Grant Writer

JOB TITLE: Grant Writer

REPORTS TO: Grants Manager

HOURS: Full-time (40 hours per week)

CLASSIFICATION: Non-exempt

REQUISITION NUMBER: 1618

SUMMARY: The Grant Writer is responsible for raising $50k in restricted and $350k in unrestricted funds to support Step Up’s mission as an integral part of Step Up’s Philanthropy Department. This fundraising team is responsible for securing a minimum of 10% of the organization’s overall budget.

The Philanthropy team will aim to raise $6.4M in revenue in the next fiscal year. Reporting to the Grant Manager, the Grant Writer must be self-directed and capable of working independently and collaboratively. The ideal candidate will be passionate about research, writing, and community impact. They should be highly proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel, with the ability to create grant budgets, and graphs and charts that are visually impactful within proposals.

The Grant Writer will work in partnership with the Grant Manager to conduct prospect research, oversee the department’s grants calendar, draft letters of inquiry and proposals, complete interim and final reports, and work collaboratively with other philanthropy staff to raise funds and steward foundation relationships. The Grant Writer works closely with staff across departments to gather institutional information and data to maximize foundation giving and ensure stewardship of funders. The Grant Writer will be expected to meet the following key performance indicators (KPIs):

• Successfully manage 3-5 prospecting projects at one time (staggered depending on assignment date)

• Successfully manage 5 writing projects at one time (staggered depending on assignment date)

• Upon being assigned a project, the Grant Writer will deliver a workable first draft for review within 10 business days/2 weeks

• In some cases, a funder may require a quicker turnaround than usual. In these instances, the Grant Writer will be expected to submit a first draft in less than 10 business days/2 weeks to meet the deadline

• Upon receiving a reviewed draft, the Grant Writer will address all edits and deliver a completed second draft within 5 business days/1 week

• All reviewed projects will be submitted or closed within 2 business days after being received

DUTIES: The following reflects essential functions for this job but does not restrict other tasks, which may be assigned:

Grant Administration

• Utilize grant calendar to track submission and reporting deadlines

• Produce correspondence for grant administration, including acknowledgments, queries, cover letters, renewal letters, and funder updates

• As needed, coordinate with the finance department on activities related to funding requests, grant summaries, and reports

• Other administrative support and duties as assigned

• Manage grant projects independently and provide regular updates on project status

Grant Research and Writing

• Research and identify new potential foundation, corporate, and other private supporters to meet revenue goals

• Draft proposals and reports to selected foundation and corporate funders

• Create original written material based on the latest statistics and research for grant proposals and correspondence with funders

• Create graphs, charts, and other visual data representations within proposals to make the proposal data more impactful and persuasive

• Independently problem-solve when encountering obstacles in gathering information or completing tasks

Documentation and Data Collection

• Maintain foundation and corporate grant files

• Use CRM database to track cultivation and stewardship touchpoints for the grant portfolio

• Assist with tracking progress toward the annual grant revenue goal

• Use Microsoft Excel to prepare budgets, analyze data and create charts and graphs for proposals

SKILLS:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills: ability to write clear, structured, articulate, and persuasive proposals, with close attention to detail

• Must be able to set priorities, coordinate multiple projects simultaneously, and meet firm deadlines while maintaining professionalism under pressure

• Ability to self-manage projects, providing timely updates and meeting deadlines without needing constant supervision

• Ability to work independently and within a team environment

• Ability to independently problem-solve obstacles as they arise

• Ability to communicate and convey complicated procedures clearly and succinctly

• Ability to establish working relationships and interact effectively with a wide range of people internally and externally

• Ability to take initiative and work independently

• Ability to work effectively and efficiently under pressure and maintain professionalism

• Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality

• High proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel, with experience in creating budgets, graphs, charts, and data visualizations

• Passion for community impact and data-driven writing, using both quantitative and qualitative data

QUALIFICATIONS (Education & Experience):

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university

• A minimum two (2) years’ experience in grant writing and project management

• Experience with grant research and data-driven proposal writing

• A proven track record in fund development from foundation and corporate grants is preferred

• Experience with Salesforce, Virtuous, Instrumental, or other fundraising software programs preferred

• Experience with Microsoft Word and Excel, particularly in creating budgets, graphs and data analysis, is essential

• Occasional night, weekend, and some travel necessary

• Occasional meetings throughout Southern California

• Desire for advancement

HOW WE SUPPORT YOUR GROWTH:

• You’ll receive regular feedback to help refine your skills and improve your grant writing and research capabilities.

• We provide opportunities for professional development, including conferences, webinars, and workshops.

• This role offers room for growth, including the opportunity to take on more complex projects.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION: Working with individuals experiencing homelessness, whether on the streets, in shelters, or other places of habitation or services, may present inherent challenges and difficulties such as exposure to bed bugs or other infestations, unpleasant smells or odors, individuals who may have poor hygiene or unclean homes due to homelessness, mental health symptoms, or poverty. Additionally, in working with our members, employees may encounter instances of profanity, sexually explicit or derogatory language, or verbal or physical expressions of anger and trauma. These situations rarely escalate to physical contact, and negative or derogatory communication patterns can often be negotiated successfully. All direct care staff are provided adequate training to develop skills

to deescalate crisis situations that may arise, and Step Up has established procedural safeguards for all employees to mitigate (but not eliminate) these inherent risks of employment.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands and fingers, handle or feel, reach with hands and arms, talk, and hear. The employee is frequently required to walk, balance, stoop, kneel, and/or crouch. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 15 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. Keyboard data entry required.

Step Up utilizes the principles of trauma-informed care and mental health recovery. These principles inform our Core Values of Hope, Wellness, Voice and Choice, Respect, and Collaborative Relationships. As representatives of Step Up, employees agree to adhere to these values in their interactions with members, colleagues, supervisors, and associated community members.

STEP UP CORE VALUES

HOPE – We believe all people have the capacity for positive growth and change. We use hope to inspire and motivate ourselves, our members, our colleagues, and our community.

WELLNESS – We believe in promoting a culture that supports healthy and fulfilling lives. We use a supportive environment to foster well-being for ourselves, our members, our colleagues, and our community.

VOICE AND CHOICE – We believe in the right to choose and be heard. We use voice and choice to create meaningful outcomes and empowerment for ourselves, our members, our colleagues, and our community.

RESPECT – We believe in promoting interactions that are non-judgmental, transparent. We use respect to guide all of our words and actions with ourselves, our members, our colleagues, and our community. COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS – We believe in forming partnerships to share resources, knowledge, and experiences. We use collaborative relationships to strengthen accomplishments for ourselves, our members, our colleagues, and our community.

Step Up provides equal employment opportunities without regard to age, ancestry, color, creed, mental or physical disability, marital status, medical condition, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws.

STEP UP IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER