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Office of Institutional Support (OIS)
Office of Institutional Support

Office of Institutional Support

OIS Menu
  • Home
  • Grant Resource Center
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The Office of Institutional Support (OIS), one of three offices within the Office of Development and Alumni/ae Affairs, manages the College’s fundraising efforts from foundations, government agencies, corporations, and other entities to support College-wide needs and maintain the College’s ability to raise and receive funding.
What We Do

What We Do

OIS includes a dedicated cadre of staff that work closely with project directors, program staff, and faculty on the successful submission of grant applications that meet College priorities. Also within OIS is the Office of Prospect Research (OPR), an important part of Bard’s fundraising efforts. OPR finds potential sources of funding and individual donors for the College and recommends outreach efforts. The OIS team has a diverse set of backgrounds that they use to assist you in thinking strategically about raising money for your Bard project. Please feel free to give us a call or stop by to meet with one of our staff members!
  • OPR by the Numbers
    Research completed by OPR on potential sources of funding is key to developing successful grant proposals. 
  • 195
    Institutions Researched Per Month
    $387k
    Average Grant Request
    $164k
    Average Grant Award

News from OIS

Students stand in the lush green surroundings outside a gray modern building

Bard College’s Center for Curatorial Studies Receives 2025 Frankenthaler Climate Initiative Grant

The grant, in the amount of $75,680, will support CCS Bard’s Envelope & Air-sealing Upgrades Project, a series of energy efficient upgrades at Bard’s Hessel Museum of Art.

Anne Hunnell Chen Receives 2025 ACLS Digital Justice Development Grant

Anne Hunnell Chen Receives 2025 ACLS Digital Justice Development Grant

“Archaeological Archives as Inclusive Learning Laboratories” is one of seven established projects to be awarded a 2025 ACLS Digital Justice Development Grant of up to $100,000.

More News

  • Wiháŋble S’a Center at Bard College Receives Wagner Foundation Grant
  • Bard College Receives 2025 Capacity Building Grant from Wake Forest University’s Educating Character Initiative
  • US-China Music Institute Awarded Grant from Cyrus Tang Foundation
  • Bard Center for the Study of Hate Awarded GS Humane Corp Grant for Summer Internships

Our Staff

  • Johnny Brennan ’10
    Johnny Brennan ’10
    Director, OIS
    Email: [email protected]
    Ext: 7264

    Johnny Brennan ’10

    Johnny Brennan ’10
    Director, OIS
    Email: [email protected]
    Ext: 7264 Johnny is the Director of Institutional Support. He leads campus-wide efforts to secure institutional grant awards by assessing the alignment of Bard College priorities, programs, and faculty research projects with potential funders. He cultivates relationships with faculty and administrators, thinks strategically with the Office of Prospect Research to identify promising funding opportunities, and assists project leads in developing compelling proposals. Prior to joining OIS, he worked as a program officer at the American Council of Learned Societies. Johnny received his BA from Bard College (Class of 2010), his MA from The New School for Social Research, and his PhD in philosophy from Fordham University. He holds certificates in grant writing and editing. He continues to research and teach on the topics of trust, ethics, and social epistemology.
  • Sam Bernhardt
    Sam Bernhardt
    Data Records Specialist
    Email: [email protected]
    Ext: 7831

    Sam Bernhardt

    Sam Bernhardt
    Data Records Specialist
    Email: [email protected]
    Ext: 7831 Sam Bernhardt is the Data Records Specialist in the Office of Institutional Support. He tracks all data that passes through the office and maintains the OIS archives. Sam graduated from Guilford College in 2018 with a BA in jazz guitar performance.
  • Sarah Donnatien
    Sarah Donnatien
    Administrative Coordinator
    Email: [email protected]
    Ext: 7152

    Sarah Donnatien

    Sarah Donnatien
    Administrative Coordinator
    Email: [email protected]
    Ext: 7152 Sarah is the Administrative Coordinator within the Office of Institutional Support. She manages a tier of foundation and corporate grants, manages the office's daily activities, and maintains the OIS grants archive. Sarah attended SUNY New Paltz, where, in 2018, she obtained her BA in sociology. Before coming to Bard, Sarah served as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region.
  • Jordan Jeffries
    Jordan Jeffries
    Prospect Research Analyst
    Email: [email protected]
    Ext: 7435

