Grant Writer

Step Up, a 501(c)(3) organization, began providing psychosocial rehabilitation and support in 1984 when a woman sought urgently needed mental health services for her loved one. Finding none, and dissatisfied with the status quo, Susan Dempsay took action and started a center offering services that could not be found anywhere else.

Her vision included a supportive environment with productive activities, including art therapies, supported employment training, coping skills, service coordination, and social connectedness. Family members accessed help through support groups that met every month. Initially, Step Up served approximately 10 individuals a day and offered a limited number of services.

Staff began observing that many Step Up members were experiencing homelessness, which complicated and exacerbated their already complex needs. In 1994, Step Up’s first permanent supportive housing community with 36 units was built. Some of the original tenants are still living in their units today.

The Grant Writer is responsible for raising $50k in restricted and $350k in unrestricted funds to support Step Up’s mission as an integral part of Step Up’s Philanthropy Department. This fundraising team is responsible for securing a minimum of 10% of the organization’s overall budget.

The Philanthropy team will aim to raise $6.4M in revenue in the next fiscal year. Reporting to the Grant Manager, the Grant Writer must be self-directed and capable of working independently and collaboratively. The ideal candidate will be passionate about research, writing, and community impact. They should be highly proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel, with the ability to create grant budgets, and graphs and charts that are visually impactful within proposals.

The Grant Writer will work in partnership with the Grant Manager to conduct prospect research, oversee the department’s grants calendar, draft letters of inquiry and proposals, complete interim and final reports, and work collaboratively with other philanthropy staff to raise funds and steward foundation relationships. The Grant Writer works closely with staff across departments to gather institutional information and data to maximize foundation giving and ensure stewardship of funders. The Grant Writer will be expected to meet the following key performance indicators (KPIs):

• Successfully manage 3-5 prospecting projects at one time (staggered depending on assignment date)

• Successfully manage 5 writing projects at one time (staggered depending on assignment date)

• Upon being assigned a project, the Grant Writer will deliver a workable first draft for review within 10 business days/2 weeks

• In some cases, a funder may require a quicker turnaround than usual. In these instances, the Grant Writer will be expected to submit a first draft in less than 10 business days/2 weeks to meet the deadline

• Upon receiving a reviewed draft, the Grant Writer will address all edits and deliver a completed second draft within 5 business days/1 week

• All reviewed projects will be submitted or closed within 2 business days after being received

Non-Extempt: $26.92 - $33.65 DOE

Grant Administration

• Utilize grant calendar to track submission and reporting deadlines

• Produce correspondence for grant administration, including acknowledgments, queries, cover letters, renewal letters, and funder updates

• As needed, coordinate with the finance department on activities related to funding requests, grant summaries, and reports

• Other administrative support and duties as assigned

• Manage grant projects independently and provide regular updates on project status

Grant Research and Writing

• Research and identify new potential foundation, corporate, and other private supporters to meet revenue goals

• Draft proposals and reports to selected foundation and corporate funders

• Create original written material based on the latest statistics and research for grant proposals and correspondence with funders

• Create graphs, charts, and other visual data representations within proposals to make the proposal data more impactful and persuasive

• Independently problem-solve when encountering obstacles in gathering information or completing tasks

Documentation and Data Collection

• Maintain foundation and corporate grant files

• Use CRM database to track cultivation and stewardship touchpoints for the grant portfolio

• Assist with tracking progress toward the annual grant revenue goal

• Use Microsoft Excel to prepare budgets, analyze data and create charts and graphs for proposals

QUALIFICATIONS (Education & Experience):

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university

• A minimum two (2) years’ experience in grant writing and project management

• Experience with grant research and data-driven proposal writing

• A proven track record in fund development from foundation and corporate grants is preferred

• Experience with Salesforce, Virtuous, Instrumentl, or other fundraising software programs preferred

• Experience with Microsoft Word and Excel, particularly in creating budgets, graphs and data analysis, is essential

• Occasional night, weekend, and some travel necessary

• Occasional meetings in Los Angeles

• Desire for advancement

SKILLS:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills: ability to write clear, structured, articulate, and persuasive proposals, with close attention to detail

• Must be able to set priorities, coordinate multiple projects simultaneously, and meet firm deadlines while maintaining professionalism under pressure

• Ability to self-manage projects, providing timely updates and meeting deadlines without needing constant supervision

• Ability to work independently and within a team environment

• Ability to independently problem-solve obstacles as they arise

• Ability to communicate and convey complicated procedures clearly and succinctly

• Ability to establish working relationships and interact effectively with a wide range of people internally and externally

• Ability to take initiative and work independently

• Ability to work effectively and efficiently under pressure and maintain professionalism

• Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality

• High proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel, with experience in creating budgets, graphs, charts, and data visualizations

• Passion for community impact and data-driven writing, using both quantitative and qualitative data