About Us
The McLeod Group was founded in 2007 by Nick McLeod, and it began the way many rural stories do: with one organization that needed help, and one person determined to do the work right. Nearly two decades later, the firm serves rural hospitals, communities, and foundations across Kansas and the rural Midwest — and the organizations that hired it in 2007 are still clients today.
The practice grew the way trust grows. Grant writing became grant development — building the projects, not just the proposals. Winning awards created the need to manage them well, so grant administration and compliance became a discipline of its own. Hospitals needed their CHNAs to be more than a filing, their campaigns to be more than hope, their foundations to be built on more than goodwill — and the firm grew to meet each need as clients raised it. Today The McLeod Group is a full rural healthcare consultancy: grant development and funding strategy, grant administration and technical assistance, CHNA and community health planning, campaign architecture, foundation development, and strategic counsel.
What hasn’t changed is the conviction underneath it: rural organizations deserve the same caliber of work that big urban systems get. Our grant philosophy is based on knowing you, your community, and your organization — working with your needs and goals to craft impactful projects that benefit both your organization and, by extension, the larger community.
Founded in 2007
About Nick McLeod
Nick McLeod
Principal
Nick McLeod has been successfully developing and managing grants for rural organizations for nearly two decades, consulting for a diverse range of clientele — from communities and local government to healthcare and law enforcement. Nick loves rural Kansas, and his focus is on improving and enhancing life in rural communities through his work.
Nick grew up in California but spent summers in Arkansas City with his grandparents. Remembering those summers brought him to Kansas as an adult, where he began his grant writing career in Southeast Kansas — and where he stayed.
Nick holds an M.A. and B.A. in philosophy from California State University, Long Beach, and was a lecturer in philosophy for many years at Pittsburg State University. Nick was also a Kansas Law Enforcement Officer, holding full-time certification from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, where he graduated first in his class — time on the job that still shapes the firm’s longstanding work with rural law enforcement agencies.
Now residing on a ranch in south-central Kansas with his wife, Traci — a Kansas law enforcement officer herself — and their two daughters.
Why rural healthcare, specifically?
For Nick, it’s personal. A farm accident put his life in a rural hospital’s hands — they saved it, and they helped him rebuild. When his mother was fighting cancer, rural hospitals cared for her with an attentiveness that gave her far more time than anyone anticipated, before she passed. He knows exactly what these institutions are: not line items on a budget, but the difference between a community that holds together and one that empties out. The McLeod Group exists to help keep them alive and strong — so they can do for others what they did for him and his family.
Our Values
01
Honesty Before Invoices
If we don't think a project will get funded, we tell you — before you spend a dollar finding out. No one can guarantee an award. What we can guarantee is a straight answer, every time.
02
Building Rural Capacity
We'd rather train your team to learn to run its own grants over time than simply bill you forever for running them. When rural organizations learn the work, the money stays home — in staff, in equipment, in patients and not outside consultants.
03
Rural, By Choice
We live rural life, and rural organizations are the entire practice — by choice. We believe they deserve attention, care, and the best on offer, and we're here to try and provide it.
"The McLeod Group has helped my organization secure grants from small to large. We have worked together now for several years and his expertise in grant writing is exceptional. The best part of all is that Mr. [McLeod] knows our hospital well and has a local presence. It is nice to have a consultant who is proactive and brings me opportunities that I never know are available. You cannot go wrong when The McLeod Group is a part of your team!"
Rod Landrum, Executive Director, Labette Health Foundation (retired)
"We have had a great deal of success in working with Nick [McLeod] on grants . . . focused on improving lives in SEK and Kansas."
Brian Williams, CEO,
Labette Health
"The Pratt Health Foundation has retained the grant writing and administrative services of the McLeod consulting group. The principal, Nick [McLeod], understands the private and federal grant landscape as well as providing wise administrative assistance. He has written successful grant applications and provided excellent counsel for the Foundation. I would highly recommend his services."
DeWayne Bryan, Executive Director,
Pratt Health Foundation (retired)
"I have worked with Nick on three different grant proposals regarding Integrated Care through embedding a behaviorist into a primary care facility. Through Nick's effort and skill, we were successful in receiving a planning grant, an implementation grant, and a continuation grant. Nick is very thorough, thinks of great questions, anticipates questions from grant sources, writes skillfully, and is a pleasure to work with. I would recommend him and his services to anyone."
Matthew Atteberry,
Executive Director,
Labette Center for Mental Health Services
"Since having The McLeod Group come on board with us, the Pratt Police Department has received over $175,000 in funds from grants that Nick has found for us! The Pratt Police Department and the citizens of Pratt, KS are very fortunate to be able to have the McLeod Group helping the efforts of keeping this great community safe!"
Chief Nate Humble,
Pratt Police Department
(retired)
"Mr. [McLeod] put my vision for my school into a professional proposal from A to Z, no detail was left to chance. After multiple attempts on my own, Mr. [McLeod] was successful the first time in obtaining a $400,000 grant for my school, the largest to be awarded in our county to date."
Mikel Ward, Principal,
Service Valley Charter Academy (retired)
Testimonials
Book a Free Consultation
Since 2007
The first conversation is free — and it's an honest one. Bring your objectives, your questions, or the project you've been trying to fund. If we don't believe it's a go, we'll tell you right there — no engagement, no pressure, no charge. And if it is, we'll tell you exactly how we'd help.