Small Ship Cruise Creator Mikkel Woodruff Wins AIR Media AMPLIFY Fellowship + $1,000 Grant
What happens when a niche podcaster starts applying.
What does it take to go from first-time applicant to grant winner? Mikkel Woodruff, co-host of Small Ship Cruise Talk, found out firsthand.
After attending our session at Podfest 2026, she joined the Hit Submit Challenge and landed a spot as one of (16) podcasters selected for the Spring 2026 AIR Media AMPLIFY program, a competitive mentorship opportunity for emerging podcasters.
Mikkel shares what she learned, what surprised her, and the mindset shift that made all the difference for securing a win.
Browse: Grants For Podcasters and Audio Creators
1. Tell us about yourself and what you create.
I’m Mikkel Woodruff, and I live in Winter Park, Florida. I’m a content creator with a focus on small ship cruising. Notably, for the purposes of the grants I’ve been applying for, I have a podcast called Small Ship Cruise Talk, where my co-host and I discuss river, yacht, expedition, and barge cruise vacations.
Instagram: @sometimessailing
YouTube: @sometimes-sailing
2. Before you discovered Grants For Creators, did you believe grants were something you could actually win?
It wasn’t that I didn’t believe I could win; it was more that I thought grants were only for scientists who were perpetual students. Haha!
So, no, I didn’t think I could win, but only because I didn’t know that grants exist for all types of professions. It wasn’t a lack of confidence or belief in our podcast. My eyes were opened up to the possibility thanks to Danielle.
As a social media follower of hers, I had seen her speak about grants, which was intriguing. Then, at Podfest 2026 in Orlando, I attended her talk on the topic and instantly signed up for her Hit Submit Challenge.
3. You were selected for the Spring 2026 AIR Media AMPLIFY program — congrats! For creators who aren’t familiar, how would you describe this opportunity, and who is it designed for?
Thank you! I wanted so badly to be selected as one of the 16 podcasts. I thought about it often after applying, before I got the great news.
AIR Media’s AMPLIFY program is an opportunity for relatively new podcasts (within their first two years) to learn from seasoned podcast mentors and ultimately grow their shows, helping them gain more traction in the podcasting field.
4. What made you feel like this was the right fit? Was there a moment you thought, “this is for me”?
I had a very deep desire to learn from the mentors coaching the winners on the exact topics they were promising, including growing your community, PR methods, getting your podcast name out there in the media, honing your podcast messaging, and more. They also support diversity among their applicants and the types of podcasts they award, which made me really happy to see. That kind of inclusivity is something we need more of.
5. You joined the Hit Submit Challenge last Fall. What shifted after the 5-day challenge?
Danielle opened my eyes to how many opportunities are out there. Knowing about them is half the battle.
The other half of the battle is how to apply for grants in terms of how to position yourself in the best light. This is something Danielle made easy to understand and replicate through her teaching in the challenge.
Seriously, for the low cost of the challenge, EVERYONE should do the Hit Submit Challenge. If you have any desire whatsoever to get grant money for your career or projects, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t.
6. What have you learned about grants since you started applying?
You need to dedicate time to the application process. But once you have a system in place, it definitely doesn’t take as long as you might think!
Grants are out there. Take the short time it requires to apply, so you can throw your name in the hat. You have to be in it to win it!
The other thing I’ve learned is that grants are out there, and Grants For Creators is the best way I can efficiently find the ones for me, with a very low cost of investment to get opportunities from Danielle and her team right to my inbox. As a small business owner, time is money. And Grants For Creators has a low cost, saving me a lot of time.
More Grant Wins from the Community
Creators across disciplines — podcasters, artists, musicians, filmmakers are finding and winning grants they first discovered through Grants For Creators. Here are a few more wins from the community:
🎙️ How Dr. Angela Kingdon Reframed Her Work To Win a $2,000 Grant
💻 Avie M. Fields Won a $500 Grant to Pursue Archival Storytelling
Did You Win a Grant You Found Through Us?
We want to hear from you!
If Grants For Creators played a role in your grant journey, whether you found the opportunity in our newsletter, through the Hit Submit Challenge, or anywhere in our community, we’d love to feature your story.
Your win could be what inspires another creator to pursue grant funding.
Email grantsforcreators@gmail.com with the subject line: “I won a grant.”
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