I wish more people understood that BioSTL is a non-profit economic development organization working to elevate the voices of all St. Louisans in creating a thriving economy. What people often overlook is that nonprofit organizations use grants management and administration to facilitate almost all day-to-day operations. Federal funding bridges the gap between the needs of a community and the services that address the issues facing that community. Grants management and our approach to the federal funding landscape are essential to ensuring the long-term success of the entire St. Louis region. Without this aspect of our work, creating real world systematic change in St. Louis would not happen.
Grants are the glue that holds everything together—they help solve problems and offer creative solutions. Many people see grants as merely a back-end compliance task, but we actually have the capability to design entire programs and create new funding streams. When the BioSTL team identifies a critical need, we view it as an opportunity to seek innovative funding streams to promote growth within our bioscience economy. Federal, state, and private grants are key to unlocking that growth.
BioSTL integrates seemingly separate areas—such as venture capital, global outreach, and workforce development—to create an ecosystem. As part of the grants team, we function as a thread that ties these elements together.
I’m inspired by our mission to ensure that all of St. Louis thrives. I moved to this city over a decade ago as a young social worker. I had high hopes for the world, but I hadn’t really faced the realities of the world. I fell in love with St. Louis because of all the amazing things we have here. But I also fell in love with St. Louis because of the struggles we face that we’re still trying to address as a community.
Here at BioSTL, I’m part of an organization with the tools and expertise to drive systematic change. The work BioSTL does, and the work I do, is incredibly unique in the nonprofit world. At other organizations, you often hit a wall because the system resists change. Here at BioSTL, when we encounter a wall, we ask, how do we build a door?
One thing I’m most proud of here at BioSTL, is my involvement in creating the new Venture Fellows Program. This program, supported through the James S. McDonnell Foundation, focuses on historically excluded populations and aims to build community wealth. It’s a social work-grounded approach applied to a traditionally for-profit space, with the goal of driving community change.
Currently, we have two fellows working with BioGenerator. It’s been exciting to support this impactful program.
I started out as a special education teacher in Champaign, Illinois, where I taught students with emotional disabilities. My favorite lessons were in social skills. Those lessons really drew my interest in social work because I loved exploring the interpersonal side of education. I realized I was increasingly interested in how I could contribute to systems-level change.
I moved to St. Louis to explore opportunities where I could engage with the “real world,” and deepen my work in how systems interact. This eventually led me into grants management, where I saw an opportunity to have a broader impact on the region.
All of this has come full circle with my work at BioSTL. This organization operates at the macro level—the large-scale change I’ve always wanted to contribute to.
I’m a big nerd. I love sci-fi and fantasy, especially fantasy books. Usually, when I’m not at work, I’m at home listening to or reading a fantasy audiobook. Most of my favorite shows have the word “star” in them—Star Trek, Stargate, Stargate Atlantis, Star Wars—you get the idea.
I also really love plants. When I first started at BioSTL, I had over 100 plants, and it eventually grew to about 150. One of my favorites is the Monstera deliciosa. I have a big one right next to my desk. I just love them.
Read more about Taylor and all the people who make BioSTL here.
Search
