2nd Cup
Capacity Building
The boost you need to achieve your goals.
About Us
Nicole S. Hutton Shannon, Ph.D.
Nicole holds a Ph.D. in Geography, Environmental Science and Policy. She was tenured faculty, Program Director of Geography, and Assistant Director of Engagement for the Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience at Old Dominion University before returning to the non-profit sector as the Executive Coordinator of the Tribal-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC). Now she is outsourcing her academic and fundraising expertise to you.
2016 Gilbert F. White Dissertation Award
Hazards, Risks, and Disasters Specialty Group, American Association of Geographers
2023 Woman of the Year Award
University Women’s Caucus, Old Dominion University
Our Services
Providing services for students, faculty, non-profits, and governments.
Supplemental Advising
5 hours per semester including consult, program review, resume review, course review, and report.
Supplemental Office Hours
10 hours per course including consult, syllabus review, program and resume review, and weekly communication.
Research & Teaching Alignment
10 hours per semester including consult, syllabi review, program analysis, CV and documents review (teaching, research, and service), grant and networking opportunities search, and report.
Program Development
8 hours per concentration including consult, program and enrollment review, accreditation and change process familiarization, reporting recommendations, academic and industry comps analysis, and report.
Grant Writing
20-120 hours per grant including engagement planning, research, writing, editing, liaising with funder(s) and staff, submission prep, and decision debrief.
Grant Implementation
80-240 hours per grant, per year including engagement, monitoring, evaluation, analysis, and reporting.
Funding Search
10 hours per month including consult, weekly funding dispatch, and monthly alignment check i
Funder Recruitment
10 hours per month including consult, donor outreach planning, donor engagement, and alignment check.
Funder Retention
10 hours per month including consult, monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and alignment check.
Fundraising Development Combo
27 hours per month including funding search, funder recruitment, and funder retention.
How It Works
All services come with a complementary one hour per week drop-in writing retreat for the duration of the contract.
Grant Development
Retainer available.
Grant Writing
Foundation Grant – 20*/40 hours
State Grant – 30*/60 hours
Federal Grant – 60*/120 hours
*Dependent upon internal staff availability.
Grant Implementation
Foundation Grant – 80 hours
State Grant – 160 hours
Federal Grant – 240 hours
Academic Services
Based on a 16 week semester, but can be adjusted for shorter terms.
Fundraising Services
Booked in 6 month increments.
Reviews
“Nicole brings thoughtful insight, clarity, and genuine care to every conversation, offering guidance that is both practical and empowering. Her support during my decision-making process for a tenure-track Assistant Professor offer at Old Dominion University was invaluable, and I do not doubt that 2nd Cup Capacity Building will be an essential resource for others navigating academic and professional transitions.” – Sina Razzaghi Asl