Matthew Maniaci is Provident’s Senior Grants Manager. He lives with his wife, Emily, and their cats, Jello, Bilbo, Katsu, and Toner.

What is your favorite thing about your job? I’m responsible for writing and submitting grant applications to a variety of funders. Those grants can be anything from a few thousand dollars to multiple millions over several years, and they help keep Provident up and running!

What are your hobbies? I’m a bit of a nerd. I like to play roleplaying games and videogames, and I’ve been known to attend the odd sci-fi convention. I also write as a hobby and post articles to Medium on occasion.

Favorite quote or proverb? Failure is not an option, it’s mandatory. The option is whether to let failure be the last thing you do.

Favorite books? My two favorite authors are Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. Pretty much anything they’ve written is good to me.

What was your first job? I worked as a salesperson/fish catcher at a pond and water garden store.