Community priorities
We listen first, bringing community knowledge and local priorities into program design. Environmental justice, access, and practical benefit guide the work from the start.
Welcome to
Aura Planning Inc.
Aura Planning is an environmental justice firm. We design innovative programs, build the capacity to run them, and secure the funding that makes them possible.
Environmental justice is the work. Funding is how we get there.
Aura Planning is a woman-owned business advancing environmental justice through community-led programs, capacity building, and funding strategy.
We help nonprofits, community organizations, and public agencies design practical programs, build partnerships, and secure competitive funding.
The result: cleaner air, better transportation access, and career pathways in clean energy and advanced manufacturing.
When the right technology does not exist, we build it in house, from immersive training tools to custom data systems.
How we turn ideas into impact
From community priorities to funded, measurable programs.
We work alongside communities and partner organizations to design equitable programs, secure competitive funding, and manage delivery and reporting.
Program design
We turn priorities into innovative, workable programs, defining the model, the partners, the outcomes, and what success will actually look like on the ground.
Funding strategy
We find the right opportunities, assemble the partnerships, and lead competitive applications with aligned scopes, budgets, and measurable outcomes.
Implementation and capacity
We coordinate partners, schedules, budgets, compliance, and reporting, and build our partners' capacity to carry the work forward on their own.
A proven funding partner
We secure the funding our partners' programs need.
Over the past five years, Aura has led 12 applications through the full grant-development process: identifying the opportunity, shaping the program, assembling the partners, and preparing the proposal.
100% Aura-led grant developmentLead grant writer · Opportunity identification · Partner assembly
- 75%
- success ratefor Aura-led applications
- 9 of 12
- applications fundedled through the full grant-development process
- $5.5M+
- selected awarded fundingacross the results highlighted below
Partnership in action
Who we work with
We partner with nonprofits, community-based organizations, public agencies, universities, and utilities: organizations doing serious work in underserved communities that need a program designed, a team assembled, or funding secured to move it forward.
Explore our featured projectsOur team
A small team with a wide bench.
Aura is small by design: a senior, multidisciplinary core team in planning, program delivery, finance, community engagement, and technology. When a project calls for more, we convene it.
Nonprofits, universities, public agencies, and utilities have partnered with us on funding applications and on implementation. That trust is the real asset. It means we can assemble a credible, competitive team quickly, and keep it coordinated and accountable long after the award.
What sets us apart
When the tool does not exist, we build it.
Aura has software engineering, 3D modeling, and immersive technology capability in house. When a program needs something off-the-shelf tools cannot do, we build it rather than working around it.
For a zero-emission vehicle training program, that meant a virtual reality environment where trainees could practice EV operations, battery maintenance, and charger installation hands-on, reaching 100 people including women, refugees, youth, and participants with no technical background. For planning and program work, it has meant custom GIS data management tools built to the questions a specific community was actually asking.
These tools belong to the programs they serve. They are part of what our partners keep.
Angelina Moradzadeh
- MCP
- M.Arch
Founder and President, Principal Planner
Angelina is an urban planner and project manager with more than 20 years of experience serving utilities, city agencies, and community-based organizations in Iran, Canada, and the United States. She holds a Master of Architecture and a Master of City Planning, and has managed construction projects ranging from small commercial builds to EV charging and solar installations. She leads Aura's owner-side construction advisory work, pairing hands-on delivery experience with the grant compliance knowledge that publicly funded construction requires.
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Aarón Angulo
- B.Eng.
Chief Technology Officer
As CTO, Aarón leads Aura Planning's technology strategy and infrastructure, overseeing secure systems, backups, CI/CD, web applications, and immersive Unity, VR, and AR solutions.
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Brian Cleveley
- M.Arch
Architectural Visualization & Immersive Technology Specialist
Brian creates immersive virtual environments and simulations, combining a background in architecture with deep expertise in digital design, visualization, and extended reality.
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Nirali Raval
- CPA
Accountant
Nirali has been a Certified Public Accountant since 2009 and has worked with Aura Planning since its inception, supporting sound financial decisions and accurate reporting.
Consultants
Cathy Crosthwaite
Community Engagement and Education Consultant
Cathy expands equitable access to information and opportunity for underserved communities. Drawing on her background as a public library administrator, she builds cross-sector partnerships and leads inclusive, community-focused initiatives throughout Sacramento County.
Josh Veblen
EVSE Specialist Consultant
Josh brings over 16 years of energy-industry experience helping West Coast clients design, finance, and implement sustainable energy projects. He has led client-focused initiatives across education, healthcare, manufacturing, and government.
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