Grant Writer

Mission Statement

Using social and restorative justice principles, Five Keys provides traditionally underserved communities the opportunity to improve their lives by focusing on the Five Keys: EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT, RECOVERY, FAMILY, and COMMUNITY.

Five Keys Overview

Five Keys is a nonprofit organization that operates an extensive network of programs across California. With 14 counties and over 120 locations, Five Keys focuses on various initiatives to empower individuals and families to overcome poverty and inequity. The organization's programs encompass a wide range of services, including public charter schools, restorative justice programs in jails and prisons, shelters, permanent supportive housing, and the development of new housing and support programs. At Five Keys, the overarching objective is to uplift individuals and families by providing them with essential resources, which include education, housing, employment, and the necessary tools to sustain their progress. By offering these fundamental elements, the organization aims to create positive and lasting change in communities, making them better places for everyone.

Five Keys Grants Team

The Grants Team manages the lifecycle of grants and contracts—from the initial search for potential funding sources to developing competitive bids to tracking awards and compliance. Grant Writers focus on researching funding opportunities and preparing proposals to support existing and emerging programs. Five Keys’ grant writers act as analysts, storytellers, conductors, and librarians while coordinating input from colleagues and partners. 

Our Core Competencies

A well-qualified candidate who can communicate effectively, collaborate with others while building positive relationships, demonstrate strong problem-solving skills, have a dynamic learning mindset, and remain committed to a high cultural and social awareness level. A successful candidate will work well under pressure, observe appropriate boundaries, and operate with high emotional intelligence.

What it’s like to join our agency

At Five Keys, culture matters. Culture is at the very core of everything we do and impact daily. We’re committed to building an inclusive culture that seeks collaboration over hierarchy to create empowered work teams. We serve vulnerable populations daily and strive to approach everyone with compassion, patience, and a trauma-informed approach. We push past discomfort to have difficult conversations to impact the greater good, allowing us to collaboratively create an inclusive culture and transform the world around us.

BENEFITS

We offer low-cost comprehensive medical insurance, dental, vision, and life insurance premiums paid by Five Keys and various pre-tax flexible spending accounts and retirement accounts 403b. Generous time off. Annual reimbursement of up to $100 towards gym membership, smoking cessation, and weight loss programs. Annual reimbursement of up to $50 towards annual athletic event participation and annual massage after six months of employment. FREE access to wellness-related apps, Employee Assistance Program, and a comprehensive mental health care platform for you and your dependents.

Qualifications

POSITION SUMMARY

The Grant Writer reports to the Assistant Director of Grants Management and is accountable for all aspects of grant writing, including gathering, analyzing, and organizing data and resources to support grant writing efficiency and productivity. The Grant Writer will write grant proposals and reports and prepare presentations for leadership. The incumbent will have a deep understanding of and solid experience with writing federal, state, and local grants. The Grant Writer is responsible for identifying potential funding sources, preparing accurate and compelling proposals and packaging them for timely submission. The incumbent will ensure that tracked resources are relevant to proposals for government, foundation, and corporate funders and, on occasion, for individual donors.

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Collaborate with other grant writers to define proposals and assist with grant proposal scopes
• Assist senior colleagues with research and data collection
• Research, compose, and submit high quality grant proposals for federal, state, and private funding agencies.
• Ensure leadership has accurate information on the outcome of grant applications and all elements for program implementation and stewardship
• Review new contracts to identify and implement administrative requirements, including but not limited to reporting requirements, training needs, outcome documentation, templates, tools, and schedules
• Manage concurrent deadlines while assembling complex bid packages in electronic and paper formats
• Research and identify new potential funding sources, including federal, state, local, corporate, foundation and individual donors
• Analyze new and renewal opportunities and provide meaningful insights that accurately interpret how funders’ priorities and interests align with Five Keys
• Under the guidance of senior colleagues, prepare grant proposals and donor funding request
• Conduct data searches related to demographics, program outcomes, workforce statistics, financials, credentials, references, and translate data into clear, understandable language
• Support proposal preparation, contract capture, and project fulfillment processes by coordinating team meetings, communicating deadlines, and updating a calendar of required delivery dates for proposals, reports, and other deliverables
• Coordinate meetings with project teams to review progress on each contract
• Assist in the development of MOUs, letters of agreement, and partnership letters 
• Adhere to data privacy and confidentiality requirements when working with client and student information
• Locate and participate in development opportunities that upgrade skills and teach new methods, techniques, and approaches that add value to the grant writing team
• Other duties as assigned

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Advanced proficiency in Zoom, Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and databases
• Proficiency in building and manage spreadsheets for expense tracking and reporting purposes
• Strong internet research skills are required
• Ability to maintain firm and appropriate boundaries with personal identifying information when interacting with students or community or program partners and while at any school location or community or program partner site
• Exceptional written communication skills; ability to express complex ideas with clarity and precision in written documents
• Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills
• Ability to adapt to constantly changing circumstances
• Capable of handling multiple deadlines and tasks simultaneously
• Advanced problem-solving skills; tactfully address and resolve questions/concerns
• Ability to effectively and efficiently work from home and independently, with high levels of self-accountability
• Exceptional ability to write with precision and clarity, correctness, and completeness

EDUCATION AND WORK EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree in communications, social services, writing, journalism, or related field or equivalent work experience required
• 2 -5 years of experience writing for local, state and federal government grants required
• Experience writing grants for other funding sources, including foundation, corporate, and individual donors preferred.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS  

• Frequent and prolonged standing, walking, and sitting
• Frequent speaking and active listening
• Occasional reaching with hands and arms
• Occasionally lifting up to 25 lbs
• Ability to follow oral directions in emergencies
• Travel to multiple sites may be required

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

This position is contingent upon:

• Satisfactory results of a Live Scan (criminal background investigation)
• Successfully obtaining jail clearance for positions working in county jails or probation locations
• Submitting proof of clear TB results. Results dated within 60 days prior to hire date are acceptable

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Candidate must be located in California, preferably in one of our San Francisco/Oakland offices 
• The position will be remote, but working on-site may be required
• The work environment varies from site to site. There is minimal safety risk working with the at-risk population
• Moderate noise level

GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES

At Five Keys, we understand that when our employees grow, the agency has a greater capacity to thrive and accomplish its mission. It is for this reason that we remain committed to providing ongoing professional development opportunities for all of our employees. These include but are not limited to: conferences, staff development training, and coaching plans that allow incumbents to grow into new positions within and across programs within the agency (i.e., programs, schools, housing).