's not strategy. That's soul.
The Evolution in Four Chapters
Getting My Hands in the Soil.
This is the 33rd NE Eastside Learning Garden in Portland, Oregon — one of three community gardens I volunteered with simultaneously between 2019 and 2021. This is what I mean when I say I've lived the mission.
The Beginning · 2003–2010
I started as a parent volunteer with DC Youth Arts programs. My community roots run deeper than my professional career in federal proposals.
Expanding · 2010–2014
National Arboretum, Kennedy Center, Green Festival, Emergence Collective, Augusta Library — my community service ran in parallel with my federal proposal career every step of the way.
Deepening· 2019–2021
Portland, Oregon — 3 simultaneous community garden roles, OSU Permaculture certification, Oregon Food Bank. Total immersion in food justice and environmental community work.
The Pivot · 2026
Austin Economic Development Nonprofit Certification. 20 years of community service meet 16 years of federal proposal expertise. DSG Grant Partners is born.
Coming Soon — My Story
The Moment That Changed Everything
