We were lucky to catch up with Grace Bishara recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Grace, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

One of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken was leaving my amazing, stable job at United Food Bank to start Becoming Grace Foundation. It wasn’t just about leaving a career I loved—it was about stepping into uncertainty, faith, and a calling that had been pulling at my heart for years.

For a long time, I had built a career in nonprofit fundraising and development, helping to fight food insecurity and support vulnerable communities. It became more of my identity. I had a great team, a steady income, and a role where I was making an impact. But at the same time, I was carrying a deeper calling—one that stemmed from my own lived experience. Switching from starting from scratch was becoming a nobody again. Rebuilding a different type of trust not only with the community but with myself and God.

After experiencing coercive control and psychological abuse, I knew firsthand how many women fall through the cracks—especially those who don’t fit the typical mold of what society expects a domestic violence survivor to look like. There are shelters for immediate safety, but what about the women who are trapped financially, legally, or emotionally—women who need support before it turns physical, or who need resources to break free for good?

For years, I had dreams—literal dreams—of helping women and children who were homeless, and even finding kids who were being trafficked. I had no idea why over the past several years I was having those dreams. After my father passed away he visited me in my dreams as well giving me messages. One specific message was to remember the number 313, its Gods purpose for your life. I began realizing these dreams were all connected. In the height of my rock bottom after my own experience, I poured out a business plan of how I can help others. I submitted for the nonprofit certification and received it on the 3/13 just as my father told me in my dream. When I began researching domestic violence, I realized how connected it is to victims often becoming homeless, and many of those nonprofits also oversee human trafficking. It was eye opening. I never know any of these things. I knew deep down that God was calling me to take action.

So, I took the biggest leap of faith in my life. I left my secure position to build something from nothing. No major funding, no guarantees—just a vision, a mission, and an unshakable belief that if I stepped forward, the right people would come alongside me.

The journey hasn’t been easy. Starting a nonprofit means wearing every hat, from fundraising and marketing to legal and program development. But in just a short time, Becoming Grace Foundation has already:

Prevented a family from water being shut off on their home by providing emergency financial aid.
Funded a survivor’s trip to a global conference, helping her pursue her dreams.
and just launched a new program to create both healing & educational workshops to provide peer support spaces & help survivors regain their strength and confidence.
In 2025, We have partnered with another local nonprofit to help provide a burner phone, flight, and gift cards for food for a victim to escape without a trace.

Leaving the comfort of my former career wasn’t just a career move—it was a calling. And while the risk was huge, the reward has been even greater. Seeing lives change, making new friendships with people who come alongside, witnessing hope return to survivors who once felt powerless—that’s what makes every challenge worth it.

Would I do it again? Without a doubt.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have had the privilege of being involved with many different kinds of industries, fresh out of high school I was a hair stylist. While working full time I attended college. I got connected to a PR company and for fun on weekends or nights I helped promote for music events and learned a lot about marketing, cross promotion, events, and connection. One night the idea popped in my head that I wanted to do these fun events to help others so I signed up for college and got my Bachelors in Nonprofit Leadership & Management with an extra certification as a Nonprofit Professional. The next day from graduation I got a job with Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona where I picked up more skills that was a unique model they had from other nonprofits. I then got recruited to United Food Bank where I was incredibly blessed to be there right before during and after the pandemic where I gained even larger skills. I have always been a more creative person and loved bringing hype, fun and passion to everything I do. I noticed my creativity helped me become a strategic problem solver and that led to my promotion to Director of Philanthropy. Among really difficult and frustrating times I gained more and more skills and relationships. I also have been in the health industry as a professional body builder.

I am most proud of starting this nonprofit and believing in myself. I think belief is the hardest part to overcome, and fear is the most limiting factor for all of us. I am most proud of the risks I have taken all throughout my life even if they came with extreme difficulties, hardships, grief, frustrations, or loss. Every single experience has moved me, grown me, and led me to share what I can with others. I believe we all have a story, a skill, a passion, that can bless more than ourselves. I believe that we are meant to shine our light so that it makes this world a better place. My hope is anyone who reads this becomes inspired to write the book, start the business, try the idea whatever it might be. Whether it fails or succeeds, whether it’s challenging or easy, we are only guaranteed today so might as well give it all you have! That is the reason I named the nonprofit Becoming Grace Foundation, not only is it helping me discover myself and evolve but we are always becoming and evolving moving forward and hopefully with a little more Grace in our lives.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

There has been so many times that I have had to pivot. Starting the nonprofit and business plan continues to evolve as I discover and learn more. When I left my job I knew I could share my knowledge with other nonprofits and also gain an income by consulting however getting clients yourself while working on building a nonprofit became challenging. I knew I had other skills to lean on to give me more time so I got part time jobs to keep me stable. I hired a coach to help get me out of my head or spoke to board members to ask for help. Even in my full time positions and running campaigns, something always goes wrong behind the scenes and being able to adapt and pivot is extremely important because at the end of the day they only see the finished product and sometimes pivoting is actually the best thing to happen to you and what you really needed.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn the fast paced environment and pressure I placed on myself and others. Slowing down is not always easy to do when you are conditioned or used to high performance and a world that is instant. Slowing down can allow opportunities to come to you rather than burn out and trying to force things to happen. Its relearning what you really want rather than being on the reactive side of things.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.BecomingGraceFoundation.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/becominggracefoundation/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561240277290
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-bishara-213104172
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BecomingGraceFoundation
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/@StrategicFundraisingConsulting
  www.StrategicFundraisingConsulting.com