Grant Writing Assistant

Hudson/Catskill Housing Coalition seeks an enthusiastic, hard-working, and organized Grant Writing Assistant to support our Grant Writing team in researching grant opportunities, outreach and correspondence with funders, tracking past and future submissions, identifying funding opportunities for which the organization qualifies, and preparing and editing drafts of applications. The position is Part Time at 60 hours a month, which will fluctuate weekly based on deadlines. The pay rate is $25/hour.

The organization: Hudson/Catskill Housing Coalition (HCHC) is a Black-led initiative that empowers public housing and low-income residents to fight for housing justice. We are invested in a vision of a society built on principles of equality, justice, and solidarity, where care will replace the forces of austerity, policing, criminalization, and abandonment of marginalized communities. We believe that treating housing as a human right in the United States is a form of re-investment in human and community life that can fundamentally transform society. Enacting this vision starts locally, in the small but densely populated communities of Hudson and Catskill that our founding members have called home for generations.

Primary Roles & Responsibilities: 

Under the direction of the Program Coordinator and in collaboration with the Grant Writing team, the Grant Writing Assistant identifies, researches, and pursues foundation grant funding opportunities to support/enhance/expand HCHC programs, services, and initiatives.

A. Oversees all aspects of grant submission management, including tracking past submissions and their status, identifying suitable funding sources and opportunities, engagement with program officers at foundations to solicit proposal invitations and request review of draft applications, tracking and managing deadlines and progress of applications, soliciting feedback from funders for rejected grants, and drafting reports (according to grant requirements) and maintaining follow up communication with funders who have provided grants. 

B. Identify programs and initiatives that have the potential to attract significant public and/or private sector support. 

C. Liaise with internal staff including program coordinator, the board of directors, grant writing manager, and accountant to obtain the information required to present the program’s concept, purpose, goals, objectives, and budgets

D.  Assistance in all aspects of the grant writing, preparation, and submission process. 

E. Maintain grant planning calendar to coordinate workflow and prioritization of applications

F. Collaborate with program managers and accountant to collect and report all required information to foundations and other funders. 

G. Maintain organized internal database tracking and scheduling all submissions and foundation contacts. 

Required Experience and Skills: 

• Up to three years of successful experience in a position that includes proposal preparation, writing, development, and submission to foundations and/or corporations preferred;
• Ability to switch writing tones between conservative institutions and radical grantors;
• Understanding of foundation policies, procedures and guidelines, and of principles governing grant preparation and submission;
• In-depth skills in accessing electronic data resources, gathering and analyzing data for planning reports, funding and grant development, Constituent Relations Management software for tracking foundation and funder contacts, and composing and integrating information via Airtable database;
• Skills in internet research; 
• Strong collaborative, diplomatic, and problem-solving skills, including the ability to incorporate critical reviews and edits; 
• Outstanding writing skills, including the ability to be articulate, persuasive, and passionate in presenting a case for funding; 
• Skills in developing proposal budgets preferred;
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team;
• Familiarity and facility with Google Suite; 
• Successful experience working in a highly deadline-driven environment;
• Ability to work independently, set priorities, and complete work accurately with sufficient time for colleague review;
• Willing to advance knowledge through attendance of grant writing workshops; 
• Availability for up to 20 hours of work per week; 
• Ability to work remotely; 
• A passion for the HCHC’s mission and racial, economic, and social justice; 
• Ability to work harmoniously with diverse groups of individuals;
• Experience working in an ethnically, culturally, racially, and socioeconomically diverse work environment preferred.