About Me

A CFRE-certified board member of numerous community organizations, participant in charitable activities, and recipient of professional awards for her work in various industries, Cindy Vaias has made an impact on the world of education and grant writing. For more than 15 years, Cindy Vaias has played a key role in a wide variety of private firms, corporations, and nonprofits across America and maintains the highest professional and ethical standards. At an early age, Cindy Vaias demonstrated a strong dedication to her schoolwork and earned a full four-year scholarship to Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. Before graduating with a B.A. in Anthropology in 1991, Cindy Vaias completed a number of field studies in France and Canada and ultimately published Gospel Music as a Mechanism of Cultural Resistance in African-American Heritage. Cindy Vaias went on to receive a three-year scholarship from the Violette de Mazia Trust Barnes Foundation and a teaching scholarship from the University of Pennsylvania, from which she earned a Masters degree in Education in 1995. As the Owner and Executive Producer at GiantForms.com in Bainbridge Island, Washington, and Chief Grants Officer at Anthem Grant and Advocacy in Seattle, Cindy Vaias maintains a full slate of professional commitments. In addition to these responsibilities, Cindy Vaias serves on the board of the Eviction Defense Collaborative in San Francisco, where she helps low-income individuals and families afford legal representation and social counseling when faced with eviction. On a local scale, Cindy Vaias takes part in the Bainbridge Island Community Energy Task Force, which seeks to raise awareness of energy consumption and carbon footprints and reach target conservation goals. A concerned parent, Cindy Vaias supports families in the community through her involvement with KidsUp!, which has built community centers and a playground at Battle Point Park on Bainbridge Island. Cindy Vaias is also a board member of the Wing Point Homeowners Association. Over the years, Cindy Vaias has won a range of awards for her work. A Codie Finalist for Best Educational Technology Product while at Teacher Universe, Cindy Vaias also received a substantial grant of $5 million for the Teacher Lead Technology Challenge and was named one of 2009's Kitsap Business Journal's 40 Under 40. Additionally, Cindy Vaias' client Art and Culture recently received the Best Information Architecture Award from Communication Arts Magazine.