What Dig Deep Research does

Dig Deep Research, LLC is a Colorado-based professional services firm founded in 2010 that provides strategic advisory services to municipal governments, water districts, and health districts seeking capital funding for drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater infrastructure projects. The firm operates a small team (1-10 employees) led by founder and CEO Tia Cavender and is distinguished by its proprietary Capital Grants Database and Grant Pursuit Strategy (GPS) methodology, the latter of which analyzes community projects, assesses the federal and state funding landscape, and produces a prioritized roadmap of grant and financing opportunities tailored to each client's multi-year capital plan.

The firm delivers three interconnected core services: ongoing Advisory Services providing unlimited strategic counsel on funding decisions; the GPS customized funding roadmap engagement; and hands-on Grant-Related Technical Assistance guiding clients through full application lifecycles. Revenue is generated entirely on a fee-for-service or multi-year retainer basis; contingency fees are prohibited under the Grant Professionals Association Code of Ethics to which the firm adheres. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting local government leaders, supported by content marketing (blog, downloadable resources), a monthly Funding Brief newsletter, podcast appearances, and earned media coverage.

Customer relationships are notably long-tenured: the City of Newport, OR partnership has run since 2011, while Pacific Communities Health District (since 2020) and City of Ft. Lupton, CO (since 2021) are more recent anchors. Documented client outcomes include $45.7M in grants and $29.5M in low-interest financing for Newport over 14 years, $4.9M in grants for Pacific Communities, and $4.2M in grants plus $46M in financing for Ft. Lupton. The firm explicitly does not serve clients seeking transactional grant writing, positioning itself instead as a long-term infrastructure funding intelligence partner.

Name

Dig Deep Research

Legal name

Dig Deep Research, LLC

Website

https://digdeepgrants.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Infrastructure Funding Advisory Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)

Keywords

• Infrastructure funding advisory
• Grant pursuit strategy
• Municipal grant consulting
• Water infrastructure funding
• Capital grants strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

Aurora

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Advisory Services: Fee-for-service or retainer-based consulting engagements for ongoing strategic counsel, funding intelligence, and multi-year perspective planning. No contingency fees (prohibited by Grant Professionals Association Code of Ethics).
2. GPS (Grant Pursuit Strategy): Customized funding roadmap service delivered as a project-based engagement or retainer, providing strategic funding portfolio, timing intelligence, and competitive positioning guidance.
3. Grant-Related Technical Assistance: Hands-on guidance partner service from application start to submission, working on a fee-for-service or retainer basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Dig Deep Research provides strategic advisory and grant pursuit services to help municipal governments, water districts, and health districts secure funding for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure projects. Core deliverables include ongoing Advisory Services (retainer-based strategic counsel), the Grant Pursuit Strategy (GPS) customized funding roadmap, and hands-on Grant-Related Technical Assistance throughout the application process.

Product overview

Dig Deep Research offers a unified consulting service platform focused on water infrastructure funding strategy. The company provides three interconnected service offerings: Advisory Services for ongoing strategic counsel and funding intelligence, GPS (Grant Pursuit Strategy) for customized funding roadmaps, and Grant-Related Technical Assistance for hands-on grant application guidance. Together, these services help communities develop multi-year funding strategies, identify optimal funding opportunities, and navigate the complex landscape of government water infrastructure grants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advisory Services Strategic funding intelligence service providing unlimited access to the Dig Deep expert team for ongoing counsel on funding decisions, capital planning, and evaluation of funding opportunities, with a multi-year perspective on how individual projects fit into long-term funding strategies. Targeted at municipal governments, water districts, and health districts.
• GPS (Grant Pursuit Strategy) Customized funding roadmap that analyzes client projects, assesses the federal, state, local, and loan funding landscape, and creates a prioritized roadmap of the best opportunities, including competitive positioning and timing intelligence. Delivered as a project-based or retainer engagement.
• Grant-Related Technical Assistance Expert guidance partner service providing step-by-step assistance throughout the grant application process, offering strategic positioning, insight into agency priorities, and creative problem-solving for project challenges. Delivered on a fee-for-service or retainer basis.

Quantifiable outcome

• Clients typically see 100% return within 18 months
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of Newport, ORcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term strategic partnership since 2011 for water infrastructure funding. Dig Deep helped secure $45.7M in government grants, $29.5M in low-interest financing, and $60M Congressional Authorization. Client achieved 9:1 annual ROI for 14 consecutive years.
• City of Fort Lupton, COcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership since 2021 for infrastructure capital funding planning. Within three years, secured over $4.2M in grants and $46M in low-interest financing. ROI ratio of 7 to 1.
• Pacific Communities Health District, ORcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership since 2020 for water infrastructure project. Secured over $4.9M in federal and state grants for emergency water storage facility. ROI ratio of 23 to 1.
• HDR EngineeringminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichaella Wittmann, P.E., Former Director of Sustainability, provided testimonial: 'This firm is the only one able to provide this unique set of services that provide value +++ to building and infrastructure clients.'
• Norris DesignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKip Tinstman, MBA provided testimonial praising Dig Deep's ability to help clients secure millions in funding, positioning the company as a leader in the space.
• Grant Professional Association (GPA)minorOthersDig Deep adheres to the Grant Professionals Association Code of Ethics, which prohibits working on a contingency basis. GPA is referenced as the authority for professional standards.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Carollo Engineers: Water and wastewater engineering consulting firm serving municipalities and utilities across the U.S. Comparable to Dig Deep Research in customer base (municipal water/wastewater clients) and focus on water infrastructure capital planning.
• Hazen and Sawyer: Specialty environmental engineering firm focused on water, wastewater, and stormwater for municipalities. Comparable in its dedicated focus on the municipal water sector that Dig Deep Research serves, though it delivers engineering rather than funding strategy.
• Brown and Caldwell: Specialty environmental engineering and consulting firm focused on water and wastewater utilities. Comparable to Dig Deep Research because it serves the same municipal and water-district customer base on water infrastructure strategy, though at a much larger engineering-services scale.
• Raftelis: Management and financial consulting firm focused exclusively on water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities. Directly comparable to Dig Deep Research in that it serves municipal and water-district clients on funding, rate-setting, and capital planning for the same infrastructure categories.

Broad incumbents

• HDR Inc. Large engineering and consulting firm with a major water practice serving municipalities and utilities. Directly comparable customer base to Dig Deep Research, and HDR's former Director of Sustainability provided a testimonial for Dig Deep, signaling the firms operate in adjacent roles on the same water-infrastructure projects.
• Tetra Tech: Global consulting and engineering firm with a substantial water infrastructure practice. Comparable because it serves the same municipal water clients, often including funding strategy and grant pursuit as part of broader engineering engagements.
• Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm with a significant water infrastructure practice. Comparable in serving municipal and water-utility clients, often including funding assistance as part of broader water programs.
• CDM Smith: Engineering and construction firm with a large water practice serving municipal clients. Comparable in customer base and the ability to bundle funding advisory with engineering services that compete with Dig Deep Research's standalone offering.
• ICF International: Professional services firm with significant federal and infrastructure consulting practices, including grant program implementation and energy/water advisory. Comparable to Dig Deep Research in working at the intersection of federal funding programs and infrastructure delivery, though at much larger scale and across multiple verticals.

Others

• Candid: Nonprofit grants research and data platform (formed from Foundation Center and GuideStar). Comparable to Dig Deep Research in the sense that it sells grants intelligence and funding research, though it focuses on nonprofit and foundation funding rather than municipal water infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dig-deep-research

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dig Deep Research