Brenna Quinn

Brenna Quinn

Brenna Quinn is a seasoned grant writer and development consultant with fourteen years of institutional fundraising experience. She has secured over $20 million in foundation, government, and corporate support for mission-driven organizations. Notably, as the former Director of Foundation & Government Relations at Center on Halsted, she led efforts to obtain a seven-figure, multi-year contract from the Illinois Department of Public Health for the Illinois HIV/AIDS & STD Hotline, advancing the state’s Getting to Zero initiative.

Her expertise includes prospect research, persuasive grant writing, strategic stewardship, and compliance management. Brenna is known for blending technical precision and a love of data with authentic storytelling, translating complex programs into compelling narratives for funders. She excels at optimizing processes, building organizational capacity, and fostering cross-functional partnerships that drive fundraising and program impact.

Brenna began her nonprofit career in museum education at the Carnegie Museum of Art, later moving into development roles at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum of Contemporary Photography. She holds a double BA, cum laude, from Chatham College for Women (now Chatham University), and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She also completed the Major Gift Solicitations certificate program at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

A Fulbright Independent Scholar and first-generation college graduate, Brenna understands the transformative power of philanthropy firsthand. Based in Chicago, she is committed to helping nonprofits secure the resources needed to create meaningful change.