Haverhill grant writers say city has secured multimillion‑dollar awards and improved ROI

Clay Boothby, a federal grant consultant with Merchant McIntyre, and Carrie Fitzgerald, Haverhill’s primary grant writer, gave the City Council a detailed update on state and federal funding the city has pursued and won.

Boothby said Merchant McIntyre has worked with Haverhill for more than three years and that the firm’s work produced “about a 6 to 1 return on investment” in federal dollars the city has secured, citing projects including Winnicunney Park and pending federal support for sewer separation and downtown redevelopment. He cautioned that some programs depend on Congressional action and on federal agencies’ priorities.

Fitzgerald, who began in her current role in December 2022, told the council she submitted 43 grant applications on the city’s behalf; 24 have been decided and 14 were awarded, totaling about $5,500,000 (primarily state grants, with some federal awards). She said 19 applications remain pending and estimated those could be worth an additional $12 million if approved. Fitzgerald also said the city’s grant‑writing costs total roughly 2.31% of funds received and that the city’s approach now centralizes grant strategy and compliance through her office and a small federal compliance team.

Councilors asked whether grant activity could include school department grants; Fitzgerald said she primarily handles city grants but is willing to coordinate and that the school department already runs its own successful programs. Boothby and Fitzgerald described the city’s process for handling grant compliance and noted that many federal programs require extensive paperwork and may change with new federal administrations.

The presentation concluded with councilors thanking the presenters and asking staff to compile citywide grant data for public reference.

The council did not take a separate vote on the presentation but heard and discussed specific project plans and timelines.