Allaina Wagner

Allaina Wagner is a writer and nonprofit development professional based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She holds a BA in Economics and Nonfiction English Writing from the University of Pittsburgh — a dual focus that shapes everything she writes about financial systems: she understands how the numbers work and how to explain them to someone who doesn't.

Since graduating from Pitt in 2023, she has worked in community finance and nonprofit development at United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Allegheny County, and now Carnegie Mellon University, where she oversees donor stewardship for student affairs and athletics. She is also a certified volunteer tax preparer through Just Harvest's Free Tax Preparation program, helping low- and moderate-income families navigate the tax system each year.

At Grantford, Allaina covers FAFSA mechanics, scholarships for underrepresented students, and the granular financial aid questions that require both economic literacy and careful research to answer accurately — including asset verification, combat pay eligibility, and how to calculate individual income from a joint tax return.

She is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.