Ascend Consulting

Elevating your organization’s influence and impact through government relations and grant funding.

12/02/2025

Major Victory! Today, the House of Representatives passed the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act — a milestone nine years in the making since its first introduction in the 115th Congress.

Ascend Consulting is grateful to have led the coalition advocating for this bill, alongside more than 100 survivor leaders and organizations who poured countless hours into advocacy, joint meetings, and strategy sessions including Hollie Nadel, , & Frank W. Russo Jr., National Center on Sexual Exploitation, Shared Hope International, Right On Crime, Rights4Girls, Street Grace, World Without Exploitation, and many more. Their courage and perseverance made this possible.

This federal criminal record–relief bill mirrors the precedent set by 49 states and closes a critical loophole that has long penalized the very individuals the law should protect.

We are deeply grateful for Rep. Fry’s leadership on this truly bipartisan effort — highlighted on the House floor today where he was joined by Rep. Raskin and Rep. McBath in support.

This is a significant step toward justice and restoration for survivors of trafficking. Onward to the Senate!

10/23/2025

We are honored to share that our CEO, , was selected as a Top Lobbyist for 2025 by the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics.

This reflects her impact, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to our partners.

You can read more about Anne and her work here:

https://www.ascendconsultingdc.com/profile/anne-basham/

09/18/2025

Today bipartisan members of Congress, advocates, and policymakers from throughout the world gathered at the US Capitol as we convened another ATIP Policy Roundtable to advance solutions to combat human trafficking.

The ATIP Roundtable brings together a diverse coalition of organizations, experts, and lawmakers committed to protecting the vulnerable, strengthening prevention, and ensuring justice for survivors.

We are grateful to for sponsoring this event and partnering together to shape policies that safeguard children, families, and communities across the globe.

09/15/2025

International Day of Democracy

Democracy represents the voice of the people. We are grateful to amplify the voices of organizations and their mission, here in Washington D.C., and in governments throughout the U.S.

https://www.ascendconsultingdc.com/

09/02/2025

📢 Congress is back from the August recess! 📢

This marks the last four months of the first year of the 119th congress.

In these essential last few months we are:

- Advocating for bills to be passed
- Advancing new legislation
- Starting the appropriation process for Spring 2026

Schedule a consultation and discover how Ascend can increase your influence and impact through government relations.

https://www.ascendconsultingdc.com/

08/08/2025

A new Executive Order signed yesterday reshapes the federal grantmaking process.

Summary:

- Immediate pause on new federal grant announcements is in effect, expected to last 1–2 months.

- Final approval authority for new grants has shifted to political appointees (in practice, this has often been the case in previous Administrations but the EO provides a consistent standard).

- First-time applicants will receive priority over repeat recipients.

- Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) will be drafted using plain language to improve accessibility.

- Preference will be given to organizations with lower indirect costs and administrative overhead.

08/06/2025

Over the past few weeks, there’s been an increase in federal grants and government contract RFPs, many with tight deadlines as short as a few weeks.

At Ascend, we specialize in federal grant and RFP reviews to help you stay competitive without the cost of a full proposal write-up. A second set of expert eyes can make all the difference.

🔗 Contact us today to get started!

https://www.ascendconsultingdc.com/contact/

07/07/2025

We are making some changes at Ascend:

Every organization can benefit from having a voice in government. Government relations ensures your voice is louder and your influence is greater. They say “getting things done takes an act of Congress,” and often that’s true. That’s why we are here to help.

We are here to help you increase your influence and impact in Washington DC and throughout the US.

www.ascendconsultingdc.com

05/20/2025

Yesterday, history was made in the Rose Garden!

We were honored to have so many incredible partners in attendance for the signing of the TAKE IT DOWN Act — a groundbreaking, bipartisan law we have advocated for that makes it a federal crime to distribute or threaten to distribute nonconsensual sexually explicit images, including deepfake po*******hy.

The TAKE IT DOWN Act:

✅ Requires platforms to remove abuse content within 48 hours of a valid request
✅ Holds perpetrators criminally liable
✅ Tackles the rise of deepfake tech

05/14/2025

National Police Week

We are grateful to support those on the front lines in law enforcement. Grant funding and critical legislation is vital to protecting those in law enforcement.

Thank you for everything you do.

04/14/2025

We love taking our partners to meet with members of Congress for a
“Hill Day” when they are in town.

At Ascend, we believe every organization focused on social and societal change deserves a strong voice in Washington, D.C. Our specialty is legislating freedom.

Public policy is powerful – it drives lasting, systemic change. Together, we can shape policies that make a difference.

Address

Washington D.C., DC
20004

Website

http://www.ascendconsultingDC.com/

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