About us

We are a developement services company that helps businesses and nonprofits win new contracts and grants from government agencies, foundations, and other sources. Over the last five years, The Development Source has been involved in over $50 billion in proposal efforts.

As a Washington, DC area company, we have easy access to federal and nonprofit databases, government agencies, and government officials. We can help serve as your eyes and ears for contract and grant opportunities in the nation's capital.

Publications resources

“Grants Up for Grabs?” Digital Communities. June 1, 2007. [Go to article]
“Using Self-Organizing Activities in Proposal Development,”Proposal Management (Fall/Winter 2005):  30-43. [Get PDF]
“How Do Reviewers Really Evaluate Your Proposal?” Proposal Management (Spring/Summer 2004):  34-50. [Get PDF]
 “Developing a Performance-based Work Statement,” Proposal Management (Fall/Winter 2003):  38-48. [Get PDF]
 “Taking the Arrogance Out of Proposal Writing,” Proposal Management (Fall/Winter 2002):  54-59. [Get PDF]
 “Nonprofit Lessons for the Business World,” Proposal Management  (Spring 2001):  57-62. [Get PDF]

Our Staff

Our staff is talented, and experienced, having managed the development of hundreds of proposals to funding sources. Over the past few years, we have had almost a 70 percent win rate for contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements. We attribute this high win rate to two factors – working with clients that are deeply committed to development, and choosing funding opportunities very carefully.

Jayme A. Sokolow

Prior to founding The Development Source in 1991, Dr. Sokolow spent 20 years in education and government. For six years, Dr. Sokolow served as a Senior Program Officer in a federal agency where he assisted over 1,000 institutions in developing proposals. Dr. Sokolow received one special federal government award for his work on behalf of historically black colleges and universities and another special federal award for his work in establishing a new grants program.

As President of The Development Source, Dr. Sokolow has managed proposals to federal, state, and local agencies in a wide variety of fields, including information technology, logistics, military relocation services, wiretap interpretation and transcription services, training and technical assistance, legal and human resources services, multimedia productions, medical research, and health services. His proposals have been submitted to many different agencies and programs.

He has also developed numerous proposals to over 200 foundations, corporate giving sources, and individual donors. Funding sources have included the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, the AFL-CIO, and the Lilly Endowment. For businesses, Dr. Sokolow has managed and written many proposals to federal agencies, including the Postal Service, the Department of Defense, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Sokolow has written over a dozen articles in such publications as Entrepreneur magazine, Washington Business Journal, and Proposal Management, and has given numerous workshops on proposal development at the U.S. Small Business Administration, Howard University, National Council of Women Business Owners, the Small Business Development Center of Montgomery College, First Class, and the Learning Annex. He has also been interviewed on the Business News Network about how to create winning proposals.

He is the Assistant Managing Editor and Chair of the Editorial Advisory Board of Proposal Management, the official journal of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals. In 2001, Dr. Sokolow received the Association of Proposal Management Professionals' Vision Award for his contributions to the proposal profession. In 2003, he received the Association of Proposal Management Professionals' Fellows Award.

In 2004, he received a certificate of achievement from IBM Global Services in recognition of his outstanding contributions to IBM's proposal development. In 2007, he was named a Senior Fellow of The Performance Institute, a private, nonpartisan think tank that promotes improved government results through the principles of performance and accountability.

In 2009, The Development Source received the 2009 Best of Silver Spring Award in the Job Training & Related Services category by the U.S. Commerce Association. This award recognizes “local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.”

Dr. Sokolow also has been active in civic affairs. He has been the president of two nonprofit organizations and currently serves on the board of a foundation and a nonprofit organization.

He is a member of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals, American Association of Grant Professionals, and the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Dr. Sokolow is a 1972 graduate of New York University and has a doctoral degree in History.

Additional Staff

Assisting Dr. Sokolow is a versatile and experienced team of fundraisers, writers, editors, and desk-top publishers.

Press

About this site

Please feel free to link to any parts of this site. It is prohibited, however, to reproduce this information in a manner that seeks to duplicate the editorial intent of this site without our express written permission. Text copyright © 2009 Jayme Sokolow. All rights reserved. Site production by Michael Douma.