Sr. 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.

JOB TITLE: Senior Grant Writer

REPORTS TO: Senior Grant Writer

WRITER HOURS: Full-time (40 hours per week)

CLASSIFICATION: Non-exempt

REQUISISTION NUMBER: 1714

SUMMARY: The Senior Grant Writer is responsible for raising $450k in restricted and 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 Senior 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 visually impactful graphs and charts for proposals.

The Senior 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 Senior Grant Writer works closely with staff across departments

to gather institutional information and data to maximize foundation giving and ensure stewardship of

funders. The Senior Grant Writer will be expected to meet the following key performance indicators

(KPIs):

Successfully manage 5-7 prospecting projects at one time (staggered depending on assignment

date)

Successfully manage 5-7 writing projects at one time (staggered depending on assignment date)

Upon being assigned a project, the Senior Grant Writer will deliver a workable first draft for review within 7 business days/1.5 weeks

In some cases, a funder may require a quicker turnaround than usual. In these instances, the

Senior 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 Senior Grant Writer will address all edits and deliver a completed second draft within 3 business days/0.5 weeks

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

DUTIES: The following reflects essential functions for this job, but does not restrict other tasks, which may be assigned:

Grant Administration

Utilize the 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

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

QUALIFICATIONS (Education & Experience):

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university

A minimum of three (3) years’ experience in grant writing and project management in a nonprofit setting

Experience with grant research and data-driven proposal writing in a nonprofit setting

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 nights, weekends, and some travel necessary

Occasional meetings in Los Angeles

Desire for advancement

HOW WE SUPPORT YOUR GROWTH:

You’ll receive regular feedback to help refine your skills and improve your grant writing and research capabilities.

We provide opportunities for professional development, including conferences, webinars, and workshops.

This role offers room for growth, including the opportunity to take on more complex projects.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION: Working with individuals experiencing homelessness, whether on the

streets, in shelters, or other places of habitation or services, may present inherent challenges and

difficulties such as exposure to bed bugs or other infestations, unpleasant smells or odors, individuals

who may have poor hygiene or unclean homes due to homelessness, mental health symptoms, or

poverty. Additionally, in working with our members, employees may encounter instances of profanity,

sexually explicit or derogatory language, or verbal or physical expressions of anger and trauma. These

situations rarely escalate to physical contact, and negative or derogatory communication patterns can

often be negotiated successfully. All direct care staff are provided adequate training to develop skills

to deescalate crisis situations that may arise, and Step Up has established procedural safeguards for all

employees to mitigate (but not eliminate) these inherent risks of employment.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required

to sit, use hands and fingers, handle or feel, reach with hands and arms, talk, and hear. The employee

is frequently required to walk, balance, stoop, kneel, and/or crouch. The employee must occasionally

lift and/or move up to 15 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision,

distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. Keyboard data entry

required.

Step Up utilizes the principles of trauma-informed care and mental health recovery. These principles

inform our Core Values of Hope, Wellness, Voice and Choice, Respect, and Collaborative Relationships.

As representatives of Step Up, employees agree to adhere to these values in their interactions with

members, colleagues, supervisors, and associated community members.

STEP UP CORE VALUES

HOPE – We believe all people have the capacity for positive growth and change. We use hope to

inspire and motivate ourselves, our members, our colleagues, and our community.

WELLNESS – We believe in promoting a culture that supports healthy and fulfilling lives. We use a

supportive environment to foster well-being for ourselves, our members, our colleagues, and our

community.

VOICE AND CHOICE – We believe in the right to choose and be heard. We use voice and choice to

create meaningful outcomes and empowerment for ourselves, our members, our colleagues, and our

community.

RESPECT – We believe in promoting interactions that are non-judgmental, transparent. We use respect

to guide all of our words and actions with ourselves, our members, our colleagues, and our community.

COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS – We believe in forming partnerships to share resources, knowledge,

and experiences. We use collaborative relationships to strengthen accomplishments for ourselves, our

members, our colleagues, and our community.

Step Up provides equal employment opportunities without regard to age, ancestry, color, creed,

mental or physical disability, marital status, medical condition, national origin, race, religion, sex,

sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local

laws.

STEP UP IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER