GRANT WRITING SERVICES
SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS GROWTH
Our Story
The Dates Group was born from a vision to empower entrepreneurs and nonprofit founders to succeed in a rapidly evolving world. Founded by Chi Dates in Chicago in July 2020, and officially launched in October 2020, the company was created with one core mission: to provide personalized guidance that helps small business owners and nonprofit leaders navigate the complexities of growth, funding, and long-term sustainability.
​
Chi’s inspiration for The Dates Group came from her diverse career, where she held roles as a Small Business Banking Officer, Financial Planner, Licensed Financial Advisor, and Air Force Academy's Entertainment Marketing Manager. These experiences shaped her understanding of the challenges entrepreneurs face and fueled her passion to create a consulting agency dedicated to offering not only business success but also fostering positive social and environmental impact.
​
The Dates Group operates on the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework, which emphasizes the balance between people, profit, and the planet. This holistic approach ensures that our services don’t just focus on financial profitability but also on community growth and environmental stewardship. Since our founding, we have served nearly 100 clients and formed meaningful partnerships, building a reputation for helping organizations succeed while making a positive difference.
​
We believe in creating equitable opportunities for all, which drives our tailored approach to consulting—whether through nonprofit consultations, grant writing, or strategic planning. As we continue to grow, our guiding principle remains the same: to help our clients thrive in business while contributing to a better, more sustainable world.
Hear From Our Clients
"The Dates Group has been the gap-filler and partnership I did not know I needed. As a visionary it is hard to maintain seeing the big picture and process/operations of the big picture.
The Dates Group has not only helped me to establish EIKONIC they have created my business plan, refined my processes, and have helped facilitate a recent win of $10,000 in a pitch competition. It is because of these reasons that I continue to employ the company and the founder Chi Dates as a mentor. They have been critical to the growth of my personal and company brand and I strongly believe they will continue to be so."
Robert Cager
My name is Samantha Lewis. My husband, DJ and I had a dream to start a Chicago-style food truck in Sioux Falls, SD after living here for years and not being able to find anything close to the food we were use to. Ultimately, we wanted a restaurant but decided a food truck was easier to start. We signed up with The Dates Group to help us realize our dream. Chi and her team have been able to help us establish our business, Windy City Bites. They helped us to understand business credit and led us in the right direction.
Through our business plan and operational mentoring, we were able to graduate from a food truck to a full restaurant thriving in the heart of Sioux Falls.
We have been spotlighted on local news shows, newspapers and featured in specials and across organizations in our community. We even placed 7th out of 32 in the annual Burger Battle this year. We continue to be a client of The Dates Group, and are now striving for greater investments, aspiring to expand our restaurant and do more hiring, to keep up with demand! We highly recommend The Dates Group. They cared enough to adapt their approach to our needs. They are always readily available to assist with all our business needs.
The Dates Group has been a game-changer for my businesses. Their expertise in establishing a compelling vision aligned with my goals, and their guidance has propelled my ventures to new heights.
Additionally, their knowledge and experience in financing have helped me secure the necessary capital to sustain and expand my businesses, relieving financial burdens and providing profit.
Chi’s unwavering passion and personalized approach have resulted in transformative outcomes, making her company an exceptional partner for any business owner seeking professional guidance, and support. Thank you for all you’ve done for us at Janier and the invaluable mentorship with my upcoming book, Purple Crescent Moon.
Reina Rei
DJ & Samantha Lewis
Highlighted Client Review
“Thank you, Dates Groups CEO, Chi Dates, for your support in obtaining our nonprofit 501c3 status for North Alabama National Society of Black Engineers Professionals. This effort was attempted by many, but this was the first time we succeeded in obtaining nonprofit 501c3 status. We appreciate your professional compliance with meeting with our 501c3 steering committee and answering all our questions. You exceeded our expectation in the accuracy and speed of servicing the application, administration, completing vital information, and follow through.
As Treasurer, I have noted an increase in donations and in-kind gifts after our nonprofit 501c3 status. Thank you for all your hard work!”
Naquisha Causey, NAL NSBE Treasurer