Grant Writer - Government, Public Funding

POSITION SUMMARY

The overall role of the Government Public Funding Grant Writer is to work closely with the Director of Public Funding to identify, secure, and steward grant and contract opportunities for Fountain House from new public funding opportunities and to strengthen current public funding relationships. 

This position will support the activities of Fountain House’s dynamic development team! The Grant Writer will author concept papers, grant proposals, grant progress reports, and will also play a role in research prospecting for public funding opportunities. The candidate should have proven expertise in applying to government funding sources related to service innovation, demonstration projects, evaluation, cost-benefit studies, and research, as well as ensuring compliance with such grants.

SHIFT: Monday - Friday 9AM - 5PM with some flexibility as needed. This is a hybrid position with 1- 2 days a week required to be in the office. 

Salary: $65K - $70K (paid bi-weekly - nonexempt) 

Please remember to include a cover letter with your application!

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Prospecting, Cultivation, Stewardship

• Work closely with the Director of Public Funding to maintain an existing portfolio of more than $22M in local and city government funding, while researching and responding to new and emerging local funding opportunities that align with the agency's mission, goals, and existing programs.
• In coordination with the Director of Public Funding, ensure that the production and submission of all external funder communications (Grant proposals, grant reports, etc.) are of exceptional quality and persuasive to funders. (This position will require an individual with exceptional writing skills.) 
• Collaborate internally within the Development team and externally across departments to strategically plan how to approach prospects and opportunities.
• Analyze and assess qualified prospects to determine which opportunities to pursue. This includes creating a funding profile of RFPs that provides a high-level summary of the funding opportunity to be shared with external Fountain House departments actively involved in determining whether to move forward with the application process. 
• Identifies, researches, and recommends new potential public funding sources and other funding prospects that align with the Fountain House organizational vision, mission, and strategy.
• Maintains prospect databases and robust pipelines of new potential funders.
• Supports strategy meetings and implements action items for the Director of Public Funding as they research different program offerings and determine proposal concepts.
• Authors proposal drafts and will collaborate across teams to gather and include relevant inputs and necessary data into each proposal.
• Assembles all relevant components of proposals and ensures that a Fountain House proposal submission complies with all proposal parameters and detailed requirements for each funder
• Meets proposal deadlines by adhering to systems and timelines for the different phases of proposal creation including information gathering, writing, review, approval, and transmittal.
• Supports grant management activities for secured grants, including documenting and communicating reporting requirements, tracking correspondence with funders, producing grant progress reports, and keeping up with funder reporting requirements and action items.
• Collaborates with the Director of Public funding to create and maintain internal systems, structures, and processes to streamline and organize the Development team’s activities and workflow, particularly with regard to government grants.
• Responsible for other duties as assigned.
• Perform related duties as assigned by supervisor.
• Maintain compliance with all company policies and procedures.

Administrative Functions

• Provide support to the Director of Public Funding for the interdepartmental RFP process, including downloading programmatic information and collecting required attachments for submission.
• Assist with renewals of current government grants in coordination with the Director of Public Funding. 
• Record and track all activity and progress in Salesforce database, including prospecting, moves management, pipeline of opportunities/deliverables, grant management/admin/filing, etc.
• Ensure contract compliance and complete all required grant reporting, including narrative and financial reports, working with program, research, finance, and other staff to ensure timely submission.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Strong written communication skills, presentation skills, analytical skills, and the ability to create excellent content and persuasive narratives. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including ability to proofread and draft high-quality documents.
• Knowledge of government RFP processes, with impeccable attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines under high-pressure situations.
• Experienced in donor databases, such as Salesforce or similar CRM, as well as Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams, Outlook, etc.) and internet research skills.
• Excellent research/prospecting skills and experience using online grant databases.
• Solutions-oriented and resourceful initiative-taker who shows determination to solve problems and has the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to work independently and in a highly collaborative team environment across multiple programs and departments.
• Demonstrated ability to work with confidential information in a trustworthy and reliable manner.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Google Suite, and familiarity with fundraising software (Salesforce) 
• Creative, meticulous and thrives in a collaborative environment.

REQUIRED AND PREFERRED EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND CREDENTIALS

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and/or experience
• Two years of working in fundraising or in a nonprofit setting is highly preferred

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• This position resides in a brownstone building in Hells Kitchen area and requires the ability to ascend and descend stairs and may include some light lifting, sitting and standing.  
• To perform the essential job functions consistently safely and successfully with the ADA, FMLA and other federal, state, and local standards, including meeting qualitative and/or quantitative productivity standards. 
• Ability to maintain regular, punctual attendance consistent with the ADA, FMLA and other federal, state, and local standards.