Grant Writer

STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS, INC.

12697 Graton Road

Sebastopol, CA 95472

CaStrategicSolutions.org

501(c)(3) Nonprofit

IN 33-4807637

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

Grant Writer

About Strategic Solutions, Inc.

Strategic Solutions, Inc. (SSI) is a California nonprofit public benefit corporation based in Sebastopol, dedicated to building a stronger, more equitable Sonoma County — with a particular focus on West County communities. Our work centers on two pillars: affordable housing and community investment.

Our housing programs:

• SB 1079 Acquisitions — We acquire foreclosed homes through California's SB 1079 eligible nonprofit bidder process, rehabilitate them, and resell them. Profits fund SSI's operations, grant-making, and future acquisitions.
• Robin Hood Homes — Our wholly owned real estate subsidiary acquires and holds residential properties, partnered with licensed service operators to serve vulnerable populations across the housing spectrum — seniors, families, transitional-age youth (TAY, ages 16–25), individuals experiencing homelessness, and others with unmet housing needs.

Our community investment program:

• Grant Matchmaking — SSI provides a free grant writing and matchmaking service to Sonoma County nonprofits. The primary goal is to bring new money into the county from outside sources — national foundations, federal programs, and state capital funds that West County organizations might not otherwise access on their own. Approximately half of our grant writer's time is dedicated to this program, working alongside local nonprofits and city and county partners to expand the overall funding pie for the region.

SSI completed five housing transactions in its first two months of operation, generating over $353,000 in gross profit and disbursing $50,000 in community grants in Q1 2026. We are on track to complete 50 acquisitions and 30 sales this year, with a target of $500,000 in net annual grant-making after all program costs — self-sustaining, not donation-dependent.

The Role

The Grant Writer is a dual-function role unlike most grant writing positions. Roughly half your time is dedicated to SSI's own affordable housing programs — identifying capital, writing proposals, and managing the full grant lifecycle from prospecting through compliance. The other half is dedicated to SSI's community grant matchmaking service: working directly with Sonoma County nonprofits to help them access funding from outside the county, and collaborating with city and county partners where those relationships unlock new dollars.

You will be an external-facing representative of SSI — building relationships with program officers, county housing and community development staff, city officials, and nonprofit leaders across West County. This is not a desk job. You will show up to meetings, build trust with partners, and be known in the local funding ecosystem.

SSI's housing programs serve the full spectrum of vulnerable populations — seniors, families, individuals experiencing homelessness, transitional-age youth (TAY, ages 16–25), foster alumni, and others with unmet housing needs. TAY housing is a current priority initiative, but the mission is broader and your grant portfolio will reflect that. Experience in affordable housing grant programs is a significant advantage; Homekey experience is a standout qualification.

One more thing: SSI is a lean organization. We expect this role to produce the output of a grant writing team, not a single writer. That means you need to be a skilled, confident user of AI tools — not as a novelty, but as a core part of how you work. We use AI for research, prospecting, first drafts, data synthesis, compliance review, and more. If you're already doing this and have a workflow that multiplies your output, we want to hear about it. If you've never seriously used AI in your writing process, this role is not the right fit.

Key Responsibilities

SSI Housing Grant Program (~50% of time)

• Identify and pursue grant funding for SSI's affordable housing programs: capital acquisition, rehabilitation, deed-restricted housing development, and supportive services across all vulnerable populations — seniors, families, individuals experiencing homelessness, foster youth, and others
• Lead SSI's Homekey+ application process in coordination with Sonoma County or City of Santa Rosa as lead applicant — needs narrative, program design, budget, site control documentation, and partnership letters
• Maintain a rolling 12-month grant calendar for SSI's own programs: deadlines, eligibility requirements, reporting obligations, and award status
• Develop budget narratives in coordination with the Office Manager & Financial Controller; ensure financial requests are accurate, defensible, and aligned with program design
• Manage all active SSI grant awards: expenditure tracking, interim and final reports, compliance documentation, and funder relationship stewardship

Community Grant Matchmaking Program (~50% of time)

• Serve as SSI's primary point of contact for Sonoma County nonprofits seeking grant writing assistance — this is a free community service with a clear mission: bring new money into Sonoma County from national foundations, federal agencies, and state programs that local organizations aren't currently accessing
• Conduct intake with nonprofit partners: assess organizational capacity, program readiness, and funding fit; make go/no-go recommendations and prioritize engagements
• Write and submit grant proposals, letters of inquiry, and applications on behalf of partner nonprofits across the full range of community needs — human services, housing, youth, workforce, health, arts, and more
• Identify and pursue funders whose geographic or programmatic priorities align with Sonoma County but who are not currently investing here — closing that gap is the job
• Collaborate with Sonoma County and City of Santa Rosa staff where those relationships open doors to joint applications or unlock state and federal funding streams not available to nonprofits alone
• Develop and maintain a shared funder intelligence database: funding opportunities, deadlines, priorities, and relationship notes accessible to partner nonprofits

