Grant Writer

Downtown Women's Center is dedicated to supporting women experiencing homelessness and is seeking a Grant Writer to help secure funding opportunities. The Grant Writer will manage a portfolio of funders, draft proposals and reports, and collaborate with various teams to align funding with organizational priorities.

Responsibilities

• Identify and solicit corporate, foundation, and government grant opportunities matched to DWC programs and activities and determine which opportunities strategically align with DWC’s organizational priorities and capacity
• Contribute to the fundraising goal for Grants revenue
• Work across departments to develop and submit grant proposals and reports, including identifying measurable goals and objectives for program development; compiling program outlines, materials, and data to write a compelling narrative; developing grant budgets and financial reports in partnership with program directors and the finance team; and working with Finance, Operations, and Program staff to ensure compliance with all public and private grant requirements
• Effectively manage grant deliverables aligned with an assigned portfolio, including crafting proposals, reports, and other grant deliverables that reflect DWC’s values and mission
• Leverage project management tools to steward deliverables and grant opportunities and effectively coordinate between all constituents from prospecting through closeout
• Develop engagement strategies and donor cultivation plans to grow DWC’s revenue from a portfolio of corporate, foundation, and/or government donors
• Meet with donors regularly, virtually and in person
• Possess a strong understanding of the measures and metrics used to evaluate DWC programs and identify measurable goals and objectives for use in proposals
• Work with Program Directors and Measurement and Evaluation staff to monitor grant outcomes and prepare accurate and timely reports
• Weekly, maintain and update proposal and award information in systems and databases, creating and maintaining files, and coordinating/tracking proposal submission, award set-up, compliance, tracking, and reporting
• Ensure that all deadlines are met and work is prioritized effectively
• Work across Development team to engage new and existing foundation and institutional partners and enhance relationships through grants, event sponsorships, volunteer opportunities, and in-kind donations
• Assist with additional activities in support of our annual Fund Development Plan, including annual and planned giving, capital campaigns, fundraising events, tours and presentations, and reporting
• Other duties as assigned

Skills

• Minimum of Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience required
• 1-3 years of previous grant writing, development, and/or fundraising experience for a nonprofit organization required
• Knowledge of foundation and corporate funding landscape for homeless/social service agencies in Los Angeles and beyond
• Ability to meet deadlines and follow rigorous, systematic, and disciplined approach to grant research, coordination, tracking, and reporting
• Exceptional skill in comprehension, analysis, and technical writing, including the ability to articulate and explain complex funding and financial issues in a clear, non-technical manner
• Fundamental understanding of the grants process, including prospect research, cultivation, proposal and budget development, and reporting
• Demonstrated success as a team player, including the ability to develop and maintain a goal-oriented, positive attitude throughout the organization
• Excellent critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Ability to comfortably interface with Board Members, Leadership, donors, and general DWC community
• Self-starter capable of working independently
• Compassion and understanding of DWC's unique approach to service provision
• Cultural humility
• Must be a CA resident and live no more than 80 miles from DWC; must be available for in-person meetings at DWC
• Must provide documentation of a negative TB test result within the last twelve months, on first day of hire
• Being authorized to work in the U.S. is a precondition of employment

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