Grant Writer & Pipeline Lead

ABOUT ART START

Art Start is a nationally recognized arts and youth development organization supporting young people through creativity, education, mentorship, and community engagement. Art Start works with youth across New York City and Milwaukee, helping participants build confidence, leadership, and pathways toward long-term success.

Art Start is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from individuals who reflect the communities we serve.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Art Start is seeking an experienced Grant Writer & Pipeline Manager to take direct, hands-on ownership of institutional and government fundraising, working closely with the Executive Director and Development Manager. This is a hands-on grant writing role that also contributes to grant reporting logistics, individual giving campaigns, and donor database management. The role is well suited to a grant writing professional who is equally comfortable leading proposals and pitching in on the broader development planning and donor cultivation cycle.

SCOPE OF WORK

Grant Writing & Proposal Development (Point Person)

• Research, identify and determine the eligibility and fit for all institutional funding prospects (foundations and government) aligned with Art Start's mission and programs.
• Write narrative for all institutional grants
• Write grant proposals, letters of inquiry, and renewal requests for all funders.

Grant Reporting (Contributor)

• Draft program narrative sections of grant reports using updates prepared by Program Staff.
• Incorporate attendance and outcomes data (pulled from Salesforce) into funder reports.
• Complete financial report sections for funders using year-to-date financial reports provided by Executive Director and operations staff
• Provide written content for Annual Funder Reports

Individual Donor Campaigns (Contributor)

• Write content for the Spring and End-of-Year individual giving campaigns.
• Collaborate with the Executive Director/development team on individual giving strategy and activities.
• Contribute to Raiser's Edge NXT data logic, segmentation, and usage as needed to support campaign execution.

DELIVERABLES

First 30 Days

• Audit the current grants calendar and funder pipeline.
• Triage and secure any active grant deadlines already in motion.
• Meet weekly with the Executive Director and Development Manager to align on upcoming proposals and report deadlines, prospecting workflow and handoffs.

Throughout the Contract

• Monthly summary of proposals submitted, pending, and secured.
• Individual giving campaign content delivered per the Spring and End-of-Year calendars.

At Renewal (May 1)

• Summary of funding submitted, renewed, and secured during the contract period.
• Recommendations for the following year's institutional and government fundraising priorities.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 3+ years of professional grant writing experience in the nonprofit sector; experience with arts education, youth development, or similar mission areas strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated track record of securing institutional funding from foundations and government sources, including government grant compliance and reporting. (Preferably for New York City and State)
• Excellent narrative writing skills: able to translate program data and outcomes into compelling, funder-ready proposals and reports.
• Working familiarity with a nonprofit CRM/database (Salesforce and Raiser's Edge NXT preferred); comfort pulling and interpreting data for use in reports.
• Basic financial literacy: able to read year-to-date financial reports and translate figures into funder report format (not responsible for building budgets from scratch).
• Strong organizational skills and ability to independently manage multiple deadlines across proposals, reports, and campaigns.
• Experience writing individual donor appeal content is a plus.
• Self-directed and comfortable working independently on a limited monthly hours structure, flagging proactively when scope requires additional approved hours.

COMPENSATION & SCHEDULE

This is an independent contractor position (1099), not an employee role. The Grant Writer & Pipeline Manager is not eligible for employee benefits, paid time off, or participation in Art Start's benefit programs, and is responsible for their own applicable federal, state, and local taxes. The base monthly commitment is 30 hours; additional hours for specific projects (e.g., a major proposal push, year-end campaign, or report surge) may be requested and approved in advance at the same hourly rate. The contract renews annually on May 1.

This is a fully remote position, can be hybrid if candidate is based in New York, NY or Milwaukee, WI

TO APPLY

Please submit a resume, cover letter, and one writing sample (a grant proposal or LOI excerpt).

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Aug 31, 2026