Emily Cunningham is a Director of Grants and Federal Affairs in the Higher Education Practice at McAllister & Quinn and has been with the firm since 2014. Emily strategically works with higher education clients to identify, apply for, and secure millions of dollars in Federal grant funding for a wide range of projects, including student scholarships, faculty-led research, retention efforts, and curriculum development. Emily works collaboratively with clients from the first stages of the conceptual development through grant submission, managing the entire grant process. During her tenure at McAllister & Quinn, Emily has developed an expertise across agencies, including the National Science Foundation and the Department of Education. Emily also helps manage business development efforts for the Higher Education Practice, where she assists with the development of marketing and client materials and strategic communications.
Prior to serving as a Director, Emily was a Federal Grant and Foundation Research Analyst for the Higher Education Practice. In this capacity, Emily supported the higher education team and its clients by conducting prospecting research and monitoring and analyzing Federal funding trends including the Federal budget and appropriations process, agency priorities, and grant competitions. Emily was also responsible for organizing, moderating, and managing quarterly workshops for clients. Initially, Emily joined McAllister & Quinn as a Higher Education Research Fellow. Before joining McAllister & Quinn, Emily interned for Congressman Tom Reed (NY), where she assisted with constituent outreach and researched legislative issues.
Emily graduated with a bachelor of science in special education from the University of Maryland’s College of Education in College Park, MD. She is a native of the Washington Metropolitan Area.