    Jordan Jeffries

    Jordan Jeffries
    Prospect Research Analyst
    Email: [email protected]
    Ext: 7435 Jordan Jeffries is the Prospect Research Analyst in the Office of Prospect Research. He searches for foundation prospects for institutional projects at Bard and its affiliates, as well as researching individual prospects for the College. He provides data and documentation to grant seekers on campus and also assists with prospect research on institutional and individual funders. The Office of Prospect Research recommends grant ask amounts, strategies of approach, and provides briefing memos for meetings with potential funders. Jordan has a BFA in illustration from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Check out Jordan’s art here. 
  • Megan Miller
    Megan Miller
    Assistant Director
    Email: [email protected]
    Ext: 7262

    Megan Miller

    Megan Miller
    Assistant Director
    Email: [email protected]
    Ext: 7262 Megan is the Assistant Director of OIS and manages corporate and foundation institutional grants led mainly by staff project leads. Megan earned her BS in Animal and Veterinary Sciences from Clemson University in 2018. During her time at Clemson, Megan was the marketing and communications director for FIRST, an academic and social support program for first-generation students. 
  • Daina Vitin
    Daina Vitin
    Prospect Research Analyst
    Email: [email protected]
    Ext: 7408

    Daina Vitin

    Daina Vitin
    Prospect Research Analyst
    Email: [email protected]
    Ext: 7408 As part of the OPR/OIS team, Daina researches, analyzes, and ranks individual, corporate, and foundation prospects and donors. Using internal and external research sources she works to determine those prospects’ capacity and inclination to give. Daina provides strategic and collaborative advice for building relationships through connections and matching donors with like areas of interest. Daina earned her MLIS from Rutgers University.
  • Debra Pemstein
    Debra Pemstein
    Vice President of Development & Alumni/ae Affairs
    Email: [email protected]
    Ext: 7405

    Debra Pemstein

    Debra Pemstein
    Vice President of Development & Alumni/ae Affairs
    Email: [email protected]
    Ext: 7405 Debra Pemstein has been vice president for development and alumni/ae affairs at Bard College since 1998. She works with the President, administrators, faculty, staff, and volunteers to raise annual, capital and restricted funds, serves on campus-wide strategic planning committees, and works closely with the President and Trustees as a member of the President's Council. During her tenure, Bard has been able to expand its programs through major capital campaigns that have resulted in new buildings for the performing arts, sciences, dormitories, and administrative use and endowments of several faculty chairs. Debra supervises development activities for all of Bard’s institutes and programs, including the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, Bard Music Festival, Bard Prison Initiative, Bard High School Early Colleges, and the Center for Curatorial Studies- Hessel Museum, to name just a few. She also serves as chief administrative officer for the Fisher Center. Debra formerly served as director of major gifts and planned giving for New York City Ballet, director of development for Paul Taylor Dance Company, and associate director of development for the New York Philharmonic. In addition, she is a college lecturer and has presented papers on fundraising topics at national professional conferences. She has served on many boards and advisory committees, including those at Poughkeepsie Day School and Temple Emanuel (Kingston, NY). Currently, Debra is on the Board of Directors of Dutchess Tourism and is the Chair of the Dutchess Tourism Workforce Committee and a member of the Finance Committee. She is also a member of the Dutchess County Economic Development Advisory Council. Debra attended the London School of Economics, received her BBA from George Washington University and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive.
  • Noah Wurtz ’20
    Noah Wurtz ’20
    Grant Officer and Development Writer
    Email: [email protected]
    Ext: 7434

    Noah Wurtz ’20

    Noah Wurtz ’20
    Grant Officer and Development Writer
    Email: [email protected]
    Ext: 7434 Noah Wurtz ’20 is the Grant Officer and Development Writer in the Office of Institutional Support and assists Bard programs with the application process for institutional grants. Noah graduated from Bard College in 2020 with a BA in Political Studies and Russian Studies. Before joining OIS, Noah worked as a communications coordinator at a national food justice nonprofit.

Bard Staff That Work Closely with OIS
 

OIS works closely with the Office of Post-Award Management (OPAM) on post-award grant management. OPAM will be available to help you manage all financial aspects of your grant once it has been received. Once you have been notified of your grant award, OIS will help set up a launch meeting with them to discuss the next steps. You can contact OPAM at [email protected].

For Bard Annandale faculty seeking support for individual projects, please contact Faculty Grants Officer Sue Elvin ([email protected]).

Location and Contact

  • Our Location

    You can find the Office of Institutional Support at:
    Bard College Alumni/ae Center 
    4604 NY-9G, Annandale-On-Hudson, NY 12504
  • Contact Us
    Bard College Office of Institutional Support
    P.O. Box 5000 
    Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504-5000

    Sarah Donnatien, Administrative Coordinator
    [email protected]
    845-758-7316
Bard College
30 Campus Road, PO Box 5000
Annandale-on-Hudson, New York 12504-5000
Phone: 845-758-6822
Admission Email: [email protected]
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