Fund Development | Grant Writing Intern

Catholic Charities is looking for the right people; people who wish to serve their community as a part of a family friendly organization doing good within the Houston-Galveston area. We attract and retain the best talent by investing in our employees. People of all faiths helping people in need. 

Our Foundation Relations team raises around $4M a year through grant proposals to private foundations. Strong proposals are how we fund the agency's work, and writing them well is a craft, clear prose, careful research, attention to what each funder actually cares about, and an eye for the small errors that can sink an otherwise good application.

We're looking for an intern who wants to learn that craft from the inside. The role is built around reviewing and refining proposal drafts, fact checking against source materials, and helping make sure every proposal that goes out the door is accurate, well written, and tailored to the funder. As part of how we work, our team uses AI tools to help generate first drafts of proposal narratives, which means a meaningful part of your job will be reviewing AI drafted text with the same critical eye you'd bring to any draft. That hands on experience with AI in a professional writing context is something you'll be able to point to in future applications, but it's not the focus of the role. The focus is good writing, careful editing, and learning how funded proposals actually get made.

The role grows with you. The first few weeks are heavier on review and onboarding; from there, strong interns take on more substantive contributions to drafting, research, and process improvement.

LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

• How professional grant proposals actually get written and won.
• How to edit critically, for accuracy, voice, structure, and audience.
• How a development office operates, including foundation relationships and fundraising strategy.
• Practical experience working with AI tools as part of a professional writing workflow.
• Real portfolio of work product and a substantive recommendation letter that speaks to specific contributions.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES

• Review proposal drafts against funder requirements and our internal quality checklist.
• Fact check statistics, dollar figures, dates, partners, and other specifics against source documents.
• Flag writing that doesn't sound like our agency's voice or that misses what a particular funder cares about.
• Help maintain documentation of our programs, voice, and funder relationships.
• Contribute to drafting proposal sections as you build context.
• Help with prospect research on family foundations and other funding sources.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Currently enrolled in a bachelor's or master's program in English, political science, public policy, communications, journalism, history, sociology, or another liberal arts or social sciences field
• Valid Texas Driver’s License

SKILLS REQUIREMENTS

• Strong writing and editing skills, you should be able to read a paragraph and articulate why it's working or not
• Detail orientation. The job is catching what others miss
• Comfortable asking questions when something seems off rather than letting it slide
• Open to working with AI tools as part of the role (no prior experience required, we'll teach you what you need)
• Coursework in research, professional writing, or related areas
• Familiarity with the nonprofit sector

Catholic Charities is an equal opportunity employer.  We actively foster an environment that is free of racism, discrimination, bias, and harassment where all individuals are treated with dignity, safety, and respect.  Successful applicant must comply with federal contractor vaccine mandate requirements.

The work you do will help us advocate for the vulnerable among us, a network of support services to people of all ages and from all walks of life and religious backgrounds.

Salary : $4