External Relationships & Community Presence

• Represent SSI in meetings with city and county officials, housing department staff, and community development partners — you are an active participant in the local funding ecosystem, not a background operator
• Build trusted relationships with executive directors and development staff at West County nonprofits; be known as a resource, not just a service provider
• Attend relevant convenings: county housing meetings, CoC collaborative, nonprofit network events, funder briefings
• Support the Executive Director on strategic partnerships, funder stewardship, and community positioning

AI-Augmented Research & Production

• Use AI tools actively and fluently as a core part of your grant writing workflow — research, prospecting, drafting, editing, data synthesis, and compliance review
• Develop and maintain AI-assisted systems for funder research, boilerplate management, and proposal iteration that allow SSI to pursue significantly more opportunities than a single writer typically could
• Stay current with AI tools relevant to grant writing and recommend workflow improvements to the team
• Apply judgment about when AI output is ready to use, when it needs heavy editing, and when to write from scratch — quality and accuracy always come first

Qualifications

Required

• Sonoma County resident required; West County base preferred — this role requires genuine roots in and knowledge of the local community, its funders, its nonprofits, and its political landscape
• 2+ years of grant writing experience with demonstrated success securing awards — housing, human services, community development, or any mission-driven sector considered
• Excellent writer: clear, precise, persuasive prose under deadline pressure across diverse funder audiences
• People person: comfortable in rooms with city officials, county staff, nonprofit executives, and foundation program officers — able to build trust and represent SSI professionally
• Organized and self-directed — able to juggle a high volume of concurrent proposals across multiple organizations with minimal oversight
• Comfort with budgets and financial narratives; able to translate financial data into funder-friendly language
• Active, practiced user of AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or similar) — not occasional curiosity, but a real part of your daily workflow
• Mission alignment: genuine commitment to West County communities and the people who live in them

Strongly Preferred

• Deep AI workflow experience: using AI for grant research, funder prospecting, needs statement drafting, data synthesis, compliance cross-checking, and proposal iteration — candidates who can describe a specific AI-assisted workflow will stand out
• Experience with California affordable housing grant programs: HCD, CDBG, HOME, CalHFA, AHP, or similar
• Background working with or supporting multiple nonprofits — as a consultant, capacity-building partner, or in a shared-services model
• Familiarity with the Sonoma County nonprofit and funding landscape: Community Foundation Sonoma County, Sonoma County Community Foundation, county and city grant programs
• Experience working directly with city or county staff on collaborative or co-funded initiatives
• Experience coordinating multi-party grant applications (nonprofit + public agency co-applicants)

Standout Qualifications

• Direct experience writing or supporting a Homekey or Homekey+ application — this is our near-term housing priority and candidates with hands-on Homekey experience will be given serious preference
• A demonstrable AI-augmented grant writing process — if you've built prompts, workflows, or systems that let you produce more and better work in less time, tell us about it in your cover letter

Compensation

SSI is committed to paying a competitive salary for Sonoma County.

$62,000 – $85,000 annually

Commensurate with experience. Homekey experience and demonstrated AI workflow command the upper end of range.

Position Details

Location: Sonoma County required; West County base preferred

Status: Full-time, exempt

Reports to: Luke Monroe, Executive Director

Core hours: 9am–3pm PT, Monday–Friday with additional time commitments TBD

Some remote work available after onboarding period

Professional development budget: $2,500/year for conferences, tools, training, and AI subscriptions

Benefits: To be discussed

SSI is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a team that reflects the communities we serve.

How to Apply

Send a resume, two writing samples (at least one grant proposal or LOI), and a cover letter that tells us: your connection to Sonoma County, which part of this role excites you most, and how you use AI in your grant writing work today. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.

Luke Monroe, Executive Director

Strategic Solutions, Inc.

12697 Graton Rd., Sebastopol CA 95472

CaStrategicSolutions.org

Applications reviewed on a rolling basis. Position open until filled.

To be discussed

English fluency required. Bilingual in Spanish a plus. Fluent in computer navigation and applications. Agvanced, confident user of AI