Grant Writing Team Lead

Organization: SF Civic Tech

Location: San Francisco, CA (Hybrid)

Commitment: Approximately 5 hours/week, up to 8–15 hours/week before deadlines (flexible)

About SF Civic Tech

SF Civic Tech is an all-volunteer nonprofit bringing together software developers, designers, data scientists and people of all stripes interested in building civic technologies for the public good.

Our projects are:

• Open source
• Volunteer-driven
• Not-for-profit
• In service of the public good

With the goal of expanding our capabilities, we are building a dedicated Grant Writing Team to help secure funding from government agencies, corporate sponsors, foundations, and philanthropic organizations.

The Opportunity

We're seeking an experienced, organized, and collaborative volunteer to serve as the Grant Writing Team Lead for SF Civic Tech.

As the lead of our newly forming Grant Writing Team, you'll help establish our grant development process, mentor volunteer grant writers, coordinate proposal efforts, and work closely with the Board of Directors and Fundraising Committee to build a sustainable funding pipeline.

This is an opportunity to play a significant leadership role within an ambitious civic technology nonprofit while helping secure the resources needed to expand our impact.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate SF Civic Tech's volunteer Grant Writing Team.
• Develop and maintain a strategic grant pipeline.
• Research grant opportunities from foundations, corporations, and government agencies.
• Evaluate funding opportunities and prioritize submissions.
• Assign proposal work across volunteer grant writers based on interests and availability.
• Write and review grant proposals, letters of inquiry, and supporting materials.
• Collaborate with project teams to gather technical information, budgets, and measurable outcomes.
• Establish proposal templates, writing standards, and internal workflows.
• Track submission deadlines and reporting requirements.
• Coordinate with the Board of Directors and Fundraising Committee on fundraising priorities.
• Mentor less-experienced volunteer grant writers.

Ideal Qualifications

We're particularly interested in candidates with experience in one or more of the following:

• Grant writing
• Nonprofit development
• Foundation relations
• Institutional fundraising
• Technical writing
• Communications
• Philanthropy

Experience leading successful grant applications or fundraising initiatives is strongly preferred.

We value candidates who are:

• Excellent writers and editors
• Strategic thinkers
• Highly organized
• Self-directed and proactive
• Comfortable coordinating volunteers
• Interested in civic technology and public-interest innovation
• Reliable
• Collaborative

Areas of Interest

Our work spans topics including:

• Creating civic engagement through local events
• Supporting the local school district and educational programs
• Improving earthquake preparedness
• Reducing flooding by caretaking the city's drains
• Improving bike lane safety by reporting issues
• Analyzing trends in police spending and outcomes
• Connecting people experiencing homelessness to reliable internet and community resources

...and more.

We facilitate the creation and innovation of ongoing public-interest projects by San Francisco's technology community.

What You'll Gain

Although this is an unpaid volunteer position, you'll have the opportunity to:

• Build and lead SF Civic Tech's Grant Writing Team.
• Shape the organization's long-term fundraising strategy.
• Work directly with the Board of Directors on organizational growth.
• Collaborate with experienced engineers, designers, researchers, and community leaders.
• Build a portfolio of institutional fundraising leadership.
• Help secure funding that enables meaningful civic technology projects.
• Receive recognition for significant organizational leadership and contributions.

Commitment

We're looking for someone who can provide consistent leadership to the team. This position requires approximately 5 hours/week of work and coordination, increasing to 8–15 hours/week during major grant submission periods.

Apply Now

If you're an experienced grant writer or nonprofit fundraising professional who wants to help build a high-impact civic technology organization from the ground up, we'd love to hear from you.