FOUNDER + LEAD STRATEGIST

Clara founded Juniper to bring expert grant strategy to changemakers committed to ecological reciprocity. With over a decade of experience in grant strategy, data quality, and strategic writing across nature-based education, international humanitarian aid, and advocacy organizations, she specializes in helping organizations build sustainable funding approaches. Clara loves helping organizations navigate complex positioning challenges and articulate their unique value in the funding landscape.

Her commitment to ecological reciprocity was shaped by yearly trips to Allegany State Park with her dad as a child. Those contemplative days in the woods— usually in the fall or winter when the park would quiet down and the changing seasons made space for reflection—instilled a deep understanding of what it means to be in relationship with the natural world. That foundation continues to inform her approach to supporting environmental organizations today.

Based in Buffalo, NY, Clara leads client relationships, manages project direction, and ensures each funding strategy is both strategically sound and realistic to implement. When she's not working with clients, Clara enjoys reading fiction, playing guitar, and enjoying time outside with family and friends around a bonfire.

STRATEGY RESEARCH + LEAD GRANT WRITER

Maria found her calling early, working in aquariums, nature centers, and local parks before joining the National Park Service through the Student Career Experience Program while earning her degree in Environmental Studies. Over 19 years with Biscayne National Park, she served as Park Guide, Interpretive Ranger, and eventually Education Program Coordinator—where she secured over $1 million in grant funding to expand the park's youth programs from 600 to 10,000 students per year.

Her personal connection to the outdoors began as a child, camping with her single mother in the Florida Keys. Those simple trips—filled with fishing, firelight, crickets, and starry skies—instilled a love of nature that later grew through Girl Scouts, paddling, and backpacking adventures. As an educator, Maria delighted in leading overnight expeditions for hundreds of students in Biscayne's remote islands. Today, she carries forward that same spirit by supporting organizations nationwide as they cultivate the next generation of earth-keepers, excelling at extracting authentic stories and aligning organizational strengths with funder priorities. When she's not crafting compelling narratives, Maria can be found adventuring with her family through Florida in their campervan or playing in the surf in Miami Beach.

STRATEGY RESEARCH + LEAD GRANT WRITER

Lilly brings a unique blend of technical expertise and grassroots wisdom to Juniper's grant development work. With a BS in Environmental Sciences from the University of Vermont and experience spanning utility-scale solar operations, policy advocacy, and community organizing, she understands the vital connection between healthy ecosystems and resilient communities.

As former Clean Energy Director at Massachusetts Climate Action Network, Lilly led coalition-building efforts and developed educational materials that made complex energy policy accessible to advocates. Her hands-on experience managing solar installations and her organizing work with the climate justice movement taught her how to translate technical knowledge into compelling narratives for change.

Drawing inspiration from the rapidly changing coastal waters that shaped her environmental passion, Lilly is also a professional facilitator, specializing in organizational resilience and breakthrough facilitation. She guides climate champions and social justice organizations through strategic stuck points, processing overwhelm, and building the emotional capacity needed for sustained impact. When she's not working with changemakers, you can find her Nordic skiing or taking a slow hike in New England.