Theresa Avila Bimbela is a grants professional and funding strategist who supports higher education programs, nonprofits, and mission driven small businesses through the full grant lifecycle. Through TAB Professional Services, LLC, she provides funding research, proposal development, grants management, and reporting support, helping clients pursue funding opportunities with clarity, strong systems, and realistic timelines. Theresa's background includes experience in higher education and workforce development. She has supported a community college grants office as a Grants Analyst II and served as a remote Grant Writer for Unitek Learning's Workforce Solutions division, where she focused on securing grants for hospital partners and aligning proposals with workforce development goals. In addition, Theresa has served in higher education as an online educator and team lead at Southern New Hampshire University since 2014, supporting student success and mentoring faculty. Theresa holds a master's degree in Education from Chapman University and a bachelor's degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She is a member of the Grant Professionals Association and is a 2022 NAWBO Women of Distinction Accelerate Grant award winner.

Through her own genealogical discovery and ancestral recovery, Theresa has developed original research on Californio governance, land tenure, and the political history of Alta California. A direct descendant of Juan Francisco Reyes, soldado de cuera, alcalde of the Pueblo de Los Angeles, and Spanish land grant recipient, she has conducted extensive genealogical and archival research recovering her family's governing legacy in early Los Angeles. Her scholarly article introducing the theoretical concepts of Autoridad Arraigada and the Traslado de la Validación de la Autoridad al Marco Federal is currently under review at Publius: The Journal of Federalism. She has submitted a formal redress petition on behalf of Californios whose land tenure and governing authority were systematically displaced through the federal incorporation process following the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Her research acknowledges the enduring presence, sovereignty, and prior claim of Indigenous peoples across California, on whose lands this history unfolded and whose dispossession was inseparable from the colonial and American periods she studies. Theresa carries direct Indigenous ancestry and approaches that history with respect, without claiming affiliation she has not been granted. She is the narrator and researcher behind a short film on Reyes and archival silence, produced in the lead-up to America250, with a full lecture forthcoming.

TAB Professional Services was created to help organizations build sustainable funding systems and secure the resources needed to expand programs that serve their communities. Theresa is known for being thoughtful, organized, and highly responsive in complex grant environments where details and deadlines matter.

Let's discuss your funding goals. Retainers start at $2,500 per month. Full suite support is available. Schedule a consultation to explore the best fit for your needs and timeline.