Dr Dawn Hargy-Louden

Dawn joined Wilby Jones in 2023 as the Director of their Grants Division. In her role, Dawn manages the development and execution of grant funding strategies for clients. Dawn brings a wealth of experience in securing significant grant funding, having previously helped her boutique firm clients secure over £8 million. Her expertise and focus will be instrumental in ensuring that Wilby Jones’ client base surpasses this level of success.

Dawn’s academic foundation is as impressive as her grant-winning prowess. Having completed both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Queen’s University Belfast, she was subsequently invited to pursue her Ph.D, culminating in a thesis discussing the role of architectural phenomenology in informing lived experiences. Following her doctoral work, she briefly worked as a University Lecturer, where she gained experience in personal and departmental academic funding, eventually leading to her own grants practice.

Over the past eight years, Dawn has worked with clients across various sectors, including Texan vineyards, innovators in medical devices, and funders from the US Department of Agriculture and local councils. However, her specialisation lies in Innovate UK funding for high impact innovations.

Dawn’s goal is to establish Wilby Jones as the gold standard in practice-based grant writing in the UK. Her approach is centred on curation and future planning, with the aim of creating a funding pathway that meets not only clients’ immediate funding needs but also their future goals. This approach supports the most exciting innovations at their source and aims to achieve sustainable growth through funding.

When Dawn isn’t helping clients access grant funding at Wilby Jones, you might find her strolling the leafy streets of south Belfast with her pug Lucille.